Carr not going anywhere

Great news coming from the club that we've once again gone against our policy of not retaining ageing stars, with confirmation that we've awarded Chief Scout Graham Carr with a new eight-year contract that will take him through to his 75th birthday.

Carr was widely praised for his sterling work in identifying the likes of Dreamboat and Mr T, and so the decision to award him a long-term contract to ward off potentially envious onlookers is something of a no-brainer.

In other news, congratulations to Chris Hughton who has replaced Paul Lambert in the vacant Norwich manager's office and will be joined by his favoured number two, Colin Calderwood. Hughton can doubtless expect a warm reception when he brings his Norwich side to St James' Park next season.

Another ex-manager (albeit only a caretaker one) on the move is Steve Clarke who, having left Liverpool, is now taking over at West Brom (a job for which Hughton himself was recently tipped).