Mick Quinn: "John Carver has two games to land himself the job of his dreams.
"If Newcastle United beat Southampton at home and then Hull City at their place, I believe he and Steve Stone will get until the end of this season and then a final decision on them will be made.
"In fact, four points just might be enough.
"Lose both games and that would be it for them. I think then you would see the club getting someone in, rather than waiting until the summer which my guess is their Plan A.
"By the end of this month, Carver will have had five games to show what he can do. So far he’s drawn at home to Burnley, there was the awful FA Cup exit and while the team had their moments at Chelsea, we all knew who was going to win.
"I don’t think Carver is going to get the job even in the short-term if he can’t pick up a win over five games. That’s when Mike Ashley might blink and get someone in."
Alan Shearer: "If he was going to get the job it would have happened before now.
"Whoever comes in won't be a manager, he will be a coach. We have been told that, and he won't be involved in bring in new players, or selling them."