In nearly three years of Saudi ownership, Eddie Howe is the best thing to happen to Newcastle United. To lose him would be the worst, especially if caused by the club's own self-sabotage.
Chief executive Darren Eales and sporting director Paul Mitchell have played one of two games in recent months - incredibly dangerous or incredibly naive.
They say they want to support Howe, but the feeling is that he was not supported this summer, not in the manner deserving of a head coach who is worthy of his place among the leading candidates to become the next England manager. Rather, at times, it was as if he was isolated.
When Mitchell spoke for 90 minutes with reporters last week, it was hard to determine whether his words were deliberate or clumsy, refreshingly honest or a little disingenuous. Eight days on - and I was present in the suite at St James' Park - it was perhaps a cocktail of all four. A Molotov cocktail, for some.
One source, at another Premier League club, said: 'He has told people he's going in to "sort things out" at Newcastle, but that you can't do that without "ruffling a few feathers". He has a lot of confidence in himself.'
Eddie Howe is the best thing to happen to Newcastle United in three years of Saudi ownership
Sporting director Paul Mitchell has ruffled feathers and clipped wings since being appointed
Mitchell and Darren Eales (pictured) are either being incredibly dangerous or incredibly naive
Mitchell has ruffled feathers and clipped wings in just over two months. Some were irked by the messaging when, during introductory meetings with staff and players, he spoke about his 'elite' standards and of coming on a 'journey' with him. He also mentioned playing style, which did not go down well with those who believe that is Howe's domain.
The head coach would likely have been bemused by elements of last week's interview. Others inside the club were not so much scratching their head as clenching their fists.
'It went down like the Titanic,' said one source close to the club. 'Talk about aggravating the staff you're supposed to be leading.'
The aggravation centred around two key themes - Mitchell saying the recruitment strategy he inherited was 'not fit for purpose', and then insisting he only played a 'supporting role' during the transfer window, despite leading negotiations for top target Marc Guehi after telling Howe and others to trust him in delivering the signing.
He failed to do that - one source says he 'lost his head' amid the frustration of negotiations with Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish - and the window closed with Mitchell and Eales taking a kicking from fans and, among others, club legend Alan Shearer. The interview was his riposte.
During it, he was engaging, jovial (he called me 'Dan' at one point, much to the amusement of himself and the room) and he had a clear idea of where the club was going wrong and how he could fix it.
That's his job and, given the desperation of the 'PSR weekend' that pre-dated his arrival - when the club had to plug a £70million hole in the accounts to avoid a points deduction - a change to how recruitment operates is necessary, especially when it comes to selling players.
Howe's power in the transfer market has been diluted with other figures taking greater control
Performance director James Bunce (right) has instructed Howe to decrease training intensity
Mitchell said more than once that Howe is 'smart' and 'clever enough' to know that change is needed if the club is to evolve. Some of it sounded a little patronising - was that clumsy or deliberate? Only Mitchell knows, but his praise for the job Howe has done, as well as his coaching credentials, was plentiful.
Again, though, the inference felt clear - your best work is on the grass, Eddie. Eales also said as much during an interview at the start of the summer.
When Howe speaks to the media on Friday morning, he will almost certainly attempt to draw a line under a period of internal tension that has been bookended by his own words in Germany in July - when he said he needed to feel supported to be happy and stay at the club - and Mitchell's interview last week. It will be as close to a clean slate as you can get, when the fingernails of frustration are still scratched upon it.
Howe's power has been diluted, with Mitchell, Eales and new performance director James Bunce taking greater control across all aspects of the club's day-to-day running. Bunce is around training every day and, during pre-season in Germany, it was interesting to note Howe's body language - like a hedgehog raises its quills - as he prepared a session with the new man watching on.
The volume of intensity in training, it is said, has been reduced compared to previous seasons, an instruction on the part of Bunce aimed at lowering the number of injuries and optimising performance.
So far, Newcastle have taken seven points from nine, have picked up two injuries - neither is serious - and, by Howe's admission, have not played as well as he would have liked, with some key players still lacking fitness.
Howe will try to draw a line under the period of internal tension and will focus on his team
There is a desire to row in the same direction after a choppy start to new relationships
Training intensity has been lowered on Bunce's instruction to reduce the likelihood of injuries
There is, then, a balance to be found.
If Bunce can increase player availability, that is good news for the club. If Mitchell can implement a recruitment strategy that gets ahead of Profit and Sustainability Rules, that is good news for the club. But to suggest that some of what went before was substandard - when Howe and others took the club from 19th to the Champions League in less than two seasons - was perhaps not the wisest ploy.
For now, Howe will focus on his team and a game at Wolves on Sunday that could take them into the top four. Above that, there is a desire to row in the same direction after a choppy start to new relationships. The closure of the transfer window will bring calm, but the storm has not fully passed.