Forward Planning

Only Newcastle United could end up needing a stand-in for a stand-in with just thirteen games of the season to go. With Kinnear recovering from a triple heart bypass (and who could've forseen that from a man with a history of heart problems in a high pressure job?), our survival in the big league is now in the hands of Chris "played four, lost four" Hughton and Colin Calderwood, whose main qualifications for the job seem, like Kinnear, to be a few hundred games for Tottenham Hotspur followed by the sack at Nottingham Forest (cynics would add agreeing to kowtow to Dennis Wise over transfer policy). Be grateful for small mercies - at least that rules out Harry Bassett, David Platt, Gary Megson and Terry Venables. Especially Terry Venables.