article_snippet.sent: Carver went into Sunday's game with only one recognised central defender and right-back Janmaat having to play in the middle with midfielders Ryan Taylor and Jack Colback
article_snippet.sent: operating as full-backs, and Carver was also without a proven Premier League striker in the 18.
article_snippet.sent: Carver had to cope with a weakened defence following injuries .
article_snippet.sent: That selection crisis was due in part to suspensions for Fabricio Coloccini and Papiss Cisse and injuries to Steven Taylor, Paul Dummett and Massadio Haidara, as well as midfielders Cheick Tiote, Siem de Jong and Rolando Aarons, a casualty list which has served to expose the lack of depth in a squad assembled on a budget and made up largely of players sold a move to St James' Park as a stepping stone to bigger things.
article_snippet.sent: It is against that backdrop that Carver is attempting to prove Carver is the man to replace Alan Pardew at the helm, but a run of two wins from 13 games represents a less than impressive audition despite the mitigating factors.