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After five months spent singing the blues, could it really be a case of ‘Play it again, John’ after Sunday?

Just 90 minutes remain of an extraordinarily bruising campaign for both Newcastle United and John Carver, the man who who was one of the Magpies’ own but is now cast as one of ‘them’ – a crony of an owner even he doubted once-upon-a-time.

It has been a damaging, damned half a year that may yet finish without the redemptive win that Carver so craves.

Relegation would cling to the head coach for the rest of his life, long after this experience is consigned to a footnote in this inglorious chapter of Newcastle’s black and white history.

So aside from the obvious question of why Newcastle would consider employing him full-time, does Carver still want to do it?

His answer, in keeping with everything that we have seen from him in the last five months, is unerringly upbeat.

“It’s about five months now and in that time I don’t think any other manager would have had to deal with everything I’ve had to deal with in their whole career,” he says.

“In a really strange way I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. I really have! I think I got softened up a little bit when Alan (Pardew) was here and he took a bit of abuse. I got used to it.

“It’s not a nice thing to happen but I’m definitely a stronger person and better for it and whatever happens after Sunday I’ll be better for it, one way or another.

“If I had the chance again I’d do exactly the same and say ‘Yes, I want this job’.

“I’ll do it my way, I’d just like to think I’d have a little bit more rub of the green, a little bit more luck and a little bit more fortune because the biggest thing – and we talked about having time off and giving the players a bit of time off – is that I’ve thrown every single minute of my life into this job.

“I’ve sacrificed so many things, which is why I was a little bit annoyed about the reports on Monday.

“I have sacrificed my family life, my social life – I don’t mind that, because I understand how big this job is.

“It’s very difficult when you’re making those sacrifices to then take the abuse you take.

“But I’d do it again.”

However positive he might feel, there has to be a recognition that Sunday is going to be a difficult afternoon.

Hull face a Manchester United side with little to play for and are already talking about having nothing to lose. Few back them to go and win their game but even fewer seem to have any confidence in Newcastle doing anything in their ficture either.

So how will Carver manage the situation?

“I don’t think you will be able to escape what is going on at Hull, really,” he said.

“What I won’t do is worry about it – I’ll stay focused on us.

“But you know you’ve got everyone in the crowd, Sky will be there and members of staff will be running around so I’ll be aware of it probably.

“I’ve just got to stay focused.

“Like at the weekend, I didn’t know how Hull were getting on at Spurs or Sunderland.

“I wasn’t bothered, I was just concentrating on what we could do. I think as the game develops it does come into your way of thinking in certain situations.”

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Carver’s biggest problem has been that his squad is laughably short of the kind of players required to compete in the Premier League.

While his squad now has more of a look of a top flight group, there have been weeks when he has been putting reserve players out in their wrong positions.

It requires a real managerial acumen to make that work and the rookie boss hasn’t been able to.

On Sunday he will turn to the tried and tested options and there may even be a start for Papiss Cisse, who looked so rusty at QPR but still retains a match-winning mentality.

He may be the difference that Newcastle require.

“He’s had another week, he’s a top goalscorer,” he said.

“I think most of us saw that he wasn’t right when he came on at the weekend but sometimes that happens when you come off the bench as opposed to when you start a game.

“When you start a game, because your preparation is slightly different, you feel different. Gary Speed used to be dreadful at coming off the bench, he was a nightmare and he used to say to me ‘I’m useless coming off the bench!’ It does vary on individuals, how you react coming off the bench but the fact he’s had four weeks’ training now he should be in better shape.

“I’d be a fool not to be considering starting him. I’ve got to gauge it and see how far we have got but he has got to take a lot of credit that he put his hand up and wanted to be selected.

“He was so disappointed he didn’t start at QPR which is testament. I’d probably written him off for the rest of the season after what he’d been through and it was a big surprise when he put himself up for the fight. So great.”