Newcastle confirm Kinnear appointment

Newcastle United have confirmed the appointment of Joe Kinnear as their director of football on a three-year deal.

Kinnear will report to the club’s board and will be in charge of all football matters, meaning that manager Alan Pardew and chief scout Graham Carr will report into him.

The 66-year-old, who spent a chunk of the 2008-09 Premier League season in charge at St James’ Park before suffering a heart attack, announced his appointment on Sunday but it was not confirmed by the club until Tuesday.

Kinnear angered the Newcastle faithful by insulting them in a bizarre radio interview on Monday, while he also mispronounced the names of several first-team players.

Managing director Derek Llambias, another person whose name Kinnear mispronounced, confirmed the appointment in a brief statement on the club’s website.

“The board are pleased to welcome Joe back to the club,” Llambias said.

“Joe has many years of experience working within the game, and this experience will be of great benefit to the club in achieving our objectives over the coming seasons.”

Kinnear has already stated that his first priority in his new role is to sign a striker to partner Senegalese forward Papiss Cisse.

Kinnear, who played for Tottenham and Brighton and Hove Albion, has also managed the likes of India, Nepal, Wimbledon, Luton Town and Nottingham Forest during a lengthy career in football.