John Carver says he wants Newcastle head coach job after Leicester loss

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jan/03/john-carver-newcastle-head-coach-job

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The caretaker Newcastle United head coach, John Carver, reiterated his desire to be regarded as a serious candidate to replace Alan Pardew on a full-time basis after overseeing the Magpies’ FA Cup miserable 1-0 defeat to Leicester City.

“I’d just like to say now it’s been announced Alan has taken the job [at Crystal Palace], I’d be a fool if I didn’t want to be manager of this football club, or head coach,” said Carver. “Deep down inside I was always thinking that. I am putting my hat in the ring, I told the players that on the first morning, and now I’m making it public.”

However, the 49-year-old, who was Pardew’s assistant at St James’s Park, did his cause few favours with the supporters by leaving out a number of key players, leading to accusations from some fans that he was trying to curry favour with the club owner, Mike Ashley, who has made it clear that cup competitions are a low priority when compared to the Premier League.

The players, with Carver at their head, were roundly booed when they walked over to Newcastle’s travelling support at the end of the game. “I know how important the FA Cup is but ultimately Premier League football is very important,” said Carver. “I’ve not spoken to Mike, my only communication has been with [the managing director] Lee Charnley. We had a short conversation last night about the game today, nothing else, and that’s been my contact.

“The only thing I will say is the position is now not manager, it’s the head coach, and his job is to get the team ready for the next game. There’s no need for me to be in touch with the owner, because that’s the road the club is going down now.

“When I was head coach at Toronto FC I had a director of football, I never got involved in any transfer dealings, my sole responsibility was to get the team ready for the game, and I’m assuming that’s what most head coaches do.”

Earlier, Newcastle issued a statement confirming that Pardew had been released from his contract and confirming that the club was searching for a new head coach, as opposed to manager – an indication that the club intends seek to a recruit a man accustomed to, or at least willing to accommodate, a continental structure of management, with Charnley and the highly influential chief scout, Graham Carr, taking care of recruitment.

With possible candidates Steve Bruce, Tony Pulis and Tim Sherwood having already been ruled out, according to sources on Tyneside, the Derby County and former England manager Steve McClaren, the former Swansea City manager, Michael Laudrup, St Etienne’s Christophe Galtier and the former Mainz manager Thomas Tuchel are among those being linked with the job.

Meanwhile, having failed miserably to take the opportunity afforded him to stay in the Premier League by a loan to Hull City, the United midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa is set to move to French club Nice.