Staff jostling for position as Magpies’ close in on Allardyce deal

NEWCASTLE are expected to press ahead with talks to install Sam Allardyce as the Magpies’ new manager — and the jostling for prized positions among his backroom staff has already started in earnest.

Allardyce had one of the largest number of assistants at Bolton of any Premier League club, and would want at least as many at St James’ Park. His former long-time assistant Phil Brown is in contention to move to Newcastle having kept Hull in the Coca-Cola Championship, especially as he has not yet signed a new deal with the Tigers.

Carlisle boss Neil McDonald, another Allardyce disciple, has performed impressively in his first managerial post and hinted he would be interested in joining him at St James’ Park.

McDonald said: “The Newcastle job is right for Sam and he’s certainly ready for it. I class him as my mentor and if he gets the Newcastle job then that would be fantastic.

‘‘But it’s up to him to decide who he wants to get in and I can’t really comment on it.”

Newcastle are likely to face a claim for compensation from Bolton as Allardyce still had two years left on his contract when he quit the club.

That should not prevent Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd clinching the deal with Allardyce, who is currently on holiday in Spain, next week, and nor should the fact that the Football Association are still investigating the bung allegations made by the BBC’s Panorama programme.

Allardyce strongly denied any wrongdoing and Shepherd should have sympathy with anyone hung out to dry by an undercover sting — he fell foul of the News of the World’s ‘fake sheikh’ back in 1998 and was forced to resign before voting himself back onto the board.

The last possible stumbling block could be Allardyce’s team’s renowned robust style of play not fitting in with Newcastle fans’ demand for ‘good football’.

McDonald said though: “In terms of getting the structure right, and signing the right players, he’s done it all on a shoestring budget. Can you imagine what he could do with a few quid to spend? There’s some great players at Newcastle now anyway but with the money he should have available then he’ll turn them into a major force.

“It’s madness to say Bolton are a long-ball team,” he added.

“Newcastle fans demand that they play good football, so it’s just finding the mix between the two.”