London - Newcastle United confirmed on Friday that Joe Kinnear will stay on as their manager until the end of the season.

Kinnear took over on a caretaker basis in September, following Kevin Keegan's departure.

"Ever since I came to Newcastle United, I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience," Kinnear told reporters.

"The players have been great to work with and the fans have made me feel at home since day one.

"We have a big challenge ahead of us for the rest of the season, but together, I'm confident we will make good progress.

"We have some very good players already at this club and hopefully we can further strengthen the squad in January, and I will be working very closely with the directors to try to achieve that." (dpa)