First, a sizeable yellow metal office container appeared outside turnstiles 42 and 43 of the East Stand, partly blocking those two entry points into St James’ Park.

On the second weekend of August, as fears grew that the far-right riots that had broken out across the UK could soon reach Tyneside, almost 66,000 Newcastle United fans attended back-to-back pre-season friendlies against Girona and Brest.

For hundreds of fans sitting in that section of the East Stand, and the many thousands who walked along Leazes Terrace before and after both matches, the container provided an additional obstruction in an area that is already a pinch point on matchday, given how narrow Magpie Lane is, which leads down by the stadium, to the left of the metal box.

By the following weekend, when Newcastle hosted Southampton in their Premier League opener, the container had disappeared.

Nobody knew the purpose it had apparently served.

The situation became even more curious less than a fortnight later. In the week leading up to Newcastle’s home match against Tottenham Hotspur, a three-foot-high fence, leading nowhere in particular but apparently designating five car-parking spaces, appeared.

We have been made aware that there is the following fence/parking area being constructed in front of the East Stand by the owner of the land. pic.twitter.com/aHyDxKpJLu

— Newcastle United Supporters Trust (@nufctrust) August 29, 2024

The fence stretched about 8m alongside the perimeter of the East Stand, in almost precisely the spot where the container had previously stood, while at one end it jutted three metres out on to the road, parallel to other on-street parking spaces that are marked out by white-dashed lines.

By the evening of August 31, on the eve of the Spurs match, the peculiar fence had been removed and was not present on the day of the game. In the days that followed, some of the fence then appeared back in that spot, but rather than erected, the sections were piled on top of one another.

Once more, before Newcastle’s next home match — against Manchester City last Saturday — the wooden posts were nowhere to be seen.

As of Tuesday evening, when Newcastle welcomed AFC Wimbledon in the Carabao Cup third round, Leazes Terrace was back to being unobstructed.

(Chris Waugh/The Athletic)

Theoretically, however, further obstacles could yet appear in that same awkward spot in the future.

The land is not owned by Newcastle United, or even Newcastle City Council. Instead, as notices placed by the club above turnstiles 42 and 43 outline — and which remain in place — the plot “is owned and controlled by St James Terrace Land Ltd, Company No. 15599599”.

(Chris Waugh/The Athletic)

While public safety on matchday was cited by the Newcastle United Supporters Trust (NUST) and Newcastle United as a key concern arriving from these perplexing episodes, for the club this is also one of myriad factors that makes the potential expansion and redevelopment of St James’ Park extremely complicated.

The Grade-1 listed buildings on Leazes Terrace and the Grade-2 listed buildings on the adjoining St James Terrace already make extending the East Stand problematic.

Yet, even if Newcastle United’s stadium feasibility study — which began a year ago and the results from which Darren Eales, the CEO, claimed were “imminent” as far back as July — outlines a potential workaround to those delicate issues, the club would still need to acquire this strange island of land. And, given the price the present owner paid for the plot, Newcastle may need to fork out an eye-watering sum to do so.

Located directly adjacent to the East Stand, the strip is shaped like two triangles pointing inwards towards one another (as shown below in red, but not including the green section), and begins outside turnstiles 42 and 43 on Leazes Terrace and stretches about 8m-10m down Magpie Lane, along the side of No 4 St James Terrace.

The current owners acquired the plot on April 5 this year, as the club’s feasibility study was still ongoing.

St James Terrace Land Ltd was only incorporated as a company on March 28 but then, eight days later, according to Land Registry records entitled “Land lying to the south-west of 4 St James’ Terrace”, it paid £180,000 ($239,000 at present exchange rates) to buy the land.

Robbie Kalbraier is the sole director of the company. Although Mr Kalbraier’s correspondence address for St James Terrace Land Ltd is Great Portland Street in London, he is an active director of seven other companies — ranging from construction to flat rental and advertising firms — some of which are registered in Jesmond, Newcastle.

The Athletic, having failed to reach Mr Kalbraier or his companies via email or phone, visited Tyneside Developments Ltd, his company that has headquarters at Blue House. An iconic 19th-century building, which has exposed red bricks on the outside of the ground floor and a white-and-blue checked facade on the outer first floor, it belongs to the Freemen of Newcastle and is situated just off a busy roundabout in the middle of Newcastle’s famous Town Moor.

Mr Kalbraier acknowledged receipt of The Athletic’s questions — which included queries on how he came to own the land on Leazes Terrace, why he had been placing obstacles on it, whether he will continue to do so going forward, and if he had spoken directly with Newcastle United regarding this — but he politely declined to answer them.

