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Kinnear rebuilding bridges

Joe Kinnear has attempted to build bridges with the Newcastle fans he last week claimed he was more intelligent than.

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Fans left dissatisfied after Newcastle meeting

Joe Kinnear has promised to meet fans who have voiced concerns over his recent appointment as Newcastle United's Director of Football.

Around 200 supporters held a meeting near St James' Park last night.

Joe Kinnear had been invited, but he did not attend.

Instead a friend of his - Eddie McIntyre - read out a statement on his behalf.

Kinnear said he regretted his recent comments in the media, and hoped to attend a fans meeting in the future.

However, many supporters were left dissatisfied.

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Newcastle United fans meet for team talk

Newcastle United fans still reeling from the shock appointment of Joe Kinnear as Director of Football are meeting tonight to discuss the situation at the club.

Joe Kinnear has been invited to attend the meeting which is open to all Newcastle supporters.

Representatives from the club are attending the meeting at Newcastle Labour club.

Julia Barthram sent this report - watch it below.

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Newcastle fans threaten season ticket cancellation

Shortly after the official confirmation of Joe Kinnear's appointment, a number of Newcastle fans tweeted that they would be cancelling their season tickets in protest.

Read: Kinnear ridiculed after 'Yohan Kebab' radio interview

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PR expert: Kinnear job should have been handled better

PR expert David Alexander said Joe Kinnear's radio interviews would do little to endear him to the Newcastle fans.

Alexander, a CIPR chartered PR practitioner, said the club should have "controlled the message" of his appointment:

There’s no doubt that the appointment of Joe Kinnear could have been handled far better. He should also be instructed to only comment through official club channels rather than give unsolicited interviews that have created this storm in the first place.

As we’ve seen already, getting him to be ‘on-message’ is a tall order. He’s proud of speaking his mind and has clashed with the media in the past.

But he should have been under strict instructions not to speak to the media before the club made an official announcement.

That way, the club could have controlled the message and ensured that the right things were said and that manager Alan Pardew was supportive.

His comments about Geordies have been less than helpful at building bridges.

– David Alexander, Managing Director, Calacus Public Relations

He suggested that the club's management should demonstrate a togetherness in order to win back the fans and that a transfer move for former striker Andy Carroll would help alleviate the antagonism.

The best thing Newcastle’s PR department can do now is hold a press conference where Kinnear, Pardew and a director such as Derek Llambias discuss the strategy to move the club forward and move the discussion on from Kinnear’s appointment.

And the best way to prove that Kinnear’s appointment is worthwhile would be to bring back the prodigal son Andy Carroll to Newcastle, which along with plenty of positive and sincere messaging about his respect for the Newcastle fans, would go some way to alleviating the communication challenges in the short term.

– David Alexander, Managing Director, Calacus Public Relations
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