Next Newcastle Manager: Care to second guess Mike Ashley?

Not even Real Madrid's recent results can rival those of Mike Ashley manager searches when it comes to the "wow factor"!

Michael Lintorn runs through Mike Ashley's strange Newcastle managerial appointments to date...

For all the criticism that he attracts, Newcastle owner Mike Ashley clearly knows what he is doing. You don't establish a team in the Premier League top half - where the Magpies on course to finish for the third time in four years - while regularly making a profit in the transfer window by mistake.

However, accepting that reality doesn't mean that understanding his unorthodox methods is any easier, particularly when it comes to appointing managers.

In his seven-and-a-half-year Tyneside tenure, he briefly revitalised the managerial careers of Kevin Keegan and Joe Kinnear after three and four years out of work respectively and hired novice club legend Alan Shearer at the height of a relegation battle.

He then reluctantly empowered canny caretaker Chris Hughton only to axe him after he delivered a Championship title and solid return to the top tier, replacing him with Alan Pardew, who had been sacked by a League One side just three months earlier.

Against the odds, that proved to be the move that brought about some much-needed stability. As unpopular as Pardew is with supporters, their average finishing position has been 11th, relegation-fretting has been minimal and they have remained competitive despite selling their star players.

Whenever there were calls to sack Pardew - or even websites created and banners produced carrying that very message - Ashley did what he does best and ignored the criticism.

He likely knew that he was onto a winner with Pardew: a coach capable enough of keeping them up, grateful enough not to create drama about transfer policy (particularly after being retained when he headbutted David Meyler) and irritating enough to take the heat off him and act as chief scapegoat.

Now though, with Pardew's shock move to Crystal Palace thought to be near conclusion - he is 1.011/100 to take over on Betfair and interim boss Keith Millen expects him to be in the dugout for Sunday's FA Cup trip to Dover - Ashley is going to have to go manager-hunting again.

With his prior recruitment processes resulting in such left-field selections, it is no surprise that punters are having trouble sussing out where Newcastle go from Pardew or that a strong frontrunner is yet to emerge.

At the moment, Pardew's assistant John Carver and Derby's Steve McClaren are 5.39/2 joint-favourites to be Newcastle boss on 14th August 2015.

Giving Carver until May to audition for the position full-time would be the most cost-effective option - which is often a synonym for "best" where Ashley is concerned - and not an enormous risk given the ten-point cushion that they have over the relegation zone.

Carver's revelation that Magpies idol Sir Bobby Robson once told him when they worked together at St James' Park "you do realise how big this football club is, and if ever you get an opportunity, don't be scared of it, enjoy it and take it with both hands" might curry favour with some dubious fans.

This is also the first time in a long while that the initial reaction upon seeing McClaren linked with a decent Premier League job is "he's doing rather well at Derby" rather than "he didn't do too great in charge of England eight years ago".

Having taken the Rams to the Championship play-off final amidst minimal expectation last season, he has led them to third in the table this term - three points off top - and, even if scepticism about his Three Lions failure remains, Ashley obviously has no issue making unfashionable appointments.

Beyond those two, there isn't much to get excited about in the market. 6.25/1 third favourite Tim Sherwood would have the Toon Army begging for Pardew back, Steve Bruce at 23.022/1 has played down his candidacy, as has St-Etienne's Christophe Galtier at 34.033/1.