It's only taken them close to six months to do so, but Newcastle United finally appear to have settled on a four-man shortlist for their head-coach role. Instead of appointing someone immediately when Alan Pardew left for Crystal Palace at the turn of the year, John Carver was allowed to take over the reins for the remainder of the 2014-15 - with disastrous consequences. Steve McClaren is still interesting Newcastle - despite rebuffing them twice - while former Lyon boss Remi Garde is also on the list, and (reportedly) ex-Swansea City manager Michael Laudrup or Middlesbrough head coach Aitor Karanka are others the Magpies are supposedly at. Yet it is the fourth candidate who is the most intriguing. In the last few days, momentum has gathered for Patrick Vieira, as his odds have tumbled from 33-1 outsider to 4-5 favourite. The 38-year-old Manchester City Elite Development coach has no first-team managerial experience, yet he is extremely highly rated at the Etihad. As a player, Vieira was world class and he enjoyed a glittering career. The Frenchman lifted the World Cup, the FIFA Confederations Cup and the European Championship with France, three Premier League titles and four FA Cups with Arsenal, four Serie A titles (one with Juventus and three with Inter Milan), and another FA Cup with Manchester City - but what is known about his managerial style, attributes and strengths? Well, here are 12 things all Newcastle United fans should know about Patrick Vieira the manager...
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
