Alan Pardew has today resigned as Newcastle manager after almost three years in charge of the North East club.

The news is unlikely to shock many of the Newcastle supporters after a dismal campaign where the club only managed to avoid relegation in the penultimate game of the season. A 16th place finish was well below owner Mike Ashley’s expected target after qualifying for Europe in the previous season and it is now up to the owner to find a replacement to try and once again lead Newcastle to European club football.

Pardew was appointed Newcastle manager in controversial fashion in December 2010 after the sacking of fans favourite Chris Hughton. Pardew guided Newcastle to an 12th place finish in his first season as manager, a season where he had to deal with the £35 million sale of Andy Carroll to Liverpool. The 2011/12 season was a much happier season for the Londoner who managed to exceed all expectations and lead the club to 5th place, finishing above the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool. Last season was nearly a disaster for the Geordies though with the small squad unable to cope with the demands of the Europa League which resulted in them finishing only five points above the relegation zone.

Bookmaker Bet365 have today opened the market on who will succeed Alan Pardew. Former Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo is the favourite with odds as short as 4/1 however, there is also money being placed on Lee Clark, Alan Shearer and Alan Curbishley to fill the vacant position.

Good luck!

Good luck!

Queens Park Rangers manager Harry Redknapp has today declared his interest in the vacant Newcastle United manager’s job.

The 66 year old is one of the bookmaker’s favourites for the role and speaking today in a QPR press conference he said ‘Of course, Newcastle are a club with great potential. They were playing European football a couple of seasons ago and they are a big attraction to any player. The fan base up there is second to none and they are really passionate about their football’.

Redknapp has just returned to pre-season training with QPR after a disappointing campaign last year that ended in relegation to the Championship. Many have rumoured that Redknapp doesn’t see his future managing in England’s second tier and that he will jump at the chance of a return to the Premier League.

Newcastle owner Mike Ashley refused to comment yesterday on the departure of former boss Alan Pardew however, it is expected that Newcastle are hoping to replace him within the coming days. Redknapp, who has been linked with Newcastle before under Mike Ashley, has seen his odds slashed from 8/1 down to 2/1 favourite. Fans seem divided on the appointment with many worried that the club will be put into financial danger like Redknapp’s former club Portsmouth.

good luck!

Newcastle United goalkeeper Tim Krul says he hope the club act quickly in their search for a new boss

The current number 1 spoke to local press on his return to pre-season training where he said ‘All the players are hoping that we can get a replacement sorted as soon as possible. We were all disappointed and shocked to see Alan leave as we feel we let him down a bit last year with our performances but we have to forget about that now and make sure we impress the new gaffer ahead of this season’

Krul, who himself stated he was disappointed with his performances last year, went on to state ‘Our aim for this year has to be to bring European football back to the club. We had an excellent Europa League campaign last year and were unlucky against Benfica in the quarter finals. The fans want success and qualifying for the Europa League should be the minimum achievement for a club the size of Newcastle’.

It seems Newcastle are no further forward in their announcement of a new manager after Alan Pardew’s resignation yesterday. This morning, QPR boss Harry Redknapp stated his interest in the role but with him having a contract at QPR until 2015 it is unlikely Mike Ashley will approach the former Spurs boss as hefty compensation will be due to the Championship club. Newcastle players reported back for pre-season training today which was taken by caretaker manager John Carver.

Thomas Tuchel has today been announced as Newcastle manager signing a four year deal with the club.

The former Mainz manager jetted into the North East late last night and after discussions with owner Mike Ashley this morning he has agreed to become the new Toon boss with immediate effect. The announcement came as a surprise to many with Tuchel not being thought as one of the favourites for the job.

The 39 year old started his managerial career at German club Mainz in 2009 after working at Stuttgart and Augsburg as a youth coach. His greatest achievement to date is leading Mainz to a fifth place Bundesliga finish in the 2010/11 season where he also recorded an away victory against Bayern Munich. Last year was a disappointing one for Mainz with them only managing a 13th place finish however, they were only one point of the top ten.

The reaction from Newcastle fans has been a positive one with the supporters saying they are looking forward to seeing some fresh ideas at the club and they hope that Tuchel can deliver on their hopes of fast, free flowing, attacking football. Tuchel will meet the players for his first pre-season training session tomorrow.

Newcastle United have this morning announced their pre-season plans ahead of the upcoming 2014/15 season under new manager Thomas Tuchel.

The Magpies, who only appointed their new manager 24 hours ago, will start the season with a tour of France where they will play Ligue 2 sides Le Havre and Dijon. With all players now returned to pre-season training it is likely that Tuchel will name a strong side for the trip across the channel.

Newcastle will then return to Great Britain for a game against their feeder club St Mirren who play their football in the Scottish Premier League before jetting off for a warm weather training camp in Greece. While over there, they will challenge Atromitos, who they beat in a Europa League play off two seasons ago, before travelling to the island of Crete to play OFI.

A return to the North East is next up where they will face local side Carlisle, before a home game against current Belgian champions Anderlecht at St James Park. Newcastle wrap up their pre-season campaign across the River Tyne playing neighbours Gateshead.

Tuchel, who was presented to the media yesterday afternoon, announced that he wanted to get his players up to speed with a gruelling schedule as they have a tough start to the Premier League campaign where they will be playing Everton, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City in the opening weeks of the season.

Newcastle boss Thomas Tuchel has wasted no time in the St James' park hotseat with loan bids for Andre Schurrle and Joel Campbell both being submitted this morning

It is believed that the new Magpies manager is eager to add to his squad before the start of their pre-season tour of France in four days time. Both players have been placed on the loan list by their respective managers and the Newcastle board are confident that the deals for both players can be completed within the coming days.

Schurrle joined Chelsea from German club Bayer Leverkusen for a fee of £18.5 million but it is believed that manager Jose Mourinho would like the German winger to go out on loan in his debut season to receive game time which he is unlikely to receive at Chelsea. Schurrle stated that he would be interested in a move away from the London club if it’s what his manager feels is best, however, he would like to be playing for a club in a European competition. Tuchel however, is confident that a deal can be struck with his fellow countryman.

Costa-Rican international Joel Campbell is another that Newcastle have scouted for the past few seasons while he has had loan spells away from the Emirates stadium. Campbell has had indifferent seasons at Lorient and Betis and it is believed manager Arsene Wenger is wanting the young winger to test himself at a higher level if he is to force his way into the Arsenal senior squad.

In other Newcastle news, full back Ryan Taylor has completed his £1 million move to fellow Premier League rivals West Bromwich Albion. The deal has been on the cards before Tuchel’s arrival at the club and the German boss explained to the media that he would not stand in the way of Taylor’s move as he is desperate for first team football after a long spell on the sidelines. Taylor, 28, will always be a cult hero with the Newcastle fans after his match winning free kick in the Tyne Wear derby in the 2011/12 Premier League season.