Newcastle stadium plans step up as architect's drawing is released

We're a couple of weeks on from the high-level meetings held at Matfen Hall with the Newcastle United owners and directors, and we've not really learned a great deal from those crucial days.

Eddie Howe looks set to keep his job into next season and received the backing of the owners and directors, that much we know, but everything else has been kept pretty much under wraps. Until now.

The Daily Mail's Craig Hope has managed to get hold of a couple of drawings from the architects behind the design of a new stadium for Newcastle United.

There's still been no firm decision made on whether the Magpies will move or renovate St James' Park, but Hope claims in his latest Newcastle Confidential column that, despite that, work is now intensifying behind the scenes. It's also believed that both the executive team and the owners are leaning towards a new stadium

Our first look at Newcastle United's new stadium?

Hope says he obtained two drawings but promised to only share one as releasing the other could compromise the build, were it to go ahead.

The one shared shows a two-tiered bowl design, which Hope said will have a bubblewrap design similar to the Allianz Arena, the home of Bayern Munich.

It's worth noting, however, that Craig Hope says that the drawing is out of date now and the design has been updated significantly since.

A new stadium is looking increasingly likely

The image doesn't give a great deal away, especially in that resolution, but the fact that they're now allowing these drawings to go public suggests to us that they're trying to gauge reaction ahead of an announcement.

We're not saying that announcement is imminent, but Hope's article heavily suggests that a new build is likely going to be the way forward, and now it's just a case of making that final decision and pressing the GO button. Although there's probably still going to be plenty of obstacles to clear first.

Hopefully, some computer wiz will take this image and create a 3D model for us all to gawp at soon and give us a better idea of what we're looking at.