Ashley back to lead the hunt with Hughes still in sights

[Scottish Mag 3]

Mike Ashley returns from a business trip to the Far East today with the aim of providing impetus to Newcastle United’s search for a new manager. Mark Hughes is one of the leading candidates to succeed Sam Allardyce, but having endured the public embarrassment of Harry Redknapp’s decision to remain at Portsmouth, there is a determination within St James’ Park to avoid more of the same.

 

John Williams, the Blackburn Rovers chairman, insisted last night that Newcastle’s interest in Hughes was yet to crystallise. “We have not received any approach from Newcastle United for Mark Hughes,” he said. “We have had no contact from Newcastle whatsoever. He is doing a great job here and we obviously want to keep him. We are chasing a Champions League place, so why would he want to leave?”

 

Chris Mort was not at his desk on Tyneside yesterday as Kevin Keegan moved into position as favourite for the job on the betting exchanges. The Newcastle chairman continued to hold talks with other individuals on his shortlist and their representatives. Mort wishes the process to be as broad as possible and as lengthy as required, but the proximity of Ashley, the club’s billionaire owner, will add substance to those negotiations.

 

“The process is still very much ongoing,” a source at the club said. “They are meeting people on the shortlist and only after meeting all of them will they be in a position to announce the new manager.”

 

Hughes remains at the forefront. Long viewed as a potential replacement for Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, where he excelled as a player, the former Wales manager recognises that his coaching CV lacks a spell at a club of stature as well as Champions League football. Newcastle have the potential to offer him both, even if the prospect of the latter feels very distant.

 

While Blackburn and Williams are eager to retain the services of a man who has lifted them into the upper half of the Barclays Premier League, they are unlikely to stand in his way if and when Newcastle make their move. For his part, Hughes is said to be keen to embrace a new challenge and is privately intrigued by the prospect of working on Tyneside. He is not, however, set on leaving.

 

That, of course, is Newcastle’s conundrum. While the club maintain that Redknapp was a choice, but not necessarily first-choice, to follow Allardyce, his high-profile snub of their advances, after an interview with Mort in London on Friday night, has dented their credibility.

 

As of yet, their plans do not incorporate Shearer. A straw poll in Newcastle conducted by The Times yesterday found that the club’s record goalscorer would be the preferred choice of many respondents, whether alone or in a partnership.

 

Keegan yesterday did not dismiss reports linking him with a return to the club he almost led to the title during his remarkable spell in charge in the 1990s. “I’m not ruling myself out or in,” he said. “It’s a club I love, everyone knows that.”

 

Yet while Shearer is prepared to be manager, he will not contemplate working under another man and his relationship with Keegan is no longer close.

 

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/foo...icle3187732.ece

[The Fish 9341]

Chris Mort was not at his desk on Tyneside yesterday as Kevin Keegan moved into position as favourite for the job on the betting exchanges.

how many "favourites" have there been now?

[manc-mag 1]

The appointment of Mark Hughes will get the Toon whipped up into an absolute frenzy of indifference.

[NJS 4047]

This interview process was mentioned by Taylor in the guardian as well.

 

If its true there are two possibilities - they've come up with the idea after offering the job to Redknapp or as someone else said this is the way its been run from the off and the media with the help of Redknapp have made it look like the usual diving in feet first.

 

In truth if it is the way they are doing it now then I'm happy - it sounds like a good idea even if the result is Hughes after considering others.

[Isegrim 9045]

This interview process was mentioned by Taylor in the guardian as well.

 

If its true there are two possibilities - they've come up with the idea after offering the job to Redknapp or as someone else said this is the way its been run from the off and the media with the help of Redknapp have made it look like the usual diving in feet first.

 

In truth if it is the way they are doing it now then I'm happy - it sounds like a good idea even if the result is Hughes after considering others.

I'm split. Knowing the law business and people like Mort I still have the hope that the whole process is in fact carried out in a sensible way and at this stage just all the information is gathered for putting it up to Ashley to make his decision. But I already hoped this was done it advance.

 

On the other hand there have been the words of Akabusi here or Whatever on Skunkers, who normally are at least for Web-ITKs quite credible, who thought the managerial hunt was over. They or their sources could have misinterpreted things though.

Edited January 14, 2008 by Isegrim

[NJS 4047]

This interview process was mentioned by Taylor in the guardian as well.

 

If its true there are two possibilities - they've come up with the idea after offering the job to Redknapp or as someone else said this is the way its been run from the off and the media with the help of Redknapp have made it look like the usual diving in feet first.

 

In truth if it is the way they are doing it now then I'm happy - it sounds like a good idea even if the result is Hughes after considering others.

I'm split. Knowing the law business and people like Mort I still have the hope that the whole process is in fact carried out in a sensible way and at this stage just all the information is gathered for putting it up to Ashley to make his decision. But I already hoped this was done it advance.

 

On the other hand there have been the words of Akabusi here or Whatever on Skunkers, who normally are at least for Web-ITKs quite credible, who thought the managerial hunt was over. They or their sources could have misinterpreted things though.

 

If those sources had bought into Redknapp's angle that he had been offered it as first choice then they could be "genuine" in their belief.

 

 

I'd also like to think Ashley would want to be in on any interviews - unless theres a second round.

[Isegrim 9045]

This interview process was mentioned by Taylor in the guardian as well.

 

If its true there are two possibilities - they've come up with the idea after offering the job to Redknapp or as someone else said this is the way its been run from the off and the media with the help of Redknapp have made it look like the usual diving in feet first.

 

In truth if it is the way they are doing it now then I'm happy - it sounds like a good idea even if the result is Hughes after considering others.

I'm split. Knowing the law business and people like Mort I still have the hope that the whole process is in fact carried out in a sensible way and at this stage just all the information is gathered for putting it up to Ashley to make his decision. But I already hoped this was done it advance.

 

On the other hand there have been the words of Akabusi here or Whatever on Skunkers, who normally are at least for Web-ITKs quite credible, who thought the managerial hunt was over. They or their sources could have misinterpreted things though.

 

If those sources had bought into Redknapp's angle that he had been offered it as first choice then they could be "genuine" in their belief.

 

 

I'd also like to think Ashley would want to be in on any interviews - unless theres a second round.

Depends on how time consuming the interviews are and if Ashley thinks his presence is actually necessary (and how much he trusts Mort). You could be right about the "second round" or at least Ashley might want to talk to the prime candidate before making his decision. If all this is carried out in this kind of way and the press really picking in the dark with a (pleasantly) surprising result in the end it would be really refreshing. I really try to keep up my optimism...

[marci 0]

This interview process was mentioned by Taylor in the guardian as well.

 

If its true there are two possibilities - they've come up with the idea after offering the job to Redknapp or as someone else said this is the way its been run from the off and the media with the help of Redknapp have made it look like the usual diving in feet first.

 

In truth if it is the way they are doing it now then I'm happy - it sounds like a good idea even if the result is Hughes after considering others.

I'm split. Knowing the law business and people like Mort I still have the hope that the whole process is in fact carried out in a sensible way and at this stage just all the information is gathered for putting it up to Ashley to make his decision. But I already hoped this was done it advance.

 

On the other hand, if they would have drawn up a shortlist and gathering information while Sam was at the helm and they backed him in public, and the press gets a sniff, that would have made the board absolutely uncreditable.