And if the appointee doesn't make good on the goals, McGuigan said the next man he sacks will be himself.

The Knights axed Rick Stone during the week, with club legend Danny Buderus taking over on an interim basis. The club is aware of the enormity of the task facing the next clipboard holder, given the Knights currently sit in last place and even the great Wayne Bennett, by his own admission, failed to deliver during his three years in the Hunter.

However, that hasn't tempered the expectations of McGuigan, who is seeking someone capable of making an immediate impression.

"We'd like someone who understands Newcastle, but not necessarily from Newcastle," McGuigan said.

"We have to make the Hunter proud of their team, as we have done in the past, We know that people before us, such as last year's premiers [South Sydney], took 40-something years to do it. I intend to do it during my period.

"We are terribly low on the ladder but we've got to take that on the chin, get out of the hole and do something about that.

"What we need is a vision - not only to catch up but to do the football jump ahead. That's what I'm looking for in a coach. We need someone who will put us in the top eight in one year, in the top four in two years and, God willing, vying for it in three years.

"That's not stated in our [three-year] strategic plan, but that's my plan. I am going to work like hell to pull that off. I want a visionary. Someone who can say, 'I know the answer to these issues and I can help you get there.'

"I want to be proud of the Knights. I'm not used to getting beaten and I will do whatever I can to enlist whatever support [is required].

"The next person to go is me if, during this period, we don't put together the components to get us to my three-year plan. If I don't do it, I'm gone. I'll resign. I won't stay because I don't have the capacity.

"This coach will be so important to us. He's going to have to have a vision and an energy. You've got to be able to tell it from his eyes."

McGuigan has also put his players on notice, saying they will be punted unless they show the commitment that has been the hallmark of previous Knights teams.

"The people of Newcastle put their money in, the sponsors put their money in, the public put their money in," McGuigan said.

"If the fellas doing the work aren't prepared to do the work and really play the game hard - I don't mean win all the time but really play the game hard - if they don't do that, well sorry, the boss is saying 'no pay next week'.

"We think they haven't been clicking. All of the fellas are all fantastic, but they don't treat their job as if it's crucial to put the effort into every minute of every game. We're not going to accept that. That's gone. It's over."

Newcastle officials are about to engage a firm to undertake a comprehensive review of football operations. It's all part of a shake up of the club the Hunter Valley vigneron believes is long overdue.

"We see this is an opportunity to do a root and branch investigation into the whole club," McGuigan said.

"This is a reformation that should have happened as much as a decade ago. Maybe short-term panaceas were found from time to time but really didn't work.

"We have tried as best we can with the people we've had, but don't forget the players we've had were appointed a year or two or longer ago, so we've had no input. Our football sub committee hasn't had any input into players on the field presently.

"The old Knights, the golden Knights of the past, have all put up their hands and said 'whatever you want done, please let us know, we are here to help.

"It's a turning point for us. We've hit the bottom. Now, God willing, we're going to bounce off the bottom and go places."