Steve McClaren’s future at Newcastle United remained in a state of damaging limbo last night although the former England coach is expected to be sacked within the next 48 hours.
Yesterday Newcastle’s board met to formalise crisis talks which had begun on Sunday after the 3-1 surrender the day before against Bournemouth at St James’ Park. McClaren is still scheduled to take training this morning.
Lee Charnley, the managing director, Graham Carr, the chief scout, and the club ambassador, Bob Moncur, met in York where alternatives to McClaren were discussed and a process of “due diligence” began on the potential of certain candidates.
Two notable absentees were Mike Ashley, the owner, who remained in London but will make the final decision, and McClaren, whose position as a director has always been somewhat semantic.
Keith Bishop, a key adviser to Ashley, is said to have been in frequent contact with Charnley, who has been reluctant to dismiss McClaren.
Despite Newcastle being second bottom of the Premier League there is believed to be no lack of out-of-work managers interested in the potential vacancy. Their number is understood to include two former Liverpool managers, Rafa Benitez and Brendan Rodgers, and the former Everton coach David Moyes.
With the former Leicester manager Nigel Pearson also available Newcastle have much to ponder.
Given that neither Benitez nor Moyes is likely to be overly enamoured with Newcastle’s management structure, under which the head coach coaches and Carr and Charnley take care of recruitment, this hiatus could well endure while protracted negotiations take place.
It appears Ayoze Perez feels some form of change is imperative.
“In some moments we are not a team, we are not as one,” the forward told BBC Radio Newcastle. “Something has to change.”
Mata apology
Juan Mata has apologised after being sent off for the first time in his career in Manchester United’s defeat at West Brom.
The midfielder collected two yellow cards in just 158 seconds during the first half of United’s 1-0 loss at The Hawthorns on Sunday.
Defeat was a huge blow to United’s Champions League hopes and they are three points behind fourth-placed rivals Manchester City, who have a game in hand.
Mata was dismissed after just 26 minutes following two yellows for blocking a free-kick and a wild swipe at Darren Fletcher and has said sorry for leaving his team-mates in the lurch at The Hawthorns.
“After almost 500 games as a professional player, this Sunday I was sent off for the first time in my career. As you can imagine, it’s not easy for me to write these lines,” the Spain international wrote in his blog.
“The truth is this is a new and strange situation for me, not easy to assimilate, but we learn from everything. I know that, in football, we see things like these every week, but obviously what hurts more is that my team-mates had to fight with 10 men for a long time.
“I have the feeling that both decisions were rigorous; that, in many occasions, we see more serious fouls that are not penalised in such a way, but at the same time I could have avoided them and I take responsibility.”
Bolton reprieve
Bolton Wanderers have been given more time to pay a £2.2 million tax bill after lawyers told a specialist judge in the High Court that “significant progress” had been made in plans to sell the club.
Tax authority officials had asked for Bolton – Neil Lennon’s sided slipped to the bottom of the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday after losing 2-1 at Leeds – to be wound up after complaining that the club had not paid a £2.2 million bill.
Swansea head coach Francesco Guidolin is set to resume work this week after being released from hospital.
The 60-year-old Italian fell ill with a chest infection over a week ago and has missed the last two matches after being referred to a London hospital last Wednesday.
However, having recovered from his illness, Guidolin can start preparing for this weekend’s trip to Bournemouth.
