Joe Kinnear was far from a popular choice when he was appointed Kevin Keegan’s successor last September, but the Irishman was determined to make the most of the opportunity that his heart condition seemed to have taken away from him, but he still loved football and longed for the chance to return. He began his new job by serving a ban that still hung over him from 2004 and his spell in charge of Nottingham Forrest. Kinnear’s tactics had proved stifling but effective at Stamford Bridge and the extension of his contract meant that he could concentrate on putting his mark on the squad in the transfer window, so what did he have in mind?

He remained tight-lipped on who he wanted to bring to the club in the January transfer window during the press conference that followed the match against Chelsea, but Kinnear was far from reticent in making it clear that he wanted some players out. “Not players that are here today,” he said. “We’ve got quite a few fringe players that won’t be involved in the first team, but we’ve spent a few quid on them and feel we can get some of that back and then replace them with better quality players; the squad will be better.”

Newcastle’s fans felt let down with the transfer activity after the promises of improvements they had heard for weeks leading up to the deadline. Former Rangers striker Peter Løvenkrands had just been released by German Bundesliga outfit Schalke 04 and was signed by Newcastle after a trial. The other signings were midfielder Kevin Nolan who arrived from Bolton and Ryan Taylor joining from Wigan as part of the deal that took the unsettled French left-sided defender and midfielder, Charles N’Zogbia the other way, but the biggest loss was the departure of long-serving Irish international goalkeeper Shay Given. Kinnear was powerless to prevent Given leaving, once the keeper had made his mind up that Newcastle’s ambitions did not match his, and his failure to remember N’Zogbia’s name during an interview was treated as a mark of disrespect by the player who refused to play for the club again while Kinnear was manager, but back in November Kinnear had a team ready to play for him to the last man.

Kinnear got his reward within the week of the match against Chelsea as owner Mike Ashley gave him the job on a permanent basis until the end of the season, so what about the elusive buyer that Ashley was searching for? “People talk, but nobody’s come up with the cash,” Kinnear said. “He told me they were Americans, but that the offer that they made was well below his estimation of what the club was worth.” Ashley later gave up trying to sell the club as no offers met his valuations, which was hardly surprising in the current economic climate, but what about Kinnear’s health? He has had a very hard time convincing prospective employers that he is fit enough to meet the demands of the modern game. “Any time I got an interview, the first question was always, ‘How’s your heart?’” he said. “I had to get back somehow to prove that I was okay. I eat, drink and smoke football. I’m going to do everything I possibly can to make sure that this leads on to another job.” However, the worries over his health are certain to return now, as he had to undergo bypass surgery. Kinnear is unlikely to return before the end of the season, if at all. His assistant, Chris Hughton, is in temporary charge and inherits the team with Newcastle in thirteenth position, just six points above the relegation places.

By Satish Sekar © Satish Sekar (February 14th 2009)