Big Sam Says Toon Must Act On New Manager!

Big Sam: "They need a manager. If Joe hasn't fully recovered - and I sincerely hope he does - then at this stage of the season and in this position your manager is crucial.

"That's nothing against Chris Hughton or Colin Calderwood but all the players there know they are not the manager.

"You need a manager because he goes a long way towards deciding whether you stay up or get relegated - by his plan of action, by his selection process, by his substitutes, by his motivating."

So what about his sticky wicket at Blackburn? He gave no guarantees he would remain in charge of Blackburn if they were relegated.

Big Sam: "It depends on whether they want me.

"Chairmen at various clubs might have a plan for not being in the Premier League but I am planning that we will be in it.

"The Newcastle job had a very negative impact on my career, much more than it should have done. I just want to keep Blackburn up this year - and that would be a major achievement, having taken over when we were second bottom, six points away from safety. Our points per game since then is equal to what you would need for a top-10 finish over the course of a season.

"We are on track and the players know they are on track, while other teams around us, such as Middlesbrough, from whom you would have expected a surge after beating Liverpool, are still on a downward spiral, struggling to find consistency."