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Tony Pulis has not been offered the opportunity to replace Alan Pardew as Newcastle manager.
Amid claims that the former Stoke and Crystal Palace boss had turned down the chance to take over at St James' Park, sources on Tyneside have insisted the proposition was never put to him as Mike Ashley considers his options ahead of Pardew's imminent departure for Selhurst Park.
Press Association Sport understands too that Hull's Steve Bruce and former Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood, who along with Pulis featured prominently in the early betting, are not under consideration.
And Bruce took the opportunity at his Hull press conference ahead of the New Year's Day clash with Everton to emphasise that he is not looking to leave the Tigers.
Palace are yet to confirm Pardew's appointment, but the 53-year-old returned to Tyneside on Tuesday to say his goodbyes to the Magpies after more than four years in charge.
As he did so, Ashley, who is currently on holiday in Barbados, and managing director Lee Charnley, were working through a short-list of potential candidates having been inundated with applications.
But they were doing so with a very definition job specification in mind as they looked to appoint a head coach to work alongside Charnley and chief scout Graham Carr with the latter pair conducting the club's transfer activity within the confines of the club's established investment policy.
Show all 14 1 /14Who might be the next Newcastle manager? Who might be the next Newcastle manager? JOHN CARVER Carver has been put in caretaker charge of the club and there are suggestions that if he impresses he could be handed the role on a permanent basis. As well as to Pardew, Carver was also number two to Sir Bobby Robson during his first spell at Newcastle. Between leaving St James' Park in 2004 and returning in 2011, Carver has been an assistant at Plymouth and Sheffield United, as well as taking the caretaker position at the latter as well as at Leeds United in 2006. His only managerial role was with MLS side Toronto FC between 2008 and 2009. Could be asked to see Newcastle through the rest of the season.
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Who might be the next Newcastle manager? REMI GARDE Widely understood to be on a short-list for the Newcastle job, Remi Garde left his job as manager of Lyon at the end of last season citing personal reasons. The former defender is best known on these shores for a three year stint with Arsenal up until 1999. Also made six appearances for the French national team.
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Who might be the next Newcastle manager? TIM SHERWOOD His only spell as a manager came with Tottenham and it ended with the club waving him goodbye at the end of last season. However, after being appointed following the dismissal of Andre Villas-Boas, his results were impressive. A 50 per cent win rate during his time in charge was better than most and many felt he was unfortunate not to be kept on. Ruled himself out of the running for the West Brom job and remains available, although reports suggest Newcastle aren't too keen.
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Who might be the next Newcastle manager? DICK ADVOCAAT Perhaps spotting the trend of current success being enjoyed by Dutch managers in the Premier League, Dick Advocaat has been linked with the role. They don't come much more experienced than the 67-year-old, who has had spells as manager of the Netherlands, Belgium and Russia along with club sides PSV, Rangers and Zenit. Has been out of work since a disastrous three-game spell as Serbia manager.
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Who might be the next Newcastle manager? STEVE MCCLAREN McClaren's career is something of a mixed bag. A European final with Middlesbrough and then embarrassment with England. The Eredivisie title with FC Twente and then forgettable spells with Wolfsburg and Nottingham Forest. Is currently doing a good job with Derby and his northern roots could make him a suitable candidate for Newcastle. Has played down the speculation but didn't entirely rule it out when asked about the vacancy.
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Who might be the next Newcastle manager? PAUL CLEMENT The Real Madrid, and former Chelsea, coach is extremely highly regarded by his former boss Jose Mourinho and current one Carlo Ancelotti - not a bad pair of people to have singing your praises. But Clement is untested and has never taken full charge of a club. There is also no indication he would want to leave the Bernabeu.
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Who might be the next Newcastle manager? LUCIEN FAVRE Borussia Moenchengladbach have been in decent form this season and threaten to make it into the Champions League places. That's led to plaudits heading in the direction of their Swiss manager Lucien Favre - and possibly a job offer from Newcastle in the not-too-distance future. The 57-year-old has been there since 2011 after managing Zurich and then Hertha Berlin. Was awarded the manager of the year award in Germany for his final year at the latter.
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Who might be the next Newcastle manager? CHRISTOPHE GALTIER Something of an unknown on these shores, Christophe Galtier is the manager of St Etienne who are currently riding high in the French Ligue 1. With numerous French players on the books at St James' Park, Galtier's name has been put forward as an option that could draw the best from the squad. The 48-year-old, who has been at St Etienne since 2009, has also had spells in charge of Marseille and Aris Thessaloniki.
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Who might be the next Newcastle manager? STEVE BRUCE Northumberland-born, the 53-year-old is a Newcastle supporter with plenty of experience - including two and a half years at arch-rivals Sunderland. Currently at Hull, who he led to the FA Cup final last season, although they are currently struggling at the wrong end of the Premier League. Has also managed Sheffield United, Huddersfield, Wigan, Crystal Palace, Birmingham and Wigan. Has said he will stay with Hull and Newcastle don't see him as the right candidate according to reports.
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Who might be the next Newcastle manager? FRANK DE BOER The 44-year-old was strongly linked to the vacant manager's position at Tottenham earlier this year. He played more than 300 games for the club he now manages, Ajax, while also playing more than 100 games for the Netherlands. Has an impressive contacts book following a playing career which also took in Barcelona, Rangers and Galatasaray. His agent has stated he will not leave Ajax mid-season which could be a stumbling block - unless Mike Ashley can wait until then of course.
Who might be the next Newcastle manager? THOMAS TUCHEL Thomas Tuchel's stock is high after leading Mainz to the Europa League against the odds. The German coach is taking a year out - although it's understood he's still under contract and not keen to start a new job until next season, which will mean waiting until the summer if Newcastle are truly interested.
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Who might be the next Newcastle manager? ALAN SHEARER Whenever the Newcastle job comes up the former Magpie's name is never far away. He did sit in the dug-out once, when the club was in dire need of results to escape relegation. Unfortunately for all those involved the all-time Premier League top scorer only managed one win in eight games. Despite that disastrous spell which ended with the club dropping into the Championship the fans still love him. The only problem would be Shearer appears to love the BBC pundits' sofa more that management.
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Who might be the next Newcastle manager? JOE KINNEAR Was a surprise choice of interim manager under Mike Ashley when Kevin Keegan departed. The results weren't great, he swore at the media and the Newcastle fans hated him. Despite all that, he came back in 2013 as director of football to oversee transfers - of which he made none before leaving the club again. Never say never.
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Who might be the next Newcastle manager? ALLY McCOIST Mike Ashley has sprung a surprise or two before in his reign at St James' Park, so McCoist may not be the outsider many consider him. The 52-year-old former Scotland international striker, currently on garden leave after handing in his resignation at Rangers before Christmas, presided over a testing time in the Scottish side's history. Another contender with connections to local rivals Sunderland, he played more than 50 games for the Wearside club prior to his move to Ibrox in 1983.
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That "continental" model is one which they believe is suited to certain interested parties and not others.
In the meantime, assistant manager John Carver and first-team coach Steve Stone will take charge of team affairs.
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