Glenn Roeder has immersed himself in the scrap for precious Barclays Premiership points as speculation over the identity of the next Newcastle manager reached new heights.

The club’s Academy manager, promoted into the big time by Graeme Souness’ sacking earlier this month, has managed three wins and a draw in his four games in charge to date and is relishing tomorrow evening’s clash with Everton.

However, as he prepared his players for a vital game, big money was being wagered on fans’ favourite Martin O’Neill, while Wigan boss Paul Jewell sought to distance himself from the vacant post.

O’Neill’s odds with Ladbrokes have shortened to 2/5 amid conflicting reports which have suggested he has both verbally accepted and turned down the job, while Jewell, a 33/1 outsider, is now being quoted as a 12/1 shot after Magpies chairman Freddy Shepherd was spotted playing golf with Wigan counterpart Dave Whelan in Barbados earlier this week.

Shepherd has steadfastly refused to react to every perceived development but he insisted his meeting with Whelan was purely coincidental.

"I have had a short trip to Barbados to play golf in Dave Whelan’s charity event," he said.

Newcastle have never commented on the link with O’Neill, although there is little doubt that his name is very high on the list - as it is on the FA’s as they search for Sven-Goran Eriksson’s successor.

However, Shepherd is expected to take his time to make an appointment, and that could mean the wait will continue for some time yet.

In the meantime, Roeder will simply get on with a job he admits he is enjoying, although he does not know for how long.

"It’s a case of after the first game, just get the second game organised and get through the second game, and then the third, then the fourth," he said.

"As far as I’m concerned, my remit is to get the team organised and motivated and hopefully, we go and win the game on Saturday against Everton.

"What happens next week for the club and for me, who knows? I haven’t looked any further than Everton."

Asked if his success to date had changed his mind about seeking the job on a permanent basis, he replied: "I don’t see why there’s any reason to change my mind. I’m just concentrating on winning the next game.

"It (the speculation) doesn’t make anything more difficult for me. I’m not surprised these names are being bandied around because they are top-class managers.

"But it doesn’t make one iota of difference to me whatsoever. As a player, I was very calm, and now as a manager or coach, I’m a very calm person.

"All I have got to concentrate on now, myself and the boys, is getting a result against Everton. There  isn’t anything else worth thinking about as far as Newcastle is concerned."

Roeder has had an early taste of the vagaries of life as Newcastle boss as injuries have hit hard with Kieron Dyer and Titus Bramble out for up to three weeks with hamstring injuries and skipper Alan Shearer a major doubt with a calf problem.

Shearer freely admits he much prefers playing to occupying the seat he has in the dug-out for the last two games, but Roeder is convinced that is where he will eventually end up.

"He’s looking the part and waiting to be the part, which I’m sure he’s going to be," he said. "Being around him every day, I can see no reasons why he can’t become a top manager as and when he moves on to the management side.

"I certainly agree with his decision not to push himself forward too soon - that could be a big mistake, but again because of his intelligence, he knows that."