Kinnear sees Newcastle D-Day approaching

Newcastle United's interim manager Joe Kinnear says he expects to know his own future this month as he fights to drag the club up the table.

The mood has lifted a little on Tyneside following Tuesday's win over West Bromwich Albion which provided a glimmer of light down near the foot of the English Premiership.

Now Kinnear, appointed after the shock September resignation of Kevin Keegan in a dispute over transfer policy and the authority of the coach, says he expects owner Mike Ashley will hold onto the club if he cannot sell it by the time Newcastle have faced Chelsea on November 22.

That means D-Day is approaching for the former Wimbledon boss who is on a rolling monthly contract but revelling in his return to the big time.

“I think you'll get a statement after Chelsea,” Kinnear said late Friday.

“I was originally brought in for eight games and in that time-span he (Kinnear) thought the club would be sold. If it's not, he's got to come up with other ideas.”

United face Aston Villa on Monday and Kinnear forecast Ashley is “prepared to sit down and say, 'okay, where do we go from here?'.

“He might be more advised by me. I'd probably say we need four players and we maybe need to shift some out. I would advise him to go that route anyway.”

Newcastle were left in turmoil after Keegan quit for the second time in just over a decade – they just missed winning the title during his first spell in charge after famously losing out to Manchester United.

Under the former England boss they had drawn at Old Trafford on the opening day of the season and then beaten Bolton before embarking on a dismal run which the West Bromwich win halted.

“Beating West Brom gave us a massive lift. We'd been on a dreadful run and even since I have been here we have had massive disappointments,” Kinnear said.

“We got done with the penalty that wasn't against Manchester City – it was never a penalty – and we went to Everton and could have won it in the second half.”

On the plus side United are set to welcome back Michael Owen to face Villa as they look to climb the table.

Currently, they sit just one place above the relegation zone.