Former Newcastle boss John Carver has confirmed to Sky Sports News HQ that he has applied for the vacant managerial position at Aston Villa. Harrison Butker Jersey . Carver has been out of work since leaving Newcastle last June after helping the club maintain their Premier League status on the final day of last season. Villa, who parted company with Remi Garde on Tuesday, currently sit bottom of the Premier League, 12 points from safety with only seven matches remaining. When asked about the Villa post, Carver said: I have had a long lay-off, I am ready to go again. Aston Villa is a fantastic football club and I would say there will be at least 100 applications for this job. Remi Garde left Aston Villa by mutual consent after four months in charge Anyone who has got any ambition to be a manager or a coach at a club like Aston Villa will apply for it and I am no different. It is a football club that needs rebuilding and thats something that interests me, but obviously the people at the top will make the decisions. Lets not forget there are some huge candidates out there, some big names with a lot more experience than Ive got. But sometimes you have to go for things because you have to been given an opportunity and have faith in the people trying to appoint the manager. Merse backs trio for Villa Paul Merson backs David Moyes, Nigel Pearson or Mick McCarthy for Aston Villa… I am sure whoever they appoint, theyll appoint the right person because Aston Villa should not be going into the Championship. It looks like they are going into the Championship, I cant see them recovering. They are a huge football club and their fans are very similar to [Newcastle], they deserve success, they deserve to be in the Premier League, but its a massive rebuilding job. Carver won just three of his 20 matches in charge of Newcastle and also presided over a run of eight successive league defeats - a club record for the Magpies in the Premier League. Following the departure of Garde, Villa confirmed Eric Black will take control of first-team affairs for Saturdays match against Chelsea at Villa Park. Also See: Gabby omitted from Villa squad Pearson, Moyes in Villa frame Aston Villa v Chelsea preview Garde was sacrificial lamb Emmanuel Ogbah Jersey . An unconventional night for Texas-El Paso nearly led to the Miners getting a huge upset. Down by 14 with 2:21 left, the Miners went on a frantic closing spurt that fell just short, and UTEP was beaten by No. Derrick Thomas Jersey .com) - John Wall supplied 24 points and 11 assists in leading the Washington Wizards to a 102-91 win over the New York Knicks on Christmas Day. http://www.prochiefsauthentic.com/Youth-Anthony-Hitchens-Elite-Jersey/ . -- Even as Chris Paul remained evasive about his future, he did what team leaders are expected to do.NEW YORK -- LaMarcus Aldridge struggled with his shot for much of the game, so the All-Star was confident about his last attempt. It was just time for him to make a big play. Nicolas Batum had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Wesley Matthews scored 18 points, and the Trail Blazers overcame poor-shooting nights by two of their best players in a 94-90 victory over the New York Knicks on Wednesday. Aldridge finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds while shooting just 5 of 17 from the floor, but he knocked down a turnaround jumper with 35 seconds left after the Knicks had cut Portlands lead to two. "I had the whole game to miss shots so I felt like I was due some makes," Aldridge said. "Law of averages have to catch up sooner or later. I had made one easy one, one tough one. So I felt like I was going to make it." All-Star Damian Lillard shot 4 of 12 for his 12 points, but he and Aldridge were far from the only frigid shooters on a snowy day in New York. The Trail Blazers made just 38 per cent, but the Knicks hit only 40 per cent of their attempts and were 4 of 21 from 3-point range. "I thought our defence all game was pretty good. I thought for us to win a game shooting 38 per cent, its not an easy thing to do," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. New York star Carmelo Anthony scored 26 points but was scoreless on 0-for-5 shooting in the fourth quarter, finishing 11 of 28 as the Knicks dropped their third straight. The Knicks were within one after a strong start to the fourth, then had just two baskets and five points over the next 7 minutes -- and still had a chance to pull it out. "Whenever you hold a team to 38 per cent or whatever it is that we held them to, I mean, you think youre going to win. But obviously that wasnt the case tonight," Knicks centre Tyson Chandler said. Portland, missing free throws and layups throughout the fourth, couldnt put it away even while the Knicks were making just two of their first 18 3-point attempts. J.R. Smith and Tim Hardaway Jr. then made consecutive shots from behind the arc, cutting it to 89-87 with 50 seconds left. Aldridge made a turnaround jumper 15 seconds later, and after Anthony mmissed a drive, Mo Williams made a pair of free throws to make it a six-point game. Travis Kelce Jersey. Smith made three from the line after Batum fouled him behind the arc, but Lillard made one to make it 94-90, and the Knicks missed their final 3-point attempt. Anthony was frustrated throughout the night, picking up one technical foul and waving his arm in disgust toward referee Dan Crawford a few times. He appeared to be yelling toward him after the buzzer. "It was just one of them nights. Just as far as shots go, couldnt find it coming down the stretch," Anthony said. "I dont want to speak on the calls. Nothing I can do about that right now, nothing we can do about it." Smith had 18 points and Amare Stoudemire, getting the extra minutes he sought, scored 15. Portland, which has had one of the NBAs best records all season, had dropped three of four and five of its last eight games. But the Blazers did just enough to rebound from Mondays 100-90 loss at Washington, its only one in nine road games against the Eastern Conference this season. Aldridge missed 10 of his first 11 shots and the Blazers led by two before he made a short jumper over Raymond Felton while being fouled with 3:25 left in the third quarter, starting Portlands run of seven straight points that made it 70-61. The lead hit 11 in the final minute on Dorell Wrights three free throws, and it was 77-68 entering the fourth. New York ran off the first eight of the final period, pulling to 77-76 on Pablo Prigionis 3-pointer with 8:16 to play. But Williams made a 3-pointer from the corner to steady the Blazers just about the time the Knicks stalled. The Knicks were without forward Kenyon Martin, who will rest a sore left ankle for at least the next week. NOTES: Anthony was announced before the game as the Eastern Conference player of the month for January, when he averaged 28.7 points and 9.0 rebounds. ... Boxer Manny Pacquiao was at the game. ... The Knicks paid tribute to actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, a fan of the team who died Sunday. ... The Knicks played their first of three straight against the Northwest Division. They host Denver on Friday and visit Oklahoma City. ' ' '