Football
9y

John Carver knew Newcastle job would be tough when he took it

John Carver insists he walked into the Newcastle job with his eyes open having already seen at close hand the pressures and challenges it brings.

The 50-year-old was installed as head coach until the end of the season in January in the wake of Alan Pardew's departure for Crystal Palace as he stepped out of the shadows at St James' Park following spells working under Ruud Gullit, Sir Bobby Robson and Pardew.

He currently finds himself embroiled in a storm on Tyneside in the wake of Sunday's derby defeat at Sunderland, which left the Magpies with only two wins in 13 outings under his charge, a run which in the eyes of many supporters, has ended his hopes of securing the job on a permanent basis.

However, Carver, who takes his side to Liverpool on Monday evening, is adamant he knew exactly what to expect when he was offered the chance to slip into the hot-seat.

He said: "Listen, I always knew it was going to be tough because I saw what happened to managers in the past when I was around them -- top managers, top players turning into managers, top coaches, I have seen the whole lot, so it hasn't surprised me.

"That's why I wanted to give it a go. I wanted to give it a go because I didn't want to have any regrets. I wanted to have a go and to be honest, I believe in my own ability and I believe if I have got the tools -- I really do -- I could do a good job and a successful job.

"I genuinely believe that, and if it means putting up with what I have to put up with and losing the social life that I had, then the way forward with what we have got and what we are planning on doing in the summer, if I'm the guy who is fortunate enough to do that job, then I'm excited, and that's why I want to do it."

It has been a difficult week for Carver, who has had to try to deal with his own anger and frustration at the same time as handling the criticism which has come his way when he has bumped into supporters.

He accepts that comes with the territory, but has been appreciative of the support of other football people.

He said: "The only saving grace or solace is the golf club. I get stick there, yeah, but it's Freddy Shepherd, Alan Shearer, Stevie Harper ... Lee Cattermole, by the way!

"They are a bit more understanding, they understand what's going on and how things are going on. It's quite nice because you then get football people talking about football, who understand.

"Listen, I have said it from day one: I can't hide from what happened on Sunday, and I won't hide from it. What I won't do is I won't take abuse, and certainly none of my family will take abuse. That is a fact.

"But I have to accept what people say. As long as it is done the right way and in a constructive manner, I can accept that."

Carver held a no-holds-barred team meeting on Wednesday to clear the air and leave his players in little doubt as to what is required of them during the remaining seven games of the campaign, and has seen a response on the training ground since.

But he admits that the days when players would apologise for a poor performance are long gone.

He said: "People don't apologise now. The only people who apologise are people like me. Those days have gone -- the modern footballer is different.

"Gary Speed used to apologise to me every single day, because of how he trained. He would run through a brick wall, he would want to fight and scrap with you.

"Then he would say, 'Sorry, JC.' If there was a bad refereeing decision in training, he would come over later and say, 'Sorry, JC, you know I don't mean it, give us a cuddle.'"

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