John Carver likely to remain in charge for next two matches
With Newcastle United determined to take their time over appointing a manager, John Carver is expected to continue in caretaker charge for not only Saturday’s trip to Chelsea but the home game against Southampton the following weekend.
Although Newcastle remain interested in Rémi Garde and are understood to have made informal contact with the former Lyon manager and Arsenal defensive midfielder, other candidates cannot be discounted. These include Thomas Tuchel, the former Mainz coach, and Saint-Étienne’s Christophe Galtier. Both are believed to be under consideration.
As things stand, Lee Charnley, the club’s managing director, and Graham Carr, the chief scout – the duo the club’s owner, Mike Ashley, has placed in charge of the recruitment process – hope to be in a position to announce an Ashley-approved head coach shortly after the Southampton game.
With Newcastle out of the FA Cup this would mean the new man will have the best part of a fortnight to work with his squad before the trip to Hull City at the end of January.
It seems virtually certain Alan Pardew’s successor will be imported from abroad after Steve McClaren pledged his loyalty to Derby County on Tuesday and Eddie Howe on Wednesday said he would not contemplate leaving the Championship leaders, Bournemouth.
Newcastle regarded McClaren as a strong contender but the former England and Middlesbrough manager’s comments appear to have ruled out any possibility of his relocating to Tyneside.
Although Howe was seen as more of an outsider, his name is believed to have featured on Newcastle’s longlist. Not that the 37-year-old was ever prepared to consider walking out on Bournemouth’s attempt to reach the Premier League.
“It’s flattering but I have no interest in other jobs,” Howe said. “I love the job I’m doing here.”
Alan Shearer has hinted he wondered whether Ashley had encouraged Pardew to depart for Crystal Palace after possibly telling him he would shortly be putting the sold signs up at St James’ Park in order to pursue his increasingly complicated involvement with Rangers.
Although this theory is contradicted by emphatic denials from Newcastle that Ashley, who recently said he would not consider selling up on Tyneside until the summer of 2016 at the very earliest, is preparing for a sale, Shearer did not seem entirely convinced.
“I don’t know what [Ashley’s intentions for the club are] because he never tells us anything,” said the former Newcastle striker and caretaker manager in a BBC interview. “He doesn’t speak to anyone but there’s a small part of me that thinks he might have given Alan Pardew a nod.”
Quite apart from Newcastle’s insistence that Ashley’s statement about remaining in control for at least the next 18 months remains accurate, offloading football clubs is difficult.
Moreover, as Shearer pointed out, there are several other plausible explanations for Pardew’s defection. “It did make me laugh when I heard people saying that Alan wouldn’t leave Newcastle to go to Crystal Palace,” he said.
“There’s a million reasons why Alan would leave Newcastle to go to Crystal Palace: he’d be on a better salary at a club where the fans would want him, he would buy and sell the players he wanted. There’s four very good reasons to start with. That’s where Newcastle are as a club I’m afraid. Not good news but we’re used to that.”
by Louise Taylor / Guardian
