Newcastle United interim boss John Carver has demanded that the club tell him before he heads out on holiday on May 27th whether or not he will be made the Magpies' permanent head coach - but surely he must already know the answer to that question? Carver has insisted he would like to know whether or not he will be given the permanent role by May 27th - just three days after Newcastle's final Premier League match against West Ham United, when the Magpies may or may not still be a top-flight side. Even though Carver attempted to highlight his belief in his own ability and his self-confidence by making a "tongue-in-cheek" remark that he thought he was "the best coach in the Premier League", he must realise how dire the Magpies have been in the past five months. Since Alan Pardew left for Crystal Palace at the turn of the year, Newcastle have won just twice - and Carver has also seen his side fail to record a victory since they beat Aston Villa 1-0 on February 28th. In fact, before they secured a 1-1 draw against West Bromwich Albion at St James' Park last weekend, the Magpies had lost eight successive matches in the Premier League for the first time in their history. Yet, despite the fact Carver has managed Newcastle during their horrendous downturn in form that has seen the Magpies collect just 10 points in the entirety of 2015, he still thinks he is in with a shot of the permanent role. Speaking during his pre-match press conference ahead of Newcastle's visit to Queens Park Rangers on Saturday, Carver revealed he was yet to have a conversation with director of football Lee Charnley about his future. He said:
"There has been nothing discussed (about my future). We have just focused on these two games. "I am going away on holiday on the Wednesday after the West Ham game (May 27th), so I would like to know where I am by then. "But I want no discussions from now until the West Ham game is finished. I don't think it's right. I think it's important we have to keep all our focus on these games."
Carver knows he must guide Newcastle to safety to stand any real chance of getting the role on a permanent victory, and he will be targeting a victory against QPR on Saturday. For all the latest NUFC News, Views and Transfers make sure to follow WhatCultureNUFC on Twitter and Facebook.