John Carver stays in charge of Newcastle until end of season

John Carver to stay in charge of Newcastle until end of season

• Caretaker given extended contract as club take gamble
• De Boer interested in taking over in summer


Caretaker John Carver served as No2 at Newcastle under Alan Pardew and wants the job full-time. 

John Carver will remain in charge of Newcastle United for the next four months with the club set to confirm they have postponed appointing Alan Pardew’s successor until the summer.

It is understood the 50-year-old will continue as caretaker for the final 16 games of the season, with an official announcement expected on Monday afternoon.

Carver, who has served as caretaker coach since Pardew’s defection to Crystal Palace, wants the job long term and believes that between now and the end of the season he will prove he is the outstanding candidate.

Newcastle know there will be a much wider pool of contenders available come late May when they are likely to hire a name from a shortlist currently committed to alternative projects including St Etienne’s Christophe Galtier, Ajax’s Frank De Boer, Derby’s Steve McClaren – although the chances of the former England coach re-locating to Tyneside are remote – and the former Mainz coach Thomas Tuchel. On Thursday De Boer hinted that he could be prepared to swap Ajax for Newcastle at the end of the current campaign.

Lee Charnley, the club’s managing director who is conducting the manager hunt on behalf of Newcastle’s owner Mike Ashley, previously considered appointing Remi Garde, the former Lyon coach and Arsenal defensive midfielder. Negotiations stalled when it became clear that Garde wanted to import his old coaching staff from Lyon who would not be available until June while there were also concerns regarding his decision to quite the Ligue 1 team citing exhaustion last spring.

Carver, who will be supported by Steve Stone and Peter Beardsley, is still to win a game since taking over from Pardew. So far the 50-year-old has presided over a Premier League draw at home to Burnley, an FA Cup third round defeat at Leicester, and further League reverses at Chelsea and against Southampton at home.

Although Newcastle are currently in mid-table some supporters are concerned the team could slip into a relegation skirmish and, given the recent bad run, Saturday’s game at struggling Hull City has assumed vital importance.

The only holder of the full pro licence qualification currently on the St James’ Park staff, Carver coached alongside Ruud Gullit and Sir Bobby Robson at Newcastle before later becoming an assistant manager at Leeds United, Sheffield United and Plymouth Argyle as well as a manager in his own right at Toronto FC in the MLS. He returned to Newcastle as Pardew’s assistant.

Guardian