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John Carver needs all the friends he can get at the moment.

And while referee Kevin Friend cannot be relied on to do Newcastle United’s interim coach a favour this afternoon, the managerial fraternity have been rallying around.

It is a tough time to be in charge of the Magpies. The planned fan boycott of Sunday’s game against Tottenham Hotspur is just one reason.

He may not have much to work with, but Carver is yet to convince as a manager. The team have not look motivated enough, and at times his tactics and selections have been questionable.

It has made him a magnet for frustrated fans. When you are getting all the stick Carver is, you might be tempted to go home, shut the curtains and switch off the phone. In fact, his phone has been a great source of strength.

Just because one of Alan Pardew’s secret ambitions this season is probably to finish as high above Newcastle as possible, it has not stopped the Crystal Palace boss helping his former assistant.

(Image: Action Images / Ed Sykes)

“Pards has been on, I speak to him because he’s my mate and he’s on quite a bit,” Carver says.

“He has excellent experience at it and that’s why I’m listening to what he is saying. Without a shadow of a doubt he has helped me through this.

“We are not through it yet but he has been excellent for me, along with many, many other people. I’ve had some great messages from friends, but in particular from Alan.

“At times like this you realise you are in the football family. Some of the advice I’ve had has been excellent.

“It’s definitely changed me as a person in how I’ve dealt with things because, in the past, I would have reacted to what people have said and some of the things that have been written.

“But now I understand that’s your (journalist’s) job and you can only write what you think is the truth, and I accept that now.

“I’ve had a million people on the phone offering me support, texts. Reidy (Peter Reid) has been on, Freddy Shepherd has been on, (Alan) Shearer has been on, Steve Clarke at Reading. I’m not kidding, there have been hundreds of people, people who actually know me and know what I’m about and how I work. Honestly, my phone has never stopped. They all understand, they are all involved in the game. They understand the situation I’m in.

“It’s people like that who pick you up and keep you going.”

Thanks to social media, the criticism modern managers (or “interim head coaches”) face nowadays is quicker, more high-profile and often more brutal than used to be the case when it came simply from a few disenchated fans holding court at the bar,

“It could be a 14-year-old schoolboy who doesn’t know anything about football, starts a topic and before you know it, it is all over the place and they are a legend because they started it,” Carver points out. “That’s where we are, that’s what society is.

“But I don’t listen to it. If someone comes up to me face-to-face and has a go, I can accept it because it is their opinion. I find it tough, but I accept it.

“There ain’t been many people do that because they understand I do have my hands tied.

“I could win ten from ten and there would still be supporters having a go at me for whatever reason, that’s life.

“When I speak to the majority of fans, they understand the situation and that gives me encouragement because I know they are not coming for me.

“Criticism is part of what we have to do but I have learned from that now and react completely differently. Everyone is entitled to their opinion.

“It is when it gets personal to me, that’s when I get a bit upset. So far it has not been too bad if I am being honest.

“I don’t read anything, I don’t have Twitter or Facebook, and that has probably kept me sane.”

While he is never going to say so in public, one phone call would mean a lot to Carver, and he is yet to receive it.

“I’ve not spoken to Mike (Ashley, the owner), but he has spoken to Lee (Charnley, managing director), and Lee and myself have had a number of conversations, messages from him, which have been encouraging.

“We all realise we are all in this together. Lee (Charnley) has said, ‘We’ve left you a little bit short.’ There was a statement on it recently.

“They realise the situation I’m in and they realise that it’s a difficult one, and that’s why I’m convinced they are going to have to invest.”