AS the vacant managerial post at Newcastle United appears to have been dismissed by many of those qualified for the position, Aston Villa boss David O'Leary is in the frame for taking on the role.

Sources in Birmingham have suggested O'Leary would welcome an approach from Magpies chairman Freddy Shepherd, as the St James' Park board look no nearer to finding a suitable replacement.

Three of the main candidates - Middlesbrough's Steve McClaren, Bolton's Sam Allardyce and Birmingham's Steve Bruce - are all flattered by Newcastle's interest but have distanced themselves from making the switch to Tyneside.

Striker Alan Shearer, with under a year to go before he retires, is reluctant to move into coaching at this stage, despite holding discussions with Shepherd.

Another name being mentioned, ex-Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan, has not been approached. Manchester City chairman John Wardle said last night: "There has been no contact between ourselves and Newcastle and I don't expect any."

Sir Bobby Robson was sacked on Monday after a poor start to the campaign in which Newcastle have failed to win any of their opening five Premiership matches.

And Shepherd, who has ruled out following the growing trend of naming a foreign head coach, is keen to appoint someone that can control a youthful squad that has developed an unruly reputation.

O'Leary is known in football circles as being a strict disciplinarian and would ensure that any rule-breakers are brought into line.

It is that type of manager Newcastle are crying out for as they seek to emerge from one of the most difficult periods in the club's history.

At Leeds, O'Leary lost the dressing room but has learnt from his mistakes and proved he can help to nurture the talents of youngsters such as Jonathan Woodgate, Alan Smith and Paul Robinson.

The former Arsenal and Republic of Ireland defender has under two years to run at Aston Villa but has continually pushed for more funds from chairman Doug Ellis.

It is thought O'Leary would be extremely tempted to uproot to the North-East, where he would be given the cash in January to spend, following the£ 13.4m sale of defender Woodgate to Real Madrid.

The name of Terry Venables, as a managerial double act with Shearer, refuses to go away, while Celtic's Martin O'Neill remains the Geordie supporters' choice.

But O'Neill is unlikely to move from the Scottish champions, who are in the Champions League, and if he does it will not take place until next summer at the earliest.

Robson's departure has left a sour taste in many mouths and defender Andy O'Brien is one of the unhappy brigade.

O'Brien, on international duty with Ireland, was bought by the 71-year-old from Bradford in 2001 and still holds his former manager in the highest regard.

But the centre-back claims the players can bounce back from the news and help Newcastle climb up the Premiership table.

O'Brien said: "I was at home when the news (about Robson) flashed up on television. It came as a great shock to me.

"I'm disappointed because he brought me to the club and gave me the chance to play at Newcastle.

"He was a big influence on my career. I wasn't part of the Ireland squad when I was at Bradford City, but after a few weeks at Newcastle I was promoted into the seniors, so it elevated my status.

"Without being given that opportunity by Sir Bobby, I wouldn't be here now to talk about it. He is a man I have a lot of respect for and he will be sorely missed.

"But the decision has been made, Sir Bobby is to be replaced and we all have to get on with it.

"What's happened is unfortunate, but it's how you cope with disappointment when things are not going right.

"I know we've not had a good start to the season - I've been at the club three-and-a-half years and we've never had a good start - yet we've always finished in a healthy position.

"We've shown in the past when things have not gone right that we've been strong enough to pick up the pieces and put them back together again."

Meanwhile, Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson had the cheek to thank Newcastle chief Shepherd last night for helping to pave the way for Wayne Rooney to move to Old Trafford.

Rooney was unveiled yesterday after completing a £ 27m move from Everton.

Newcastle had initially opened the bidding for the player with a £ 20m offer last week and that was opening United were waiting for.

Ferguson said: "The vibes I was getting from (Everton boss) David Moyes were that he wasn't for sale. Once we knew Everton were talking to another club then we had to do something. If Newcastle had not come in, we would not have him today."

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