NEWCASTLE UNITED face the rest of the season with a long-term manager to be appointed, in poor form with dissatisfaction mounting. Northern Echo Sport examines the challenges facing John Carver.

 

DO THEY STILL HAVE ANYTHING TO PLAY FOR?

THERE may be no trophies on the horizon for the Magpies - the club has made no secret of the fact that the domestic knockout competitions are not a priority - but there is still much for which to play this season, even if the remaining targets will far from impress supporters. The minimum target set for then manager Alan Pardew at the start of the season and inherited by current head coach John Carver was a top ten Premier League finish. After the latest round of fixtures, they are one place and four points adrift of that. But more immediately, they need to improve upon a return of just six points from the 21 they have contested since Pardew's departure for Crystal Palace to ease their way past the 40-point mark - they will be eight shy heading into Saturday's home clash with struggling Aston Villa - to secure their top-flight status. That should not be an issue, but...

HOW IS JOHN CARVER'S AUDITION GOING?

IT COULD be going better. Carver was always on a hiding to nothing with those fans who feel he is tainted by association with Pardew, but results have done little to strengthen his case with those prepared to give him a chance. In truth, he was always an outsider to be given the job on a permanent basis with higher-profile targets identified and approached, and only a spectacularly unlikely run of results could have changed that. While the 50-year-old may have suspected that all along, it has not dimmed his determination to answer his critics, although the abject surrender at City on top of wasteful home performances against Burnley, Southampton and Stoke have damaged his cause significantly.

IS THE SQUAD STRONG ENOUGH?

STRONG enough for what? Survival? It should be. A top 10 finish? Arguably. Anything more? Answers on a postcard. The perception as the summer transfer window shut was that the club was a central defender and a striker short. Then Steven Taylor suffered a season-ending injury and Papiss Cisse headed off to the African Nations Cup and January brought no new recruits. In addition, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, who had been sent out on loan to Roma having been deemed surplus to requirements, was allowed to complete a permanent move, Davide Santon was shipped out to Inter Milan for the remainder of the campaign and Remie Streete and Kevin Mbabu were included among a Red Cross parcel sent off to Rangers. Inevitably, Paul Dummett then succumbed to injury to leave the club with four fit senior defenders. With midfielders Cheick Tiote and Siem de Jong also sidelined, Carver's options are limited to say the least.

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IS MIKE ASHLEY'S WELL-DOCUMENTED POLICY WORKING?

IT depends from which viewpoint you look at it. As a business, Newcastle United is self-sufficient. Chief scout Graham Carr has mined a rich continental seam which has allowed the club to attract within a wage structure players with potential, some of whom – Yohan Cabaye and Mathieu Debuchy in particular – have been sold on for significant profit and allowed the club to comply with the Financial Fair Play regulations in an intensely volatile industry. However, in football terms, selling a move to St James' Park as a stepping stone to bigger things creates a short-termism which means the foundations are constantly undermined and in need of repair, and while the likes of Cabaye, Debuchy, Demba Ba and Loic Remy have all given sterling service, the club has ultimately been either unable or unwilling to retain and build a team around them.

The Northern Echo: ALL SMILES: Sports Direct and Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley at a Newcastle match

HOW CAN ASHLEY ADDRESS THE FANS' CONCERNS?

One thing is very clear: Ashley will do things his own way. He has amassed his fortune by following his instincts and making often controversial decisions, and he will not be swayed by public opinion. He will not plunge the club into debt – other than the sizeable sum it owes him in interest-free loans – and risk the wrath of FFP chiefs by spending cash it has not generated on incoming transfers, a fact to which most fans have now become resigned. However, if he is to answer accusations that his regime is devoid of any ambition other than financial good health, he needs to persuade them that there is a long-term plan. The appointment of a head coach with a vision for the future and the backing to make it a reality may help, but patience in some quarters appears to be in increasingly short supply.