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By Martyn Herman
LONDON, May 10 - Newcastle United have been given
permission to appoint caretaker coach Glenn Roeder on a
permanent basis and will name their new manager on Monday.
Last week the Premier League told Newcastle that because
Roeder did not hold the required Pro-Licence, they would need
the permission of fellow Premier League clubs if they wanted to
appoint him on a permanent basis.
That permission has now been given, the Premier League said
on Wednesday.
Newcastle United chairman Freddy Shepherd told the club's
website that an announcement on next season's manager would be
made on Monday.
Roeder, a former club captain, steered the club from 15th to
seventh place in the Premier League after stepping in as
caretaker manager following the sacking of Graeme Souness in
February. They will play in next season's Intertoto Cup.
"Should we wish to appoint Glenn Roeder as our next manager
it is nice to know we have the support of fellow clubs, and I'd
like to thank them and the Premier League for their
understanding," Shepherd said.
Shepherd said he was pleased that "compassion" had been
shown to Roeder who was in the process of applying for his
Pro-License when he suffered a brain haemorrhage in 2003 while
in charge at relegation-bound West Ham United.
"He had a life threatening injury when he was on the
course," Shepherd told Sky Sports. "We don't expect mercy on the
field but we would like it off the field.
"Glenn is not a high-profile manager, but he's certainly a
worker and has done wonders here since February."
SPECIAL CASE
While the 50-year-old Roeder's case has attracted sympathy
from many fellow coaches, others have not been so happy for him
to be treated as a special case.
Alan Curbishley, who stepped down as Charlton Athletic
manager after 15 years on Sunday, said Roeder should not be
given the job until he had the requisite qualifications.
"When a job becomes available, the League Managers
Association (LMA) feel that the applicants should be those
people who have got their qualifications and they should be
given the opportunity to get back into football," Curbishley, a
committee member of the LMA, said last week.
"Everybody signed up to these rules and that is the way it
is...it's unfortunate that Glenn Roeder has got caught up in it
all."