The Magpies announced on Tuesday that former Bolton manager Sam Allardyce had joined on a three-year contract. He replaces Glenn Roeder, who quit on May 7 after only a year in full-time charge.
The job is one of the toughest in English soccer, with Roeder the latest to fail at a club which has not won the league title since 1927.
The Magpies, who consistently attract crowds of more that 50 000, have not won a domestic title since the last of six FA Cup triumphs in 1955. Its most recent major title was the 1969 Fairs Cup, the forerunner of the Uefa Cup.
Big names such as Ossie Ardiles, Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish, Ruud Gullit, Bobby Robson and Graeme Souness have all failed to bring major success to Newcastle in the past 16 years.
The tough-talking Allardyce was interviewed for the role of England coach last year despite a reputation for an unattractive, long-ball style of play with heavy reliance on set pieces.
He lifted Bolton from persistent relegation candidates to a side that finished in the Premier League’s top eight for four straight seasons, and this year led them to Uefa Cup qualification for the second time in three seasons. — Sapa-AP