Kinnear keen on extended stay

4th December 2008

Joe Kinnear is determined to make his critics eat their words as he attempts to prove he is the long-term solution to Newcastle's problems.

The 61-year-old was last week confirmed as manager until the end of the season after bringing stability to the club on an interim capacity following Kevin Keegan's departure in September. Owner Mike Ashley appears to have shelved plans to sell the club, for the moment at least, with a worldwide search for a buyer so far having come to little.

Kinnear, who had been out of the game for almost four years when he answered Ashley's emergency call, always knew the opportunity was one he could not afford to turn down, and having reminded the Barclays Premier League of his ability to organise and motivate, is setting his sights on an even longer stay.

Asked if he felt he had something to prove when he first arrived at St James' Park, he said: "Without a shadow of a doubt. It was a massive task. People said `you are going in at the wrong time'.

"They were on the floor when I arrived here. They were second from bottom, they had lost quite a few games to teams they should have been capable of beating. They had been beaten at home by Hull and Blackburn, so there were six points dropped. We need to address that and get those back elsewhere.

"Since I have come back, I have enjoyed it. I have had a tough time, there's no question about that. I know I am not the most popular, I understand that, but you get on with life and it is up to me to prove I am the man that's right for the job. Come the end of the season, I might be celebrating, who knows?"

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3:00, Sat 6th Dec
Newcastle	v	Stoke
1:30, Sun 14th Dec
Portsmouth	v	Newcastle
3:00, Sun 21st Dec
Newcastle	v	Tottenham
3:00, Fri 26th Dec
Wigan	v	Newcastle
12:00, Sun 28th Dec
Newcastle	v	Liverpool

3:00, Sat 29th Nov
Middlesboro	0	v	0	Newcastle
3:00, Sat 22nd Nov
Chelsea	0	v	0	Newcastle
3:00, Sat 15th Nov
Newcastle	2	v	2	Wigan
4:00, Sun 9th Nov
Fulham	2	v	1	Newcastle
8:00, Mon 3rd Nov
Newcastle	2	v	0	Aston Villa