Thursday 30 April 2015 23:03, UK
John Carver has received advice from the bookmakers' favourite to succeed him as Newcastle's head coach, Steve McClaren.
Newcastle are currently in their worst run of form for 38 years, having lost seven league games in a row to slide to within five points of the Premier League drop zone.
Carver has come under increasing criticism for that form and this week invited two supporters to the training ground after a heated touchline exchange with them during the Magpies' 3-2 defeat to Swansea at the weekend.
But the 50-year-old has found support from the former England manager McClaren, who was one of the names on the short-list drawn up by managing director Lee Charnley.
The pair bumped into each other after the Newcastle man travelled to watch the club's under-21s in action against their Rams counterparts on Tuesday.
Carver said: "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'."
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.
Asked if the speculation over the Newcastle job had been raised, 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.
"There was nothing about what all the rumours are or anything like that, because they had to give me some respect as well, let's be honest.
"Whether they are in for it or not, they have to give me the respect, so they were never going to talk about anything like that - and I didn't spin it the other way either."
Carver will at least be able to call upon midfielder Moussa Sissoko at Leicester this weekend after a two-match ban, while defender Paul Dummett has rejoined the squad following his recovery from injury.
Striker Papiss Cisse will complete his seven-match suspension at the weekend, but a niggling knee problem could mean he does not go straight back into the squad.
Carver said: "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.
"The one thing I will say is when he was playing, you could see - it was blatantly obvious to everyone - that he had a little bit of an issue with a limp. That limp has gone now, so that's good news."
