NEWCASTLE United will hold an emergency board meeting this afternoon to ratify Sam Allardyce's appointment as the club's next permanent manager.
And with Freddy Shepherd expected to hold compensation talks with Bolton chairman Phil Gartside later this evening, Allardyce could be officially unveiled as Glenn Roeder's successor as early as tomorrow.
The former Bolton boss agreed to take over at St James' Park when he met with Shepherd at a London hotel on Thursday.
The duo discussed the formalities of the 52-year-old's move to Tyneside, and are understood to have agreed a four-year contract worth around £3m-a-year, enough to make Allardyce the third highest paid manager in the Premiership behind Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho.
Despite interest from Sven-Goran Eriksson and Gerard Houllier, Allardyce was always Shepherd's preferred choice after he accepted Roeder's resignation just over a week ago.
He contacted Allardyce as soon as he returned from a holiday in Spain, and persuaded him to make a rapid return to management less than a month after he left the Reebok Stadium.
Shepherd has promised Allardyce a significant injection of funds this summer, and a Newcastle delegation is already understood to have met with Mike Morris, a Monaco-based agent who has worked closely with the former Bolton boss in the past.
In return, the Magpies chief has promised to back his new manager as he restructures a backroom set-up that is currently a pale imitation of the one he oversaw at Bolton.
With Newcastle's players having missed a combined total of more than 400 hours football this season, Shepherd has been persuaded of the need for a more modern approach behind the scenes.
Allardyce employed a 21-strong backroom team at the Reebok and, with the likes of Nigel Pearson and Terry McDermott unlikely to be retained beyond the end of the month, the new manager is certain to approach a number of his trusted former colleagues once installed at St James'.
Former Newcastle midfielder Gary Speed is poised to return in a player-coach capacity, while Allardyce is keen to offer Mike Forde, his former performance director, a role on Tyneside.
Forde is generally seen as the driving force behind Allardyce's technological revolution at Bolton, and Trotters officials will resist any attempt to prise one of their most prized assets away from Lancashire. The subject is likely to form a major part of Shepherd and Gartside's compensation talks later today.
Bolton will also resist any attempt to sign any of their players. The likes of Nicolas Anelka, Jussi Jaskelainen and Kevin Nolan have been influential at the Reebok Stadium, but Allardyce is likely to prioritise a re-organisation of the squad he inherits before purchasing new recruits.
Michael Owen's future will be a subject of some debate, but while Allardyce will do all he can to keep hold of the England international, the likes of Titus Bramble, Craig Moore, Emre, and even Scott Parker and Kieron Dyer could be jettisoned.
Yesterday's 1-1 draw at Watford underlined the extent of the task facing Roeder's successor, but Allardyce, who has already been told that European qualification is a minimum requirement next season, is relishing the challenge that awaits him.
"I needed a change," he said. "I want some silverware and I am determined to get it before my days as a manager are over.
"Only Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger have been with their Premiership clubs longer than I was at Bolton. I didn't feel comfortable any more."
It is a safe bet that Allardyce won't be feeling too comfortable at Newcastle either when he learns of the disciplinary problems that marred the final game of the season at Vicarage Road.
One of his first tasks as Magpies manager will be to discipline both Obafemi Martins and Charles N'Zogbia after the pair displayed a breathtaking lack of professionalism in the run-up to yesterday's encounter.
N'Zogbia all but refused to appear on the substitutes' bench, leading caretaker manager Nigel Pearson to axe him from his 16-man squad entirely.
Martins, who is believed to have learned that he too was going to be named as a substitute, reported a previously well-hidden knee injury on Saturday morning.
"Charles was in the squad," confirmed Pearson. "He was on the bench originally, but I changed it and brought in Paul Huntington. I changed it because he didn't really want to be there. I've got no idea if he stayed at the ground to watch the game.
"You can make your own judgements on that. Oba declared himself unfit on Saturday."
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