MIDDLESBROUGH boss Steve McClaren has ruled himself out of the running for the vacant managerial position at North-East neighbours Newcastle.

The Magpies board met yesterday to discuss their options in the light of Monday's decision to sack former boss Sir Bobby Robson.

McClaren's name is understood to be have been discussed at length, but the England number two will not be leaving Teesside for St James' Park.

The Boro boss is one of the most sought-after figures in the game after steering his club to Carling Cup glory last term, and is now routinely linked with any high-profile vacancy that arises.

He was being strongly tipped to replace England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson had the Swede been relieved of his position earlier this summer, and is seen as a potential long-term successor to Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.

But, after signing five internationals this summer, McClaren has insisted that he is fully committed to Middlesbrough.

The Boro boss is known to see his reconstruction of the club as a job in progress and, as the opening day of the season proved, there is little to choose between the Teessiders and their local rivals.

Indeed, given the tumultuous events of the past month and Newcastle's failure to capture a centre-half before the closure of the transfer window, McClaren is likely to see Middlesbrough as the better bet for a top-five Premiership finish this season.

He is also known to enjoy the time he spends in the England camp working alongside Eriksson and, only yesterday, he was taking control of a training session as the national side prepare for Saturday's crunch World Cup qualifier in Austria.

All of that would have ended had he opted to join Newcastle, with Magpies chairman Freddy Shepherd having prevented Robson from working with the national team in the past.

McClaren's close relationship with his chairman is another reason why he feels comfortable at the Riverside, with Steve Gibson having backed him to the hilt in the transfer market this summer.

With McClaren out of the race, Newcastle's attention will have to turn elsewhere, although all of the signs coming out of St James' Park hint at an alarming lack of clarity when it comes to identifying Robson's successor.

It increasingly looks as though Shepherd does not have a firm plan in place, despite hastily relieving Robson of his duties on Monday morning.

The United chairman has sounded out Alan Shearer about his long-term plans, and the Newcastle striker is understood to have expressed reservations about combining the final year of his playing career with a coaching brief.

Pairing Shearer with an experienced mentor is still one option open to the Newcastle board, although Gerard Houllier is not thought to be under consideration for the role.

Terry Venables and George Graham would both be willing to take on the job, but neither had been contacted by last night.

The other option is for Shearer to remain as a player for the next nine months, and Shepherd appoint a full-time manager for the long term.

That would have been the policy had they approached McClaren, and it could yet lead to Newcastle attempting to prise Steve Bruce, Sam Allardyce or Alan Curbishley from their current Premiership employers.

Bruce's North-East credentials are known to appeal to Shepherd, although most Newcastle fans associate him more readily with rivals Manchester United where he spent the bulk of his playing career.

Bruce signed a new five-year contract at Birmingham earlier this summer and, while a get out clause was inserted in the deal, it is only activated during a three-week period in May and June.

Newcastle would be due around £3m in compensation if they were to move for Bruce and, while they are currently cash-rich after the sale of Jonathan Woodgate, they would be reluctant to spend that much money on securing a manager.

"As far as I'm concerned I've got a job to do here at Birmingham," said Bruce last night. "Yes I'm a Geordie, and Newcastle is where my roots are, and everyone knows what the club means to me, but nothing's changed "I'm committed to Birmingham and helping us continue to progress as we have been."

Blues chairman David Gold has insisted that he will fight to keep Bruce should United come calling, while Bolton chief Phil Gartside has made a similar pledge about Allardyce.

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