Jones given three games to turn Newcastle around
Hinterim manager in charge until next international break new owners split over long-term successor to Bruce
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Graeme Jones is likely to remain interim manager of Newcastle United until the next international break, as the various members of the consortium continue to discuss who should replace Steve Bruce.
Although former Roma manager Paulo Fonseca has been interviewed and is one of the preferred candidates of the public face of the consortium, Amanda Staveley, other members are still pushing alternative candidates forward.
It is continued evidence that while the consortium is united in its determination to make Newcastle a major force again in English and then European football, there are differing ideas about who to appoint as the football specialists who are needed to make that happen.
It is not thought an appointment is imminent, something which was relayed to Jones when he was asked to take temporary charge of the team, starting against Crystal Palace today.
“My mood was one of upset, to be honest, because I had a good working relationship with Steve,” Jones said in his first public outing as interim manager yesterday. “We got on professionally and personally and he is a really good man. It was really difficult on Wednesday because we had an excellent relationship, but we all know how quickly football moves on.
“I’ve been told I’ll definitely be in charge of the team against Crystal Palace and Chelsea, after that... I just want to do the best I can for my club, whether that is an assistant manager, manager or interim manager. I’m not looking beyond that.
“The future of this club looks rosy long term, but we have to focus on the games coming up and try to help the new owners by getting a win on the board.”
That support for Bruce continued to spread across the Premier League yesterday. Pep Guardiola urged Bruce not to turn his back on football and to ignore the “bulls---” after claiming managers were treated “worse than the worst” on social media.
“I read the post on Twitter from Allan Saint-maximin for what Steve Bruce is [and had done for him] and this, for me, is what Steve Bruce is – an exceptional gentleman,” Guardiola said. “He always took care of me so nicely when I came from Catalonia. I wish him all the best and I would tell him, ‘Don’t pay attention to the comments as it is bulls---’.
“Sometimes the managers are treated worse than the worst but it is sometimes a reflection of society. On social media, it’s accepted for everyone to say terrible things.
“Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose and no one deserves to be treated like that. But he must not be worried because the people who know him quite well, that is what is important. The players know what Steve is. I wish him to come back soon and I am pretty sure he will be back because he has the love for football in his blood.”
Jurgen Klopp, the Liverpool manager, and his Manchester United counterpart Ole Gunnar Solskjaer echoed Guardiola’s sentiments by warning that managers had to tune out from the abuse.
“Don’t read it, don’t watch it, especially in average or bad periods,” Klopp said. “That’s the best advice you can give to every manager in the world. I am really sorry for Steve if that happened.”
Solskjaer said: “We all have our own ways of dealing with criticism but we’re in a high-profile position and you’re always going to get good comments, bad comments. You cannot let yourself be too affected.”
There is still a preference to give the new manager at Newcastle a short-term contract rather than the sort of long-term deal Fonseca is seeking to go with his wage demands of around £6million a year.
Although Eddie Howe, Steven Gerrard and Lucien Favre have made the shortlist, with former Everton manager Roberto Martinez’s name another to be circulated in the past few days, the one who has been featuring heavily in conversations since the start of the search is Frank Lampard.
The former England international is believed to be the preferred choice of other individuals involved in the decision process.