O’neil wanting to stay after finding Bourne identity
GARY O’NEIL is hoping to hear if he will keep the Bournemouth job this week.
The caretaker boss, who stepped into the hot-seat when Scott Parker was sacked, has galvanised his squad.
They fought out a brave point on Tyneside and were disappointed not to go away with all three.
O’neil will hold talks with the club, subject of an imminent takeover, in the coming days to see if he will keep the job longer term.
He said: “I will be finding out what’s happening club-wise next week and see what the plan is. If it is me we’ll get back to work on the grass with the lads.
“I have no idea what’s happening – I knew I was taking today and I don’t know about further, I guess I’ll find out tomorrow.
“It is a good point for us, it is a tough place to come. The boys stood up.
“I am a little bit disappointed with the penalty but we would have taken a point before.
“I am pleased the boys got something out of it because they put in a hell of a shift.
“We had a couple of plans prepared so the boys were prepared to flip between them. We changed it a little bit in the second half and had to give up a little bit of ground but I never really felt under threat. I am relatively pleased.
“They will show spirit every game.
“It is such a tough league so we will reset. This game means nothing as of tomorrow.
“This game won’t help you in the next one. I am just delighted for the lads, everyone, the fans, because it is a hell of a long way to come.
“We appreciate their support – the boys need them in those tough moments where they have to dig in.”
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe (left) was unhappy with his side’s show and admits it made for painful viewing. He said: “Our performance was below the level we set ourselves.
“We played in front of them too much. I felt we were off in every aspect of our game.
“It was a difficult watch towards the end. We needed to do a lot better to break them down.”
Allan Saint-maximin has had an injury setback and is a doubt for the next game at Fulham.