Around 30% of the evening newspaper's bank holiday print run had been completed when confirmation came of the Newcastle United manager's sacking just before 10am.

The editorial team and chief sports writer Alan Oliver turned the story around quickly enough for presses to be up and running again with new front and back pages 30 minutes later.

Chronicle editor Paul Robertson said: "Rumours were rife about Sir Bobby's future and we put contingency plans in place for the bank holiday weekend.

"However, the fact that it happened as the paper was actually being printed made it vital we got it right."

Most of the copies already in newsagents were replaced with the new edition, with around 12,000 extra papers sent to retailers.

The Chronicle, which has a circulation of 91,500, followed the story with 17 pages of coverage of the story in Tuesday's edition, including an eight-page pull-out entitled 'The Robson Years'.

The Evening Chronicle is published by the Newcastle Chronicle and Journal, part of Trinity Mirror.

NCJ also publishes the Journal and the Newcastle edition of Metro.

Story by Josh Brooks