Since Alan Pardew traded the North East for South London we have been finding out just how big a difference Pardew made to this Newcastle squad.

His new club Crystal Palace are on the up, and Newcastle are stagnating a few places below the Eagles. And that is not where the fans want to see the team.

Pardew’s absence leaves a gaping hole at Newcastle, and they need to fill it at the end of the season. St James’s Park is perhaps not the most attractive prospect for a top manager just at the moment. The owner looks unwilling to spend too much cash, the team is underplaying and the fans can be fierce.

But it’s still a big club with a big stadium and a large fan base. Everything about the club screams that it should be in Europe, and maybe one of these men can bring Newcastle back to where they belong...

[interaction ]

Christophe Galtier

Galtier’s first taste of English football was an unhappy one, he was number two during Alain Perrin’s failed few months at Portsmouth in 2005.

Since then, the Frenchman has gained lots of experience as a number two before taking the reins at St. Etienne in 2009.

Since then he has overseen - and sold - players of the quality of Kurt Zouma, Josuha Guilavogui and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but still managed to take St. Etienne to their first title in 32 years, and into the Europa League. He has been steadily bringing the French side up the table, and they’re still in the hunt for Champions League qualification this term.

Rafael Benitez

This is perhaps a little bit of fantasy, but Benitez’s term at Napoli seems to be drawing to an end and he may find himself looking for a new club before too long.

The Spaniard will still be looking for Europa League success with his Italian outfit this season, but a disappointing season suggests his time may well be up.

He has an excellent record, winning trophies everywhere he has gone and knows the Premier League inside out, managing both Liverpool and Chelsea to Champions League finishes and European titles - maybe he could be the man to bring a trophy to St. James’s park for the first time since 1969?

Nigel Pearson

Pearson’s season at Leicester hasn’t been a phenomenal one. He’s been involved in numerous scuffles and his team sit bottom of the Premier League.

But throughout the season his team have at least shown some fight. They’ve never been cut adrift of the rest, despite the fact that their squad looks light in Premier League quality - or at least Premier League experience.

Pearson did manage to get the Foxes promoted whilst playing some wonderful football last year, and that’s exactly what the Newcastle faithful are looking for in a new manager.

Plus he knows the club, having served as coach and as caretaker manager in the past. He has much more managerial experience by now, though.

Remi Garde

A man who has been touted as a successor to both Alan Pardew and Arsene Wenger at Arsenal in seasons gone by, Garde is taking a break from football after a few years in charge of Lyon.

There, he won over half of his games and led the club to a French Cup. For Newcastle, a club with few resources - or at least a manager who refuses to spend much - Garde might just be the perfect option.

After all, he did bring through some of the leading lights we see now in the Lyon side who are challenging PSG for the French title this season. Could we see players come through the Newcastle ranks under Garde just as we saw the likes of Nabil Fekir, Clement Grenier and Alexandre Lacazette come through the ranks at Lyon?

Steve McClaren

A bit of a wildcard this, and maybe not the most popular suggestion. It’s time to give Steve McClaren another chance, though.

Best known as the ‘Wally with the Brolly’ - and maybe to Newcastle fans as a Middlesbrough coach - McClaren has managed something of a comeback with Derby County.

He brought the club to the Championship play-off final last season where they were unlucky to lose in the final moments to QPR.

And Derby are looking to seal another play-off spot this time. But McClaren has huge experience around world football. He was assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson at Man United before managing in England, Germany and Holland, as well as having an unsuccessful crack at international management.

He brought Newcastle’s North East rivals Middlesbrough to a UEFA Cup final, as well as winning the League Cup. If Newcastle could tempt him away from Pride Park to manage in the Premier League, maybe he could win another trophy for a North East club.