Sir John Hall has spent the best part of #100m trying to bring a trophy back to Newcastle over the past seven years.

Yesterday afternoon, just hours after the heartache of losing the FA Cup final, he finally wrapped his hands around some serious silverware - and he is the first to admit he hasn't a clue how they have achieved it.

At least on the pitch, that is. For when Rob Andrew's Newcastle Falcons clinched the Allied Dunbar Premiership by beating Harlequins, Sir John was as usual relying on his fellow directors to explain to him what was going on - and then passing on the information to his wife Lady Mae.

''I sit with some of the other directors at every match and they give me a running commentary,'' said Sir John, a man steeped in soccer from the age of eight when he travelled to St James' Park every other Saturday with his coalminer dad on a No.3 bus from Ashington. I've got little books on rugby's rules which I carry round with me, and I am learning.

''But Lady Mae doesn't understand it at all. Very few people do, it takes time. She likes the power and speed of the game. But as far as the rules are concerned, she just shakes her head saying 'What was that for'? I can't tell her.''

He can, however, tell her the architect of Newcastle's quite astonishing climb from Second Division strugglers to champions in just two years - Rob Andrew.

Sir John's eyes twinkle benevolently like a proud grandfather at the mention of Andrew's name - just as they used to in the days when Kevin Keegan was adorning soccer's Premiership with his unforgettable brand of exhilarating football.

The comparison is not lost on Sir John - the big difference, however, is that while Keegan missed out on the Premiership title, Andrew has secured rugby's premier trophy after only two years in charge, and one season in the top flight.

''Kevin came back into the game with an open mind and tried to play football when football wasn't ready for the kind he wanted to play,'' said Sir John.

''Kevin, in that sense, was a revolutionary, and I think Rob is the same. The two of them have come in afresh, untainted by the past, with new ideas and have wanted to challenge the system. They've done that, and it has worked very well.''

But still the speed of the success has even stunned Sir John, a 65-year-old property developer with a passion for sport and a personal fortune in the region of #150m.

''I'm surprised, of course I am,'' said Sir John. ''But Rob's a great guy, a very intelligent chap and he knows the game inside out. We were lucky to find him. He's done it on and off the park with his management and playing skills. Rob has been able to attract the proper blend of players, and it's fabulous.''

It all started as part of Sir John's master sporting plan for his beloved Geordie nation. The man who had the vision to build Britain's first shopping mall, the Metro Centre, on a derelict piece of land in Gateshead, was light years ahead of the rest in seeing the potential for professional rugby.

So when Gosforth rugby club beseeched him to bale them out as they neared bankruptcy he welcomed them into his black and white stable which also includes the Newcastle Cobras ice hockey team, and Newcastle Eagles in basketball.

It was another interest for his impending retirement - a notion which went out of the window two months ago when St James' Park was rocked by a season of crises and scandals culminating in the sleaze allegations which forced Sir John's son Douglas, and chairman Freddie Shepherd to resign from the Newcastle football board.

Back came Sir John in true knight-in-shining-armour tradition to bring stability to the Geordie giants - a situation which is likely to continue next season.

But while the soccer has become a headache, the rugby has provided enjoyment he could never have envisaged when his love for sport began at soccer-playing Bedlington Grammar more than half a century ago.

''I'm beginning to understand rugby now, I didn't before. It's a very powerful and strong game and I enjoy that. I'm always learning.

''There have been some great moments. Going to Northampton and beating them in the League, beating Saracens at home - going 10 games without losing. It's been such an eventful season.''

And Sir John, the driving force behind the clubs' power struggle with Twickenham this season, intends to continue his battle to shape the professional game.

Newcastle's success has only fuelled his passion. ''We've got to have European competitions,'' he said. ''I want to see a strong domestic league, meaningful games, and a structured season.

''There are so many things out of balance in rugby that it is going to take time to get them right. Rugby hasn't really come to terms with what professionalism means.

''I feel I've got a lot to add because of my experience with football. There is no point in reinventing the wheel. You may as well learn from soccer, take the good parts, and put them into rugby.

''But I'm always going to be pushing Newcastle. I want to make certain that whatever is put on the table is right for Newcastle rugby.