There has been contact between the club and the landowner, although the rationale behind why those obstructions were placed there and whether more will be positioned there in the future remains unclear.

Newcastle United said: “The landowner is not associated with or affiliated to the club in any way whatsoever.

“In the interests of continuing to provide uninterrupted access for our fans and others using St James’ Park, particularly on matchdays, we have offered alternative nearby sites to the landowner for the safe storage of their items and will continue to seek to engage in constructive dialogue with the landowner on this matter. We will monitor the situation and will work closely with our partners to find a sensible way forward.”

The NUST described the actions of St James Terrace Land Ltd as “disgraceful” and “openly petty”.

“We strongly urge the landowner to remove the current structure (fence) and to stop putting structures in place which could compromise the safety of our supporters on matchday,” NUST said in a statement last month. “Naturally, we are concerned about the serious health and safety concerns that the structure poses, given the impact this would have on queues when accessing and departing the East Stand.

“The area of the ground right by where this has been constructed is a very busy area on matchdays and putting obstacles in the way of supporters could have dangerous consequences and result in significant overcrowding.”

The club did contact Newcastle City Council, which began an investigation while the container and then the fence were in place, but that ceased once the obstacles were removed.

A council spokesperson said: “We are aware a fence was erected, however that is no longer there. This is a matter between the landowner and the club. The council will only become involved if a risk to public safety arises or work requiring statutory permission is proposed.”

While Northumbria Police were made aware of the situation, the force has not been involved or begun an investigation as it is considered a civil matter.

Regardless, just how did a private company came to own this pocket of land immediately behind the East Stand?

Four of Mr Kalbraier’s companies comprise Tyneside Group Limited, which specialises in the redevelopment, management and rental of properties in Newcastle.

One of those companies, St James’ Central Investments Limited, lists on its website that: “Early in 2014, an opportunity arose to purchase 1, 2, 3 St James Terrace and 17 St James’ Street”. Those properties were redeveloped and, collectively, according to the company, “sold for £2.05million” ($2.72m at present exchange rates), although it does not specify when those sales happened.

According to Land Registry documents, separately, on March 4, 2016, No 4 St James Terrace was bought for £300,000 by St James Partners Limited. Their sole director is Kashif Mumtaz, a businessman and Newcastle supporter who also owns Nos 1 to 3 on the same street — previously redeveloped by Mr Kalbraier’s St James’ Central Investments Ltd — meaning he possesses the entire block.

A week after No 4 was purchased, on March 11, 2016, the strip that St James Terrace Land Ltd now owns was separated from the title for No 4 St James’ Terrace, as was the land immediately behind that property (as shown on the map above in green). The property’s description was then altered with the Land Registry to reflect the change, which is why it is now “land lying to the south-west of 4 St James Terrace”.

The Athletic attempted to contact Mr Mumtaz to confirm these details, but received no response.

For now, Leazes Terrace is back to normal. But St James Terrace Land Ltd can continue to use the plot how it sees fit — and theoretically could place further obstacles on it in the future.

Although the site has (temporarily) been used to house a metal office and a fence apparently demarcating parking spots, it is not a prime storage position, while the parking spaces cannot be used on matchday when the road is closed.

Its significance and value to St James Terrace Land Ltd is unclear. But if Newcastle United ever want to expand the East Stand, they will need to acquire that small strip of land.

When it comes to redeveloping St James’ Park, it seems nothing is ever straightforward.

(Top photos: Newcastle United Supporters’ Trust, Chris Waugh/The Athletic)

Six horses at Los Alamitos were euthanized on Wednesday and Thursday after an outbreak of equine infectious anemia (EIA) in the barn of trainer Heath Taylor. A seventh was euthanized on Sept. 24.

EIA is an incurable disease that usually results in euthanasia. Horses with EIA have that virus mostly for the rest of their life, meaning an interminable quarantine or euthanasia.

All of the afflicted were quarter horses.

The first horse to have the condition detected was Bullet Train V, an Oklahoma bred, on Sept. 24. The 2-year-old colt was winless in two starts, neither at Los Alamitos, having finished third in a trial for the All American Futurity in Albuquerque.

Upon notification, the horse was euthanized and nine horses run by Taylor were put in quarantine. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), as is standard, was put in charge of the situation and subsequent investigation. EIA is not confined to the U.S.; it is a problem worldwide.

The three remaining horses who were quarantined have tested negative for disease. They will remain quarantined and be re-tested in two months.

EIA is caused by insects, usually flies.

