12 Newcastle Successes (And 12 Failures) Scouted By Graham Carr

Newcastle United are a club at a crossroads this summer. A new head coach, likely to be Steve McClaren, will be appointed within the next few weeks before the club embarks upon an overhaul of the playing staff. The club must get things right in the next few months after a disastrous 2014-15 campaign. Owner Mike Ashley gave his first televised interview on the final day of the Premier League season and promised "investment" in the side, but what does that actually mean? Which areas of the team will be strengthened? And how much money will be spent? Although those questions are yet to be answered, one thing is certain - the man in charge of the summer recruitment drive will be the Magpies' head scout, Graham Carr. Brought in from Tottenham Hotspur in February 2010, the former Northampton Town defender has been in control of incomings at St James' Park ever since. Revered by some as a "super scout", Carr's work has been praised by commentators up and down the country, particularly due to his connections within the French, Spanish and Dutch leagues. Bargains have arrived on Tyneside, there is no doubt about that, but so too have some flops. So how successful have the signings chief scout Graham Carr has brought to Newcastle United actually been? Well here's 12 successes and 12 failures from his time at the Magpies...