Controversial Joe Kinnear resigns as director of football at Newcastle United

JOE Kinnear has called time on his controversial time as director of football at Newcastle, handing in his resignation.

Joe Kinnear has resigned as director of football at Newcastle United.

The club confirmed the 67-year-old was no longer part of their backroom staff in a brief statement on Monday night and said no further comment would be made on the subject.

Kinnear was a controversial appointment by owner Mike Ashley in June last year, with his main role to identify new playing talent, but he failed to engineer a single permanent signing in the summer transfer window.

Their sole recruit, Loic Remy, arrived on loan from Queen's Park Rangers and the pattern was repeated in the January window when only striker Luuk de Jong arrived on a temporary deal from Borussia Monchengladbach.

Newcastle lost influential midfielder Yohan Cabaye to Paris Saint-Germain for a fee of Pound20m and started February in horrific style when they were crushed 3-0 by fierce rivals Sunderland at St James' Park.