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Sport
Lee Ryder

Sports Direct signs are removed at St James' Park to delight Newcastle United fans

Newcastle United have started the process of removing the Sports Direct advertising boards around St James' Park.

When United were taken over by the Middle East consortium of PIF, Amanda Staveley and the Reuben brothers one of the first things on their to do list was to remove the multiple hoardings.

It was always going to be an easy win for the new powers that be.

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To ensure the signs could be removed though the club had to come to an agreement with Mike Ashley to end Newcastle's association with both the Buckinghamshire billionaire and his business ties.

The Ripon financier had said last month: "The Sports Direct signs I'm looking forward to coming down.

"It's a slight frustration when I go into the stadium and I try and take a picture which doesn't have Sports Direct in it."

Pictures of the process starting were displayed by Wor Flags on Twitter on Monday morning with the signs at the Leazes End going first.

The same procedure will follow above the East Stand and Gallowgate End while the numerous hoardings were also set to go.

United fans have always had an uncomfortable relationship with Ashley but the Sports Direct advertising situation has never sat well.

Ashley enjoyed stints of free and reduced advertising for the sports company and also controversially renamed the ground Sports Direct Arena in a decade ago.

This was eventually removed when Wonga came in as club sponsors and scrapped the arrangement as a PR stunt instead of having their own name attached to the stadium.

Fans have mocked up images before of the stadium without Sports Direct signs at St James' Park but now that sight will become a reality on their next visit.

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