John Carver running out of time at struggling Newcastle

As Newcastle's season dwindles to a desperately disappointing close, it's becoming increasingly unlikely that interim boss John Carver will be offered the Toon job on a permanent basis. The under-fire 50-year-old has failed to win a single point in his last five matches in the dugout, with the club's recent rotten run raising fears that they could even be dragged into a relegation scrap.

• Newcastle have lost their last five successive matches.
• The Toon have only won two of their 14 league & cup games under Carver.

The cold, hard truth is that despite his passion and determination, Carver has failed to carve out the results since replacing Alan Pardew at the start of 2015. Newcastle have only won two of their 14 matches under Carver, who now has six matches remaining to persuade the club's hierarchy to offer him the job full-time, starting with Tottenham on Sunday afternoon. Carver will need no reminding that if the Magpies are defeated to Mauricio Pochettino's men, it will equal their worst ever Premier League losing streak, which the club only set a year ago.

A measly nine points from a possible 39 points is undoubtedly relegation form, but while the Toon have dropped down to 13th in the table, they still have a nine point cushion with half-a-dozen matches remaining. It would take an almighty slip up for the club - who are way out at 80/1 (Sky Bet) to be relegated - to drop out of the top-flight, however given their current form, supporters will be on edge.

In recent weeks Carver has emerged as the second favourite in the Premier League Sack Race, with Bet Victor now pricing him at 12/1. But, even if Newcastle dire losing streak continues, it's unlikely that they'll dispense of the Geordie until the end of the season.

Instead, it's worth checking out the candidates in the Next Newcastle Manager Market, which still shows Derby County gaffer Steve McClaren as the 2/5 frontrunner (Bet Victor), although it is difficult to envision the former England manager making the move should he lead the Rams to promotion up to the top-flight. Ajax boss Frank de Boer and the out-of-work Remi Garde can both be found at 12/1, whereas Michael Laudrup is priced at 14/1.