Douglas Hall and Freddy Shepherd have launched a bid to return to the club's plc board.

The pair are already back on the club board as chairman and vice-chairman respectively.

Now Hall's firm Cameron Hall Developments, which owns 57% of the club, has proposed their complete return in place of their representatives on the board.

The move will go before a vote of shareholders, but Hall's holding combined with the 8.1% owned by a trust run by Shepherd means the pair can easily elect themselves back onto the board.

In July, when the pair were reinstated to the club board, they signed letters which appeared to state that they did not intend to rejoin the plc.

The pair left both boards after mocking Newcastle fans for paying high prices for replica kits, dubbing Alan Shearer "Mary Poppins" and describing Tyneside women as "dogs".'

While the move is thought to have shocked club chairman Dennis Cassidy, City observers were less surprised.

One analyst said: "It was always obvious they would be back. And anyway, on or off the board, they have such a huge shareholding they basically run the company as their own private fiefdom."

Fans reaction

Newcastle fans have given a guarded response to the news.

Members of the Independent Newcastle United Supporters' Association are keen to hear details of the proposals that will be put to shareholders at the company's AGM.

Chairman Kevin Miles said: "We haven't had a chance to discuss the matter yet, and it is not only the shareholders that will be interested.

"The Association will certainly be discussing the implications. I think many fans will feel that it is unusual for a family with such a large shareholding not to be represented on the board.

"But we have members who are also shareholders, and I'm sure they'll be looking forward to receiving their information from the plc."

The proposed return comes at a time when talk of a take-over is rife.