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Newcastle United have begun the process of reshuffling the boardroom following Mike Ashley's successful takeover of the club.

Ashley, a sports retail magnate and businessman, bought the 41 per cent share capital of former majority shareholder Sir John Hall and also secured the 28 per cent share owned by chairman Freddy Shepherd.

And as part of today's announcement Sir John's son Douglas has resigned from the board, as expected, although Shepherd "remains in his current role".

"Following the recommended cash offer by St James Holdings (SJHL) being declared unconditional in all respects on June 15th 2007, Newcastle United announces the resignation of Bruce Shepherd, Allison Antonopoulos, Tim Revill and Douglas Hall from the board of directors and the appointment of Chris Mort and Steve Hayward to the board of directors; all such changes to have immediate effect," a statement from the club confirmed.

Ashley's purchase of the club valued the Magpies at over £133 million, and his takeover has been greeted with optimism from the majority of the Geordie faithful.

The offer was also promoted by Shepherd himself, who said it "fully reflects both the performance of Newcastle and its prospects and ambitions for the future".

"The board believes that SJHL and Mike Ashley will be excellent custodians of Newcastle United's heritage and will provide the best possible opportunity for the club to flourish in the future, to the benefit of the company and its fans," Shepherd said when he sold on his holdings.

Ashley owns popular sports brands such as Lonsdale and Dunlop Slazenger, and he has already had input into the prospects on the playing side of the club after speaking to new manager Sam Allardyce earlier in the takeover process.