John Carver seeks first win since being confirmed as Newcastle manager
• Newcastle play Hull City at the KC Stadium
• Steve Bruce’s Hull desperate to climb out of relegation zone
• John Carver to stay in charge until end of season
John Carver and Steve Bruce are old friends with much in common but they both hope to heap embarrassment on the other on Saturday. While another defeat for relegation threatened Hull City will weaken Bruce’s increasingly fragile job security, Carver could do with presiding over his first win since stepping into Alan Pardew’s shoes at Newcastle United.
Carver has been confirmed as “head coach” until the end of the season and he suspects that a part of his fellow Tynesider will be a little envious as they head to their respective technical areas at the KC Stadium. Immediately after Pardew’s defection to Crystal Palace, Bruce was widely tipped to take over at Newcastle but it quickly became apparent he did not figure on the St James’ Park shortlist.
“This would have been Steve’s dream job, wouldn’t it?” Carver said. “I’ve had a few bottles of red wine with Steve. He’s quite a nice social animal, a great guy, a top guy. He’s a local lad, his wife’s from up here too and they’re lovely people. He loves the area - but the unfortunate thing is he managed Sunderland.”
If Carver would happily accept a reprise of last season’s 4-1 Newcastle win at the KC he is adamant there will be no repeat of the astonishing touchline incident which saw Pardew heavily punished for head-butting Hull’s David Meyler.
Although Carver was issuing instructions to Paul Dummett, his left-back at the time and did not actually see the altercation, he was shocked by television replays. “You can’t do it can you,” Pardew’s successor said. “I wouldn’t do it – at least not in the technical area.”
Carver is still getting used to sitting in Pardew’s old seat in the manager’s office at Newcastle’s training ground and parking the prime space every morning. While he was caretaker and it seemed possible a new manager might be appointed this month those temptations were resisted but once confirmation came that he would be in charge until May at least such reticence evaporated.
“I’ve actually been in the manager’s – well head coach’s – office more or less from the start of this process,” he said. “But I never sat in the manager’s seat. I kept out of it on purpose. But once it became official I plonked myself straight on it – and I parked in the head coach’s parking spot.”
Pardew’s old office contains a picture of his mentor and inspiration, Sir Bobby Robson. “There’s me with a picture of Sir Bob on the right hand side – and you know he’s with me all the time – and it’s such a nice feeling,” Carver said. “It’s hard to explain, to put into words. Every morning when I walk in I’m excited. I don’t get here until about 7am but I’m awake every day at 5am now. I can’t wait to get up.”
When the players arrive for training, Carver insists on the sort of courtesy Robson would have thoroughly approved of. “What we do in the morning is we greet each other and all shake hands,” he said.
Things are similarly cordial with Lee Charnley; Carver and Newcastle’s managing director enjoy an excellent rapport. “I’ve not had a conversation with Mike [Ashley, Newcastle’s owner],” he said. “There’s no need because I’ve had more conversations with Lee Charnley than I’ve had with any of my family. He’s on the phone every minute of the day talking about all sorts of issues. There’s good dialogue, good communication.”
Guardian
