Joe Kinnear can understand why Gerry Francis snubbed Newcastle United Football Club.

The interim Magpies manager wanted the former England international to help him out at St James Park, but he was reluctant to leave his casual training post at Stoke City.

“We had a casual chat about things,” Kinnear told Sky Sports. "He is already doing two days a week at Stoke. Gerry doesn't want to be involved with football on match days.

"It was a difficult one for Gerry because I can't give him a contract in any form or way. I think he has one at Stoke. So he doesn't want to burn his bridges.

“If something happens here in the next month and the club is sold, he knows that if the new people come in and don't want you that is the end of it. I told him and he had to know that before he came in.

“In theory, it wasn't worth his while to leave his job at Stoke. The job there is more permanent. He was very interested, but there was no contract and certainly nobody is getting any contracts at the moment.

"Nobody knows how long anybody is going to be here at the moment - and that includes me."