The sports retail tycoon visited Newcastle's Darsley Park training ground for talks with manager Joe Kinnear and managing director Derek Llambias. He was smuggled into the training camp allegedly in the back of an ice-cream van, wearing a wig and long beard - singing "Just one Corneto, from Italy" - waving a large banner that said "Cockney Mafia".
But seriously .... it was the first time that the Toon owner had been seen by his players since Kevin Keegan's dramatic resignation as manager last September.