Carver appointed Newcastle boss till the end of season

John Carver has been given the reins of Newcastle until the end of the season

Newcastle United have confirmed that caretaker boss John Carver will remain in charge of the team until the end of the season.

The 50-year-old has been in charge of the team since early January when Alan Pardew left for Crystal Palace.

Winless

Pardew’s former-assistant has failed to win in his four games in charge of the Magpies, drawing one and losing three of those games.

It is not exactly a record that will inspire the confidence of the Toon Army.

Proud

Carver is quite rightly proud of being given the chance of managing his hometown club. He told Sky Sports: “This is a proud day for me,”

“I have worked with, and learned from, the best manager that this football club has had in Sir Bobby Robson. I know what this club means to this city and its people. I believe in my players and the staff I have around me.

“I am confident that we can deliver exciting successful football and look forward with relish to my role as head coach of this great football club.”

Confirmation

The Magpies managing director Lee Charnley explained the decision on the clubs official website by saying: “At the beginning of this process it was my desire and intention to appoint an individual to the position of head coach who would be available to start immediately.

“Having now explored at some length the options available to us at this time, the decision has been taken to defer the appointment of a permanent head coach until the end of the season.

“The head coach will be a long-term appointment that will play a major role in shaping the future on-field progression of Newcastle United and it is vitally important that we get the right individual.

“John has a long history with the club and has the full support of the board. Our goal for the season of a minimum top ten finish remains unchanged and we are confident that John, supported by the backroom staff, will be able to deliver this.”

Cheap

Everybody connected with the club are making the right noises, but to me it sounds like the Magpies hierarchy, mainly owner Mike Ashley have decided to take the cheap option with the appointment of Carver.

He may know the club and city, but that does not mean he has the right attributes to be manager of the football club. In fact from what he has shown in his very short cameos as a boss he is not capable of handling such a role.

Newcastle are accustomed to Ashley’s penny-pinching ways. He may be a business man, but does it not benefit him financially if the team are doing well on the pitch?

If he invested just slightly more than he has to in the club then the success starved Newcastle fans may finally see their team be successful.

This summer the club brought in a number of players and finally spent some money, but a chunk of that money that was spent came from the sale of French midfielder Yohan Cabaye to PSG last January.

Potential

I am not a big Alan Pardew fan, but give him his due he did a decent job under financial constraints put upon him by Ashley and the rest of the Magpies hierarchy.

Newcastle United Football Club has the potential to be a massive power in English football. The city is football mad and that is proven by the crowds that attend St James Park on a regular basis. The clubs fan base is massive and passionate about their club.

The Magpies are the sort of club who is primed for success with the right owner and manager in charge. The team does need investment, but the foundations of a super club are right there. Newcastle will never fulfil their potential under Ashley, as he just sees short-term balance sheets.

Gamble

The Magpies are currently 11^th in the Premier League and eight points away from the relegation zone. They are currently odds of 28/1 to drop down into the Championship, but they have taken a gamble by not appointing an experienced boss.

Whether the gamble pays off in the summer and they sign a high-calibre boss remains to be seen, but for now I believe that the Magpies fans have once again been short-changed by their clubs owner.

Where Newcastle right appoint Carver until the end of the season?