Kinnear confirmed as director of football at Newcastle

London: English Premier League team Newcastle United have confirmed the appointment of Joe Kinnear as the club's new director of football.

The club confirmed the news on its official website on Tuesday. "The board are pleased to welcome Joe back to the club. Joe has many years of experience working within the game, and this experience will be of great benefit to the club in achieving our objectives over the coming seasons," Newcastle's managing director Derek Llambias said.

It will be the second spell for Kinnear at St James Park. The Irishman, who managed the club in 2008/09 before leaving his job because of illness, revealed his appointment on Sunday.

Kinnear, who also had a seven-year management spell as manager Wimbledon, is expected to report directly to the club's board as the senior executive in charge of all football-related matters and he will be working closely with manager Alan Pardew and chief scout Graham Carr.

As a player Kinnear represented Tottenham for ten years, while also winning 26 Republic of Ireland caps.