Newcastle consider manager options

26 May 2015 10:47

Newcastle managing director Lee Charnley will draw up a fresh short-list as he looks to appoint a head coach following an eventful few weeks on Tyneside.

The Magpies eventually secured their Barclays Premier League status on Sunday with a 2-0 win over West Ham, their first in 11 attempts at the end of a run which threatened to condemn them to life in the Sky Bet Championship.

They did so with John Carver at the helm following his appointment until the end of the season in January in the wake of Alan Pardew's surprise departure for Crystal Palace.

Carver remains adamant he wants the job on a permanent basis, confident he can improve markedly on a return of just 13 points from the 19 league games of which he took charge given better fortune on the injury and suspension front, and a summer during which much-needed reinforcement work can be carried out.

The 50-year-old, who had initially been asked to take over on a caretaker basis, was handed the reins for the remainder of the campaign when Charnley, having considered a series of candidates - among them Steve McClaren, Remi Garde and Christophe Galtier - opted not to make a permanent appointment, with the man he wanted not available at the time.

However, Press Association Sport understands the picture has changed significantly since then, and not least because of owner Mike Ashley's revelation at the weekend that he is ready to invest in the squad and target silverware.

McClaren, who twice stayed loyal to Derby when approached by the Magpies, was sacked by the Rams on Monday evening, but there has been no fresh contact between the two parties, while speculation linking Burton's Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink with the club was greeted with raised eyebrows at St James' Park on Tuesday morning.

It is understood Charnley will take his time once again, with sources on Tyneside insisting nothing is imminent, although a decision is expected within a matter of weeks as the club plans for a brighter future.

Carver's situation needs to be resolved - he has five years remaining on his contract, although has indicated he would have no problem returning to his role as number two if he did not get the main job - and given the support he has received from both Charnley and Ashley, his credentials, bruised as they may have been by the events of the last five months, will be assessed.

However, the number both of potential candidates and clubs looking for new managers has changed since January and Ashley's investment plan - which was announced in a surprise television interview before he knew the club's fate - has moved the goalposts somewhat.

Nevertheless, there will be a limit to the type of candidate Newcastle can attract and while the likes of McClaren, Garde and Michael Laudrup are likely to be considered, Galtier has signed a contract extension with St Etienne and Thomas Tuchel has replaced Jurgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund. Big names such as Klopp, Carlo Ancelotti and Rafael Benitez are simply not on the club's horizon.

Whoever does get the job will work alongside Charnley and chief scout Graham Carr to address last season's problems and implement Ashley's transfer policy, which seems certain to change this summer.

But one of last term's few success stories, Daryl Janmaat, has admitted the current crop of players let Carver down during the second half of the campaign.

He said: "John deserved the win against West Ham because he has worked really hard with the team. He tried everything. I feel sorry for him - we let him down in games and it can't happen again."

Janmaat is hopeful the squad will be significantly stronger by the start of the new season and admits he is looking forward to a big few months for the club.

He said: "I think we need it in some places. I am looking forward to that and hopefully we have a really great squad next season."

Source: PA