The nightmare just gets worse for Newcastle: Tel waits for the call as Hoddle turns down job

Terry Venables has been out of the game since being sacked as England's assistant last November

Terry Venables is today waiting to see if he will be formally asked to take over as the emergency manager of Newcastle United after Glenn Hoddle rejected the post.

The club plumbed new depths last night as a paltry St James’ Park crowd of 20,577 - their lowest for 16 years - saw them lose 2-1 to Tottenham in the Carling Cup third round.

Former England manager Venables has had contact with members of the Newcastle board but has not been made an official offer to take temporary charge.

Last night the odds on him taking the job were slashed from 33-1 to 2-1, although
bookmakers are threatening not to pay out unless it is a permanent appointment.

Newcastle owner Mike Ashley is believed to want Venables as interim manager while
he seeks a buyer for the club he values at £450million.

A Chinese consortium is moving closer to making a bid. After Hoddle turned the job down because of the uncertainty surrounding the future ownership, Ashley and his director of football Dennis Wise on Tuesday turned to Venables.

The 65-year-old has had a phone call with two board members and is expecting to hear from them again today.

Venables has been out of work since last November when he was sacked as Steve McClaren’s assistant following England’s failure to qualify for Euro 2008.

He performed a rescue act at Middlesbrough eight years ago alongside Bryan
Robson, guiding them from second bottom of the Premier League to 14th.

The entire Newcastle board were absent from St James’ Park last night as the
majority of the club’s fans also stayed away.

Newcastle may face a battle to keep Michael Owen, who has emerged as Aston Villa’s top target to spearhead a push for next season’s Champions League.

Villa owner Randy Lerner has promised to fund two major signings in January
and manager Martin O’Neill has set his sights on a striker.

While he is still mulling over candidates to reinforce his defence, it is understood he has singled out the unsettled Owen, whose contract expires at the end of the season.

Owen has hinted at the mounting frustration at St James’ Park, demanding swift action from Ashley over appointing a manager.