The Chronicle tells us today that John Carver once handed Freddy Shepherd an envelope in the aftermath of Sir Bobby Robson’s exit at Newcastle United warning the club about the former Liverpool manager.
The Chronicle: "Its contents revealed where the club could potentially become unstuck in appointing Graeme Souness as manager and clearing out the majority of his backroom staff.
"There were no hard feelings between the pair but Souness made it clear to Carver he was bringing in his own staff, namely Dean Saunders and Roy Tunks.
"A large part of the process at the club took a knock when Souness dismantled work set in place for years to come by Robson and Carver.
"Newcastle, of course, got out of it, but Carver insists to this day that the club’s downward spiral towards relegation in 2009 began when Robson was shown the door and the club’s foundations for success under a team set up for the top four were dismantled.
"With that knowledge safely stored in the memory, Carver knows that Newcastle’s careful approach to finding the man to replace Alan Pardew is the right route for managing director Lee Charnley and chief scout Graham Carr."
That’s why Charnley knows he has to get this decision right.
Both Carver and Fabricio Coloccini have held discussions with Charnley and offered their input. Carver would love the job but knows it’s a results-driven game.
Whether Carver gets the chance to be part of Newcastle’s process remains to be seen.
Given he has held every job on the coaching ladder (and has even driven the youth team bus) it would be a gamble to lose him. Either way he feels that fans will know where the club are heading in due course.
He said: “We are quite a way down the line in the process, and they are doing it properly and thoroughly, which I agree with.
“But by the time we play Hull, it will be almost a month and I am almost certain that it should be resolved by then.”