Other horses who were euthanized were:

• Opt In, a 3-year-old gelding, who won once in eight starts, which was an All American Futurity trial last year. His last race was a seventh in an allowance race at Los Alamitos on Sept. 15.
• El Vencedor V, a 2-year-old gelding, won three of four including a win in an Al American Futurity trial. He never ran at Los Alamitos.
• Amore for a Reason, a 3-year-old filly, won three of eight including a seventh in the All American Oaks final, for 2-year-old fillies.
• Goodtyme, a 3-year-old gelding, who won three of nine races. His last race was a fourth in an All-American Futurity trial, in which he finished fourth.
• Other Assaultt, a 2-year-old colt, was winless in four starts.
• The Marksman V, a 3-year-old gelding, who was four for 10 lifetime and three-for-four this year. His last race was Sept. 2 with a fourth in the All American Derby in Albuquerque.

According to records from the California Horse Racing Board and supplemented by The Times, Taylor has had six deaths since 2000. He also had a sudden death during training.

Los Alamitos runs a year-round quarter horse and thoroughbred meeting that is partly made up of lower level thoroughbred horses. So far, the track has had eight racing or training deaths because of musculo-skeletal and one sudden death during training. The Times accounting of horse deaths do not generally account for diseases or non-racing injuries.

In 2019, Taylor was restored to good standing in Louisiana after a 2012 drug violation for the drug Dermorphin, a pain killer, known as frog juice because its origin was from secretions of South American tree frogs. Taylor served three years and nine months before being reinstated.

Racing at Los Alamitos is conducted every Friday and Saturday.

The first quarter of the NFL season is in the books, and although there’s a lot of football left to play, you can sense things starting to fall into place for many teams (and developing concerns for others). Let’s take a look at some of the things we’ve learned after four weeks, and also award some superlatives.

What we’ve learned

Fit is everything

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold’s career resurrection is among the best stories of the young season. Cast off by the New York Jets and then Carolina Panthers, Darnold used a season as a backup in San Francisco to help reset his career, and then signed with the Vikings this offseason to serve as a bridge to eventual first-round pick J.J. McCarthy. But through four weeks, Darnold has been a star. He’s leading the NFL with 11 touchdown passes and a 118.9 passer rating and has completed a career-best 68.9 percent of his passes while helping lead the Vikings to a 4-0 record.

While Darnold continues this revival, quarterbacks Baker Mayfield, Geno Smith and Jared Goff are also enjoying second-chance success with Tampa Bay, Seattle and Detroit, respectively. Derek Carr looks revitalized under new Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and Justin Fields has exhibited promise in Pittsburgh. These reclamation projects provide a valuable lesson, that seemingly debilitating struggles aren’t always the fault of the quarterback. It doesn’t always matter how talented a prospect is if he’s on a team led by a general manager who doesn’t understand how to properly build around him, or if he’s playing for a coach who doesn’t understand how to tailor his system to that passer’s strengths. But if blessed with the opportunity to pursue a more stable situation, some quarterbacks can make good on second chances.

Sure, Darnold — now 27 and in his seventh NFL season — has probably learned a lot more than he could have ever imagined as a 21-year-old rookie. But Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah get it, and have used a strong rushing attack, quality offensive line, supremely talented wide receiver in Justin Jefferson and dominant defense to ease pressure on Darnold while capitalizing on his strengths.

Defense is making a comeback

We’re often told the NFL is “a passing league,” but through four weeks, passing numbers are down across the NFL. Teams have averaged 202.8 passing yards a game compared to 217.9 per contest through four weeks last season. Passing numbers have declined every season since 2020, when teams averaged 249.8 per game. Rushing numbers have increased slightly, but as a whole offenses have found it more challenging to move the ball this season.

Why? Have the league’s defensive gurus cracked the code on these high-powered offenses despite rule changes that make it harder to cover wide receivers?

Yes and no, said three NFL coaches with offense expertise. It’s true that defensive coordinators are finding ways to take away explosive plays. They’re using more two-high safety looks in an attempt to guard against getting beat deep by wide receivers. That has in part forced quarterbacks to settle for shorter, underneath passes. But offensive coaches also report that as defenses opt to cover the pass with seven players, that has left them with more four-man fronts, which lends itself to more favorable run opportunities. Some of these offensive coaches also believe that deteriorating offensive line play has factored into the decline in passing yards. Even though quarterbacks are facing more four-man fronts, sacks have still gone up slightly. Decreased practice time and less full-contact action in training camp and the preseason are among the potential reasons for offensive line struggles.

