A former Newcastle United manager could be given a surprise award for performing a great escape with his new team.
The news will come as a big surprise to many, as this manager did not have the best win record on Tyneside.
However, he has done an exceptional job of keeping his new club in the division and is set to be rewarded for his hard work.
Most former Newcastle United managers never go on to do anything noteworthy after leaving the club. Alan Pardew was an FA Cup finalist with Crystal Palace but was sacked a few months later, and Steve McClaren joined the Jamaican national team after failed stints as boss of Derby County and QPR.
Elsewhere, Steve Bruce argued with Dwight Gayle over his managerial style at Newcastle. The 64-year-old is now the manager of League One side Blackpool after failing at West Brom.
While those former managers enjoy life in a different role, one former head coach is loving life in the strangest of places.
Former Newcastle United boss John Carver set for Ekstraklasa award
John Carver’s time as Newcastle manager is likely to be remembered for his comments off the pitch, rather than the performances of the team on it.
The 60-year-old once claimed he was the best coach in the Premier League despite being on a terrible run of form. Additionally, Carver once claimed he wished he had a team of “11 Jack Colbacks” after one of his performances during the 2014/15 campaign.
Carver left Newcastle after refusing to work with McClaren in 2015 and he has gone on to have a bizarre career since.
After leaving Newcastle, Carver managed in Cyprus before linking up with Pardew again at West Brom between 2017 and 2018. Since 2020, Carver has been assistant manager of Steve Clarke’s Scotland side, helping them qualify for two successive European Championships.
In December, Carver took the manager’s job at Ekstraklasa Lechia Gdansk, which were in the relegation zone. However, the former Newcastle boss won eight of his last 15 games to help secure survival.
The remarkable achievement has earned him a nomination for Ekstraklasa’s Manager of the Year Award. Carver will find out if he has won the award on May 26, 2025.
John Carver nearly brought two Newcastle United players to Scotland
In the last 12 months, several Newcastle players have been given their first England caps. Most recently, Dan Burn received an England call-up from Thomas Tuchel and made his debut a few days after the Carabao Cup win.
Burn joined the likes of Anthony Gordon, Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento to make their England debuts in the last year, but it could have been a different story for one of them.
Gordon and former Newcastle player Elliot Anderson were eligible to play for Scotland, and Clarke wanted them.
Anderson was even named in one of Scotland’s international squads before having to pull out with injury. Anderson has now switched allegiance to England and could be given a call-up by Tuchel this summer after an impressive season with Nottingham Forest.
Carver admitted he was sick of talking about Gordon and Anderson after failing to get them to switch allegiance. Gordon was named in the England squad for the European Championship that summer, but only made one small appearance in the group stage.
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