20 Key Things We Learned From Newcastle's Fans Forum Minutes

McClaren intends to get up close and personal with fans...

By Chris Waugh /

Steve McClaren was the surprise face at the Newcastle United Fans Forum - and the Magpies boss' presence helped bring about some interesting revelations. As expected, managing director Lee Charnley and board member Bobby Moncur were both in attendance on Monday evening - though Mike Ashley did not turn up despite previous requests for him to do so - as representatives of the Toon faithful were able to put questions to the Newcastle hierarchy. Interestingly, however, McClaren - who is the only Premier League head coach to have a position on his club€™s board - was also present, and the revelations from the meeting appear to be positive about Alan Pardew€™s permanent successor. In fact, for the first time at a Fans Forum, the Magpies head coach asked supporters questions, as well as answering ones they had for him. It seems that McClaren was visibly interested in hearing supporters€™ opinions, or at least that is the perception he seems to have given. Following last season's debacle - when the Magpies only secured their Premier League status on the final day of the campaign - the Fans Forum has at least brought about some optimism going forward. Minutes are not a transcript of what was said on Monday, but merely a record of the main things discussed, so not every single word spoken has been published. There were revelations about signings, the club's vision going forward, the previous campaign, season tickets, and much more... So here are 20 things we learned after the minutes were released from Monday's Newcastle United Fans Forum...