Soccer Premier League

Newcastle United Should Stop the Search for a New Manager, Keep John Carver

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Newcastle United caretaker coach John Carver raises a smile before the Barclays Premier League match between Newcastle United and Burnley at St James' Park on January 1, 2015 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Stu Forster-Getty Images

We have already seen all the Tweets “#Alan Pardrew Out!,” well how about “#John Carver In”? The feisty but likable manager of Newcastle United is currently in a caretaker’s role, but belongs at the helm of the struggling Premier League club permanently.

The writing is already on the wall that Carver and his assistant John Stone could soon be gone from the sidelines at St. James’ Park as Newcastle eyes a more high profile manager to take over. Frenchman Remi Garde is currently considered the leading candidate.

Carver’s appointment as caretaker came after the departure of former Newcastle boss Pardew, who abruptly left for Crystal Palace on Dec. 29.

But writing off Carver is the wrong approach and would be short-changing the famed Yorkshire club and its loyal fans. Moreover, Newcastle the club should be rallying around their hometown boy who was born and raised in the west end of the city and has been part of the city’s football culture for most of his life. The supporters were quick to raise the banners and launch websites calling for the dismissal of Pardew, but have fallen silent when it comes to the future of Carver.

“There are a million people out there who would love to have this job,” Carver told The Guardian recently. “If they want to bring some new guy [manager] in, then I’m a big guy and I can deal with the situation. If a new guy comes and wants me to work with him, then I’ll be happy with that.”

Carver was a disciple and assistant of legendary English manager Bobby Robson, who managed the club from 1999 to 2004. When Carver took over after Robson’s dismissal, also in a caretaker’s role, he guided Newcastle to a 3-0 win over Blackburn Rovers, but was let go after the game.

Some might also argue that Carver lets his emotions get the best of him and doesn’t have the pedigree to be at the helm of an elite club. Sure, he once threw a chair at Newcastle bad boy Craig Bellamy after a dressing-room dispute, nearly came to blows with the equally notorious Joey Barton after an argument over a parking spot and most recently got into a shoving match with Callum McManaman of Wigan Athletic following that player’s horror tackle on Newcastle defender Massadio Haidara. And, maybe my sympathy for Carver is because I have known him on a personal level when I covered Toronto FC for The Globe and Mail and Major League Soccer in 2008 and 2009. Toronto FC were (and still are) much worse of a train wreck than Newcastle ever have been, but I could see from the beginning of his tenure that Carver was a guy who would do anything to win and got the most out of his players.

He once called me into his office for a personal chat and wanted to make certain he was doing everything he could to help in the coverage of the team.

“What can I do to be more engaging with the press?” he asked me in his thick Geordie accent. “How am I doing?”

“You are doing fine John” I responded and added that he was going above and beyond what any member of the media would expect from a coach.

Carver is decent human being, a guy who genuinely cares and wants to be up front and honest with everyone in the association. If that doesn’t fit the description of a top-notch coach, then what else does? But people who run big-money clubs (and the media too) often don’t value these qualities enough and are sometimes more concerned about image and perception than substance.

And Carver’s dismissal could come sooner than later as the results with him at the reigns haven’t been that impressive. In his opening game, Newcastle surrendered a lead and settled for a 3-3 draw at home to Burnley; his second game saw an exit from the FA Cup with a 1-0 defeat to Leicester City; and their latest match ended in a 2-0 loss to league-leaders Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

But casting Carver adrift would be the wrong decision for so many reasons. As so many sports fans are already painfully aware, #realitybites.

Peter Mallett is a blogger for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @RedCardTheRef1 like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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