Will this trend continue, or after limited work together in preseason games, did offensive starters simply spend the first month of the season honing their skills as they gear up for an explosion?

The Cowboys’ Brandon Aubrey has made field goals of 65 and 60 yards this season. (Andrew Dieb / Imagn Images)

Kickers are up

The new “dynamic” kickoff generated a lot of buzz this offseason, and the rule change has made this element of the game slightly more relevant. Teams have combined for 187 returns this season, compared to 112 at this point last year, according to NFL Research. But the real buzz involves field goals, on which kickers are booming the ball through the uprights from greater distances than ever.

Already, we have seen Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey make two field goals of 60 yards or greater (a 65-yarder in Week 3 and 60-yarder in Week 4). New England’s Joey Slye nailed a 63-yarder on Sunday. Thus far, kickers have successfully kicked 61 field goals of 50 yards or longer, which is a record through four weeks, according to NFL Research. The previous record was 46 (2023).

The Chiefs are still the Chiefs, but …

Some things never change. Fresh off their repeat as Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs have kicked off their three-peat quest with a four-game win streak. The Chiefs haven’t lost a game since Week 16 of the 2023 season, putting them on a 10-game win streak when including the playoffs.

The Chiefs’ approach has differed to start this season. Travis Kelce got off to a slow start, but Patrick Mahomes relied heavily on second-year wide receiver Rashee Rice and rookie Xavier Worthy while leading his team to wins over the Ravens, Bengals, Falcons and Chargers. The Chiefs’ success has come despite the the losses of free-agent wideout Marquise Brown and top running back Isiah Pacheco to injuries. But now Mahomes and the Chiefs will be tested further. Rice suffered a serious knee injury in Sunday’s win over the Chargers. Already shorthanded, Kansas City will need other players to step up. Kelce did have his most productive day of the season (seven catches, 89 yards). But can Worthy assume the No. 1 role? Will the Chiefs have enough firepower to defend their title, or will their hopes fizzle down the stretch of the season?

Panthers’ dysfunction is hard to cure

Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper’s impatience prompted him to fire Frank Reich after just 11 games last season. This past offseason, Tepper charged Dave Canales with the task of fixing top 2023 pick Bryce Young. But after two dismal performances, the Panthers’ rookie head coach benched Young (24 hours after pledging loyalty to him) and turned to Andy Dalton. The 14th-year veteran did help the Panthers win a game in his first start. But Carolina faces all kinds of uncertainty regarding Young’s future. Will Canales help the Alabama product reset his career and better understand the pro game as a backup? Or will the Panthers eventually trade him?

Superlatives

Brightest newcomer: Commanders QB Jayden Daniels

The second pick of the 2024 draft is off to a historic start, completing a league-best 82.1 percent of his passes. He has passed for three touchdowns and just one interception while rushing for another four touchdowns to lead the Commanders to a 3-1 start. Give offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury props for his work in developing Daniels and easing him into his role as starting quarterback.

GO DEEPER

Which 2024 NFL Draft picks have excelled so far? Our early All-Rookie Team

Biggest surprise: Vikings QB Sam Darnold

As mentioned, Darnold looks like a man reborn after stepping in as the Vikings’ replacement for Kirk Cousins. Leading the league in touchdown passes and passer rating, and ranking second in yards per attempt (8.8 yards), Darnold has Minnesota looking like a playoff team.

Best coaching job: Packers’ Matt LaFleur

There’s stiff competition for this distinction. Minnesota’s O’Connell and Washington play-caller Kingsbury both deserve consideration. But LaFleur took Titans castoff Malik Willis, inserted him into the Packers’ offense for an injured Jordan Love, tailored the system to capitalize on Willis’ strengths and positioned him for effective play and wins in both starts.

After playing all 17 games last season following a concussion-plagued 2022 campaign, the Dolphins’ quarterback suffered yet another concussion in Week 2. Now Tagovailoa faces an uncertain future. The Dolphins have placed him on injured reserve to give him time to heal and seek additional medical advice, but it’s unknown when/if he will return. Without Tagovailoa, the Dolphins are 0-2 after using Skylar Thompson and Tyler Huntley as starters. Huntley will start again Sunday at the Patriots.

Derrick Henry and the Ravens have won two in a row, against the Cowboys and the Bills. (Tommy Gilligan / Imagn Images)

Scariest 2-2 team: Ravens

After an 0-2 start, the retooled Ravens broke out of their funk with a much-needed win at Dallas and then rolled to an authoritative 35-10 victory over Buffalo. Offseason pickup Derrick Henry rushed for 199 yards against the Bills while backup Justice Hill had 18 rushing yards and 78 receiving yards and a touchdown. Lamar Jackson rushed for a touchdown and passed for two more. The Ravens defense had struggled to find its footing following former coordinator Mike Macdonald’s departure to become Seattle’s head coach, but had its way with Josh Allen and the Bills, restoring confidence that Baltimore can contend in the AFC this season.

