Pleasantries and back-patting has been the order of the week ahead Newcastle United's trip to face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
That's no surprise, given that Alan Pardew and John Carver's friendship only got stronger during the dark days of 2014 for the duo. When Pardew found himself suspended from touchline duty after head-butting David Meyler at the KC Stadium it was his chief lieutenant Carver that filled the void.
When Pardew emerged from the ban at the end of April, Carver handed the duties straight back to home and they reverted to the pairing that stuck with each other through thick and thin.
Carver's praise of Pardew in the build-up to the game resulted in him telling the world that the Londoner was "one of the best" he's ever worked with in the game. Meanwhile, over in the capital, Pardew played up the "old pals" act and how Newcastle were a club close to his heart, despite the rocky road he endured on Tyneside.
However, if both Carver and Pardew are to do their jobs at Selhurst Park in the next Premier League encounter for Newcastle and Palace, the gloves will have to come off at some stage.
Newcastle need a win after dropping two points against Stoke City on Sunday at St James' Park on a day when the game was played out in front of the smallest crowd of the season. By the same token, Pardew will not want to be turned over by his own club in front of the fans who adore him.
So this one could be some encounter.
By the end of it somebody could be upset, but Pardew will cling to home advantage and the fact that his Eagles team have delivered since he was appointed. Pardew lost more games than he won at Newcastle, but he's not the worst manager ever to grace the Premier League, or even St James' Park.
His biggest problem was trying to match up the heights of the past at Newcastle with the resources at his disposal. Even then the fans only called for a team that matched their enthusiasm and unfortunately on too many occasions that didn't happen -- especially in big games like the Tyne-Wear derby against Sunderland and of course the FA Cup and League Cup.
To his credit, Pardew did lift Newcastle to fifth place in 2012 and netted a place in the Europa League. However, failure to close in on the more coveted UEFA Champions League spot cost him dearly with the long winded Europa League draining his squad and his board failing to add too many new faces to the mix in the summer of 2012.
What unfolded next was the beginning of what proved to be the end. The 2012-13 season ended up being a relegation scrap, fans lost faith in Pardew and the following season was always going to be an uphill task. Not least when director of football Joe Kinnear was appointed above his head and then failed to bring in the new faces that were so obviously required.
A media ban, more derby defeats and the sale of Yohan Cabaye effectively sealed Pardew's fate long before he decided to walk out for Palace over Christmas.
So why did he survive the first half of this season, I hear you ask? Well, the long contract until 2020 that made the current board stick with Pardew. That, and the fact that he had the club in the desired top-10 spot after the first half of the campaign.
As it turns out it is now Pardew who is trying to put a dent in that top-10 chase. There will be a handshake or two along the way at Selhurst Park, but there could also be tears before bedtime with both teams in need of a victory.