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Agent: Newcastle 'not an option' for Martin Jol

Mick

by Mick
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NG32

NG32

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Reportage - 8/Dec/10   

Jol set for Newcastle talks - Simon Bird, The Mirror

 

Martin Jol was last night favourite to replace sacked Chris Hughton as Newcastle faced an angry backlash from players and fans.

Mirrorsport can today reveal the behind the scenes tensions that blew Hughton’s reign apart - including having to play a fantasy football prediction game with owner Mike Ashley, and conflict over appointing caretaker boss Peter Beardsley as his No2.

Hughton was axed at 2pm yesterday by MD Derek Llambias after a five-game winless run - and ex Spurs boss Jol, who has interested Newcastle since the summer, last night quit his job as Ajax coach.

 

Jol quit Ajax by mutual consent six hours after Hughton was sacked, and last night his odds crashed from 40-1 outsider to 5-4 favourite to succeed Hughton.

And he is now ready to speak to Newcastle about his dream of returning to the Premier League.

 

Hughton was on a £400,000 a year deal which expired in June, meaning he was cheap to sack.

 

He said last night: “We have built on last season’s momentum following promotion back up to the Barclays Premier League and have produced some excellent results to see us sitting midway in the table at this stage of the season.

 

“I am immensely proud of my achievements with Newcastle and I enjoyed a fantastic relationship with the players, my staff and the supporters during my time as manager. I now wish them and the club all the very best for the future. The termination of my contract is now in the hands of the League Managers’ Association and I will therefore be making no further comment at this stage.”

 

United want to appoint a “more experienced boss” that can be a more high profile figurehead. One factor is that the club want to feature in more live Sky games which earn almost £500,000 a game, and they believed Hughton’s low key approach didn’t help sell the club in the Premier League.

 

Hughton was put “on trial” in October when United first refused to hand his a new contract, and while they were keen for him to succeed, poor home form against supposed lesser clubs didn’t help his cause.

 

Jol is not the only candidate with former West Ham and Southampton boss Pardew “strongly interested” in the job, while Llambias has also met old friend Alan Curbishley in the past couple of weeks.

 

Martin O’Neill would be a high risk appointment given his walk out on Aston Villa and need for a budget and no interference. Other candidates include Steve McClaren who is fire-fighting at Wolfsburg, while Peter Beardsley, a favourite in the boardroom and now caretaker, will be in the frame for a senior coaching role.

 

There was huge sympathy for dignified Hughton last night, whose side produced memorable wins against Aston Villa (6-0), Sunderland (5-1) and Arsenal at the Emirates this season.

 

Veteran defender Sol Campbell warning his departure made “no sense” and will have a negative effect in the dressing room.

 

Campbell said: “Chris is such a lovely guy. Top man. This will hit the players hard. The players admired him, and liked him, and won’t be happy now he’s gone like this.”

 

“You have got to ask yourself why this has happened because it makes no sense. Here is a guy who has done an unbelievable job. He got the club back into the Premier League and any manager would have been rewarded for that with a new contract - but Chris wasn’t.

 

“The players are sure to be asking themselves ‘what the hell is going on?’, that is only natural.

 

“We all know he had a good relationship with the players, and when we left training this morning none of the players had a clue this was coming.

 

“But word started to spread that the bookies had stopped taking bets and the players started texting each other with the news. Yes, it has come as a shock, and it will effect the dressing room there is no doubt about that.”

 

LMA chief Richard Bevan said: “Not only did Chris secure promotion back to the Barclays Premier League, but achieved two club records in the process; 102 points to secure promotion and the longest sequence of unbeaten league matches (17).

 

“Throughout his time at Newcastle Chris has conducted himself with tremendous integrity and dignity, the team’s current position of 11th demonstrating the stabilising effect Chris has had in his role as manager during his period at Newcastle.”

 

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Guest taps01

Guest taps01

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Just gone from 4/5 to 2/1. Pardew is the new favourite at 11/10 from 7/4.

 

Start worrying when you see large sums of money being placed on Pardew!

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NG32

NG32

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Just gone from 4/5 to 2/1. Pardew is the new favourite at 11/10 from 7/4.

 

Start worrying when you see large sums of money being placed on Pardew!

 

Start worrying when you see his dark arrogance cloud looking over the city.

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NG32

NG32

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Well that will be Jol out if the picture, he already said in his leaving statement from Ajax that he thought the expectations were to high.  He probs does need another break and not to be working for a loony bin like ashley  :mackems:

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Bad Mongo

Bad Mongo

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It's going to be Pardew because Ashley and Llambias are consistently stupid. Appointing Hughton full time was stupid as well; a modest and inexperienced manager with little connection to the area is probably the last person you'd expect to turn around a recently relegated squad with low morale. They just had tremendous luck with him. Sacking him was just as stupid, of course.

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Golfmag

Golfmag

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I asked if we could get get excited at all about the Jol resignation news and the reply is (paraphrasing to protect all concerned) that although nothing is done (ie re Pardew) until it is done, prepare to be disappointed. Sorry to be so obscure but hope the (tragic) message is clear enough.

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Dr Venkman

Dr Venkman

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Betting odds mean nothing, bookies will just react with where the money is going..

 

Yeah, the odds shift from 4/5 to 5/2 because someone places £20.

 

Wake up.

 

bookies are just reactionary mate. if they KNEW anything they'd stop taking bets on whoever they knew was getting the job, they're not gonna want to lose a single penny more than they have to.

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