Hughton poised for Newcastle role

Hughton left Tottenham in September

Newcastle are set to give former Tottenham assistant boss Chris Hughton a coaching role at St James' Park.

The 49-year-old has been out of work since October when he and manager Martin Jol were sacked by Tottenham.

He is expected to replace Nigel Pearson, who left St James' Park in the wake of Kevin Keegan's appointment as manager in January.

Hughton spent more than 14 years on the Tottenham backroom staff, serving under 10 different managers.

The former defender also began his playing career at White Hart Lane and earned 53 caps for the Republic of Ireland between 1979 and 1993.

606: DEBATE What's your view on Chris Hughton's appointment?

When Keegan's surprise appointment was revealed, there was widespread speculation that Alan Shearer could be given a role in his coaching team.

However, that hope faded dramatically following talks between the Magpies goalscoring hero and the new manager.

Newcastle have since appointed Dennis Wise as executive director of football as the club put together a new management team following Sam Allardyce's sacking in January.