Kinnear return is still on course

Feb 18 2009 by Stephen Brown, The Journal

JOE Kinnear’s heart bypass operation went well, Chris Hughton has confirmed, and Newcastle’s interim manager remains on course to return to St James’s Park after the two months of convalescence doctors originally ordered him to take.

The trouble, Hughton concedes, may be keeping him away that long. When you have lived and breathed football as long as Kinnear (pictured right) has, switching off is hard to do.

Facing the biggest challenge of his career on the sidelines right now, for Hughton it is impossible.

But the United coach is determined to maintain the sense of calm that has descended on the club since the closure of the transfer window and hand the reins back to Kinnear with both club and boss in good health. After all, Hughton suspects, Kinnear – whose FA disciplinary hearing following his and Phil Brown’s sending-off last month has been postponed on compassionate grounds – will be itching to get back in no time.

“Everything that we’ve heard is good news, he’s recovering very well. He moved into his own room today and his progress has been good,” said Hughton.

“I haven’t spoken to Joe, I have rung him quite a few times but I appreciate where he is and that he’s not going to be accessible. He’s had major surgery and we are only five days post-surgery.

“But at some stage he will be very much itching to get on that phone and to know what’s happening. At what stage that will be I’m not sure but it’ll no doubt be at the earliest convenience.

“Joe’s the kind of person who’ll find it hard to take a backward step from it all. He’s the type who’s always very involved, used to being on the training pitch and in the middle of everything. When you’re

like that it is difficult. But Joe will be back. The way that we’re looking at it is, the statement we made last week that he’d be away for a two-month period still applies.”

Until then, Hughton stands in. Not for the first time, on Tyneside or at Tottenham. This though, given everything happening on and off the field at the club, is surely the biggest challenge of his coaching career thus far.

“I think so, yes,” he said. “You put pressure on yourself because you desperately want to get results, you want this team to be winning football matches. That’s my responsibility for the time being and that’s the pressure you put yourself under.

“I’ve had experience of being in this position before so I’m quite capable and confident of coping. What we’re sensing here is that things have settled down. The transfer window is over and during that period there’s always speculation about players.

“There was Charles (N’Zogbia), and the Shay Given issue was one which ran for a while, but we’re at the stage now where we know what we’re working with.

“The players who have gone have gone, there’ll be no more players coming in and we have three new players who have acquitted themselves very well.

“The group now have to see it through to the end of the season. We have been through a lot, but I sense that we’re a little bit more stable now, so we can get on with the important matters of playing football matches, playing well and pleasing the supporters.”

While Kinnear puts his feet up, Hughton finds it difficult to follow suit. “You don’t switch off,” he laughed. “What goes with the responsibility is the amount of time that you’re thinking about the game, what you need to do to win the next one. You enjoy the moments when you win but you quickly think about the next game. I’m still sleeping though!”