Roeder told top six is a must

Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd has handed new boss Glenn Roeder the same challenge which ultimately finished predecessor Graeme Souness.

Roeder was unveiled on Tuesday as Shepherd's fourth managerial appointment and told the requirement for next season is a top-six finish in the Barclays Premiership.

Newcastle came within one place of achieving that this season, with Roeder leading a stunning revival after taking over from Souness with 15 games to play.

He and Shepherd will sit down over the next couple of days to discuss their targets and those players who will be offloaded, but Shepherd has seen enough to believe he has got the right man.

Asked what had persuaded him to opt for Roeder, Shepherd said: "Results. Results are everything for a manager in football, they live or die by them.

"Let's make this quite clear, Glenn has had more injuries than Graeme ever had if you look at the stats.

"But he's had a great run and I'm confident he can maintain that.

"It's got to be top-six for Newcastle, the players we have got here, the set-up we have got here, the stadium, the training - all the ingredients are here.