British Legal History was made to day as the newly appointed Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew signed a 5 and a half year contract which is believed to be the first of its kind to contain deliberate irony.
Barristers were thought to have pored over caselaw and statutes for days to determine whether or not it was legally acceptable for parties to enter into a contract which both sides knew at the outset would never be fulfilled.
A solution was reached in the early hours of this morning when lawyers acting for Newcastle United are believed to have accepted privately that the length of the contract on offer was a clear case of the club having a laugh.
Lawyers acting for Pardew said later "We agreed to let them get away with saying it was ironic, but we all know they're just taking the piss. Its like watching X Factor or wanking over Children's TV presenters, you can't do either of those things ironically."