Wow, did anybody see this one coming?

Just when you thought things couldn’t get even more bizarre at St. James’ Park, Newcastle have announced former Wimbledon boss Joe Kinnear as their new interim manager.

Having left his previous Premier League post at Selhurst Park in 1999 after a heart attack, Kinnear is surely ill-advised to make his return at a club in freefall, where the fans feel a hatred towards the chairman, and Dennis Wise is hugely influential.

The Irishman resigned from his last job as manager of Championship side Nottingham Forest in 2004 with the club stuck in the relegation zone. Kinnear is under no illusions that he won’t be at the club for long and said:

“I am aware that the new owners have Kevin Keegan and possibly Alan Shearer parked around the corner. I understand investors are about to buy the club, Mike Ashley told me openly. I will be here for six to eight games.”

Is there really any difference between an interim boss and a caretaker, which is the job Chris Hughton was doing? Is Kinnear the right man to steady the ship before the potential fourth coming of King Kev? And is Newcastle really the right place for a man with a history of heart problems?