Source: Telegraph
Joe Kinnear offered 'lucrative' Newcastle contract
The Newcastle United manager, Joe Kinnear, has revealed that he is considering a "very lucrative" offer to remain in charge of the St James Park club beyond this season.[LNB]Kinnear, 62, was only brought in on a short-term basis following Kevin Keegan's sacking but now he is comtemplating staying at Newcastle on a long-term basis under club owner Mike Ashley.[LNB] "I know what my own future is," said Kinnear last night. "I'm just mulling over things in my head at the moment. I have been offered a very lucrative contract.[LNB] "Mike Ashley, (managing-director) Derek Llambias and I, we've sat down and talked about taking the club forward and about reinvesting in the club in the summer.[LNB] "But I said to them that first and foremost, we have to work hard and establish ourselves as a Premier League side and get away from the relegation fight. I really don't need anymore distractions than that. " Kinnear, whose contract expires this summer, added: "What I suggested to the club was that we all sit down in the summer and look at each other and say what direction do we want to take the club in, refinancing it, letting players go and bringing in my own players. I'll also see what my wife and family have to say.[LNB] "I've now got a really strong foothold in the club and things are turning back my way. But obviously a few bad results and people have a different opinion of you. That's the way sport is today. You put three or four victories together you're A-okay. But a few losses and people's opinions change." Kinnear said he was relishing the challenge day-to-day management despite the pressures of Premier League football.[LNB] "The more I do, the more I realised how much I missed it," said the former Wimbledon manager.[LNB]Every time I come in and do the training work with the players I start telling myself â it's fantastic that this is part of my life, I really enjoy this.' This is the good part of the game, working with the talented players." "I've now got a really strong foothold in the club and things are turning back my way. But obviously a few bad results and people have a different opinion of you. That's the way sport is today. You put three or four victories together you're A-okay. But a few losses and people's opinions change." Asked if keeper Shay Given and striker Michael Owen had futures at the club, Kinnear was optimistic.[LNB] "I've sat down with both of them on numerous occasions and spoken to them about their futures," Kinnear said.[LNB] "I've explained the direction that I want to take the club in. Shay is obviously tied up. But Michael said he wished to see the season out and then just look at his options. Unfortunately, instead of this being addressed early doors, I've come in later-on and it's disappointing that this wasn't sorted out prior to me joining the club.[LNB]But I've come in at the back end with Michael and I think Michael is basically looking at all his options in the summer. He's not saying that he isn't going to sign for the club. What he is saying is that he's going to look at all his options." Kinnear's Newcastle side could soon be facing a Manchester City featuring Kaka should the club's audacious bid for the Brazilian be successful.[LNB] "It's gone from mad to madness," Kinnear said. "Having said that, we'd all like a player like that in our team. But it has a snowball effect. This week I made a £5 million bid for a player that I thought was about right for the ability of the player and what he has achieved in his career. He's a young player of 23. I got a phone-call back saying they wanted £15 million for him.[LNB] "They throw in Kaka and the likes of whoever City are buying as examples.[LNB]They are saying this is benchmark, â If you can ask that for that, then we would like this much for our player' and I would say they are not in the same class and he would say â is he [Kaka] really worth £100 million?' so we're getting a little bit of that at the moment and I'm sure I'm not the only one." For now Kinnear is focusing on guiding the Tyneside club to mid-table safety.[LNB] "This is the start of a very important time for us," he said. "Our next four games are against teams below us [in the Premier League table] Blackburn, Manchester City, Sunderland and West Brom so it's imperative that we get results out of these matches. We want to put as much distance as is possible between these teams and us."[LNB]