Most suspect winning record: Bills

After a comeback win over Arizona and a thumping of Miami, the Bills looked elite and Allen an MVP candidate. But then came Sunday night’s loss at home to the Ravens, which raises questions about the Bills’ legitimacy. Arizona is inconsistent, and Miami struggled mightily against the same defense that Baltimore walloped. Buffalo (3-1) may win the AFC East because of the Dolphins’ Tua-related misfortunes, the Patriots’ rebuilding and the fact the Jets will always be the Jets even with Aaron Rodgers. But can the Bills really go toe-to-toe with the conference’s elite teams?

Hottest coaching seat: Doug Pederson or Nick Sirianni?

Pederson was supposed to rescue the Jaguars from the dysfunction of the short-lived Urban Meyer era. He was supposed to help Trevor Lawrence live up to the billing of a generational talent, one who just earned a new $275 million contract. But three years in, Pederson appears no closer to these goals than when he started. Sure, Lawrence showed promise in 2022 in helping Jacksonville make an unlikely playoff push. But rather than build on that success, Lawrence and the Jaguars regressed in 2023, losing five of their last six games to miss the postseason. And now they’ve opened the year 0-4 as Pederson continues to defend highly criticized offensive coordinator Press Taylor. Can Pederson, whose team has back-to-back games in London in Weeks 6 and 7 after hosting the Colts on Sunday, get this thing turned around?

Meanwhile, Pederson’s replacement in Philadelphia finds himself under a great deal of pressure as well after a listless 33-16 loss to the Buccaneers dropped the Eagles to 2-2. Nick Sirianni started hot, taking Philly to the Super Bowl in Year 2 at the helm. But the Eagles regressed last season and continue to struggle. Sirianni has a very good roster with which to work, and offseason signee Saquon Barkley has already made his presence felt. But Jalen Hurts has yet to regain the excellence and consistency the Eagles hoped for under new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. Injuries to wideouts A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith have hampered the offense. But as a whole, this unit continues to underperform, and defensive guru Vic Fangio (hired this offseason) has yet to cure the ills that plagued the Eagles on that side of the ball.

Eagles brass positioned this team to contend, but things remain shaky. That ultimately could cost Sirianni, who admitted last week he hadn’t prepared his team adequately for Tampa Bay.

GO DEEPER

What I’m seeing from the Eagles: Troubling flaws with discipline, detail, development

Unluckiest team: Rams

After going 5-12 in 2022, one year after winning the Super Bowl, the Rams went 10-7 last season and returned to the postseason. They aimed to make a deep playoff run in 2024, but injuries have hit L.A. hard across the offensive line, in its secondary (cornerback Darious Williams) and at receiver (Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp). At 1-3, the Rams already find themselves in an early hole in the competitive NFC West.

Earliest big-spending return: Falcons QB Kirk Cousins

The Falcons believed they had a roster fit for contention, and just needed a quarterback to put them over the top. So they armed new head coach Raheem Morris with Cousins, signing the 13th-year veteran and four-time Pro Bowler to a four-year, $180 million contract with $140 million guaranteed despite the fact he was coming off surgery for a torn Achilles tendon. The Falcons offense isn’t quite a well-oiled machine yet, but Cousins already is making his presence felt, leading his team on game-winning drives twice in the first four weeks.

There were rumblings during the preseason that this relationship might quickly sour. And while the Raiders are 2-2, Adams has requested a trade, and Las Vegas has let teams know he’s available for the right price.

GO DEEPER

Tafur: Why the Davante Adams-Raiders marriage was wrong from the very beginning

What team makes sense for Adams? The Ravens certainly could use an explosive pass-catching threat for Jackson, and Adams could potentially put them over the top. The Chiefs are desperate with Rice and Brown injured. But would the Raiders trade within the division? Buffalo drafted Keon Coleman to replace Stefon Diggs, but Adams certainly would look good catching passes from Allen. And Justin Herbert is working with a thin supporting cast, but the Chargers also reside with the Raiders in the AFC West.

Scoop City Newsletter

Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox.

Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox.

Advertisement

Sign Up

(Top photos of Jayden Daniels and Sam Darnold: Stacy Revere and Christian Petersen / Getty Images)