John Carver, who served as assistant manager to Sir Bobby Robson at Newcastle United, temporarily took charge of the team following Robson’s departure in August 2004. During his caretaker spell, Carver led Newcastle to a commanding 3-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers. However, his time in charge was brief, as Graeme Souness was soon appointed as the club’s permanent manager.
Carver’s departure from Newcastle occurred shortly after Souness arrived, and he recently shed light on the reasons behind this decision. He revealed that his relationship with Souness started on a rocky note. Carver explained that Souness failed to engage with him upon arrival, even though a smoother transition could have been possible.
Recalling events, Carver noted that after Newcastle’s win over Blackburn, there was an international break. During this time, Souness began introducing his new backroom staff, including Dean Saunders, Alan Murray, and Phil Boersma, to the players without first consulting Carver. Carver described sitting at a table with his existing staff while Souness introduced the replacements, which made the situation clear.
Carver recounted a moment during a dining room conversation when Saunders mentioned a past incident involving Souness at Galatasaray. Feeling slighted, Carver confronted Souness privately. Souness admitted he was bringing in his own team and offered Carver a role as academy director. Carver responded by telling Souness to inform club chairman Freddy Shepherd that he would consider the offer after taking a break. However, Carver chose to leave immediately, packing his belongings and departing the club.
Reflecting on the experience, Carver expressed lingering resentment toward Souness, stating that he would avoid contact with him to this day. While acknowledging Souness’ status as a legendary footballer, Carver criticized his personal skills and described the situation as unfortunate.
Souness’ tenure at Newcastle proved to be unsuccessful. Under his management, the team dropped from 5th in the Premier League during the 2003-04 season to 14th in his first full season. Souness was eventually sacked midway through the 2005-06 campaign, with Newcastle sitting 15th in the league table. The club rebounded under Glenn Roeder, who guided the team to a 7th-place finish, earning 32 points from the final 15 games.
Carver later returned to Newcastle as Alan Pardew’s assistant in 2011 and briefly served as interim manager during the 2014-15 season after Pardew’s departure. Although the team narrowly avoided relegation that year, Carver departed from Newcastle for the second time. He currently serves as the assistant manager of the Scotland national team.