JOHN CARVER has received a message of support for the job he is doing at Newcastle United by the man many believe will replace him this summer – Steve McClaren.

The former Middlesbrough boss, focused on trying to get Derby County in the Premier League by securing a play-off place this weekend, had a chat with Carver when Newcastle’s Under-21s faced the Rams earlier in the week.

And McClaren – who admitted recently he had been contacted by the Magpies in January - has been widely touted as the man Mike Ashley wants to fill the role on a long-term basis.

But McClaren was sympathetic to Carver’s cause at Newcastle, after the interim head coach endured a seven-match losing run at a time when he has had a lengthy list of injuries and suspensions to contend with.

“I think people out there understand the circumstances. These are extreme circumstances,” said Carver. “I keep saying that but they are. If I’ve got the tools ... I had a chat to Chris Ramsey (the QPR manager) and he said ‘I've seen the sides you’re putting out John, it's difficult.’

“I spoke to Steve McClaren at Derby. I had a good chat with Steve McClaren. We had a good talk. We didn't talk about anything other than my situation and about what my players are doing on the pitch.

“It was all about me and how I had to cope with it and even he said ‘it's been a difficult thing for you John, I understand that. But you've handled it quite well. You've had to cope with it’.”

Given the focus and speculation centred on the Newcastle job, it would have been easy for Carver to discuss the situation with McClaren.

But Carver said: “No, no, absolutely not. Absolutely 100 per cent, no. He just asked how I was coping with it, how I was dealing with it. Steve and I go back - and Steve Round and Paul Simpson who were there. We were all on the same Pro Licence course together. This was Tuesday afternoon.

“When you go on these courses and spend two weeks with them, living with them, you get to know them. I spoke to the other two lads as well. It was all about the situation here. There was nothing about what all the rumours are or anything like that.”

Losing seven matches in a row – the worst run the club has endured since 1977 – could have had a negative impact on Carver’s hopes of staying in the job on a full-time basis ahead of a trip to Leicester tomorrow when a further defeat could leave them in real relegation trouble.

He said: "I am in pole position at the moment and until I am told otherwise, then nothing is going to change. Whether that happens next week, the following week, in the summer, I am in pole position and that is how I look at it.”

Many Newcastle fans have already made up their mind that they would prefer an outside appointment regardless of where the team finishes the season. That was clear during last Saturday’s defeat to Swansea, when Carver had a verbal exchange with a few supporters.

He has invited a couple of them to the club’s training headquarters today. He said: “They're coming in, in the morning. I've also spoken to another and she's coming in before the West Ham game to meet Liz the tea lady and myself which she's quite excited about that.

"I think it's important to have a chat with them because I'm one of them. I understand their frustrations. If I was in the stand I might be asking the manager those questions and I might have done that in the past.

“When I've come back to the club in the past to watch a game I've questioned things. I think as long as you have a logical reason behind what you're trying to do they'll understand.”

Regardless of what the future holds, Carver is adamant he will always return as a fan and is desperate for happier times at St James’ Park knowing a victory over Leicester should be enough to keep Newcastle in the Premier League.

The sooner another victory arrives the better, particularly as he admitted striker Papiss Cisse might not play any of the remaining games after serving the final match of a seven-match ban this weekend.

"He’s not certain (to be fit),” said Carver. “What I’ve always said is that I’ll be honest and straight, and I don’t know when he’s going to be ready to come back into it. I have to say that.

"He’s quite positive about this whole situation, so let’s not write him off. He’s been really positive about it, and it might be that we have to use him like Siem (De Jong) in the last 20 minutes, half an hour, to come off the bench, get in that six-yard box and score the winning goal for us. We might have to use him in that way. But what we’re not going to do is put him at risk, put his health at risk by doing something stupid.”