Is Alan Pardew really backed by 95% of Newcastle United fans? [Poll]

Posted on December 13th, 2012 | 53 Comments |

The big Toon survey.
What a load of old cobblers!
“Alan Pardew backed by 95% of fans Chronicle poll reveals” wrote the Chronicle.

This staggering revelation would give Toon’s Silver Supremo the same kind of popularity as Kevin Keegan in the heyday of his “Entertainers” side, or Bobby Robson when Newcastle United were once again a top four side who were competing in the Champions League. Yet Pardew’s Newcastle United are currently 14th in the table and sliding downwards, with only one win in our last ten games.

So how can this be?

Let’s look at it another way. If you look at the image below displaying the results in the form of a bar chart, you may also observe that the story linked above could also have had the title “Over 50% of Newcastle United fans are less than content with Pardew Chronicle poll reveals.”

Are you happy with Alan Pardew?

If you read the questions on the results and the questions asked in the original survey, you can also observe that they are different, and that the original questions were VERY heavily “loaded” to the extent where they completely devalue the poll as any kind of honest exercise in collecting the views of Newcastle United fans.

The question as displayed on the results is: “Are you happy with Alan Pardew?”

Yet the original question was “How happy are you with Alan Pardew?” which is significantly different if you examine it closely. Phrased this way it is a classic “loaded” question of the kind loved by salesmen, politicians and the like. It suggests, or even assumes that ALL the fans answering the questionnaire are happy with Pardew, but that it’s just a question of how happy they are. Yet it was consciously changed when the results were published to the considerably less loaded “Are you happy with Alan Pardew?” A seemingly conscious decision which suggests an attempt to manipulate the reader.

Once again, you can see the multiple choice alternatives displayed in the image, with the largest portion of respondents, over 40%, answering “Content but waiting for results to.” On the original, it was “Content but waiting for results to improve.”

There were thirteen questions in total in the Chronicle’s “Big Toon Survey”, but I won’t go into them all here, though they too were similarly loaded in a very clumsy fashion. Others included (with the loaded parts in bold):

10. Do you think the manager was given a fair amount to spend this summer after leading the club to fifth and winning the LMA and Premier League manager of the year awards.

And:

11. Mike Ashley has pumped in more than £200 million of his own funds at St James’ Park. How happy are you with the current ownership or Newcastle United.

The loaded part of the final question there is something of a moot point also. Ashley paid a total of around £134 million for the club and that’s it. The rest, the club’s debts which he inherited from the previous owners, were consolidated Ocean Finance style into one easy, managable loan from Ashley himself. Hence, he has made a loan to himself to pay his own debts which must be paid back not by him but by the club, or anyone who might buy the club from Ashley in the future. It was a hugely advantageous arrangement for Ashley which will also be advantageous in terms of his tax situation too. But that’s another story…

Getting back to this one, this highly manipulative poll seems to be another step in the Chronicle (along with it’s sister paper, the Journal) abandoning all journalistic integrity and neutrality, instead becoming an PR organ for Mike Ashley and the Newcastle United board, and not for the first time either. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with a local newspaper getting behind the local team, that’s how it should be. However, when it insults the intelligence of it’s readership with exercises such as this, it has gone too far.

Besides the one other factor which may have also corrupted the results somewhat. Tynesiders will know that the Chronicle also has a considerable readership in the shanty towns of Tyneside’s Third World neighbour, Wearside. Indeed, as well as having it’s own section for Newcastle United, it also has it’s own section for the club which represents the land that time forgot, Blunderland AFC. Of course, we all know what happens when our less developed neighbours see things like a Newcastle United poll!

Finally, I will repeat the question in a poll here in it’s less loaded form, ie “Are you happy with Alan Pardew?” along with the same alternatives offered on the Chronicle poll.

It will be interesting to see how the results turn out on this site.

Poll

NUFCBlog Author: workyticket workyticket has written 1095 articles on this blog.

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Comment on this post

53 Responses

  4. It’s Mackems man!

    I’ve just been checking and rooting out all the voters with a Bluderland IP number.

    Clint Flick, I know you’re out there. What’s wrong with you ye daft get?

  7. I would be interested to know if you have taken this up with the Editor of the ronnie gill ? And if so what his reaction is?
    The question “are you happy with Alan Pardew?” is a tad simplistic.
    I am happy with the way he dresses and combs his hair.
    Not so happy with his clueless tactics and dodgy substitutions tho.
    Not sure its fair to blame him for the boards abject failure to strengthen in the summer. Although he did say he was happy with what he has got. Hmmmm!

  8. Lew Davies says:
    December 13, 2012 at 11:01 pm

    “I would be interested to know if you have taken this up with the Editor of the ronnie gill ? And if so what his reaction is?”

    Lew, I challenged Lee Ryder about some things which were factually incorrect in his stories (very politely I hasten to add) some time ago, but he responded by banning me. Never got a reply though.

    But no, I haven’t written to the editor of the Chronic about that particular survey. It’s certainly food for thought though and I might give it a go.

  9. @Lew

    you countered your own point sir. if he was happy with his squad and the lack of strengthening then he was a fool. if he wasn’t then he was a liar.

    he did get an 8 year contract though. i’m sure that’s a decent pay-off for toeing the line.

  10. well yes he is too chicken shit to come out and say he has been shafted by the MD and owner.
    I have just been reading Toonbanos article and he makes some very good points.
    Finishing 5th has glossed over the many glaring problems and deficencies that in hindsight are very clearly evident.
    I haven’t read all the responses yet, but do we have a consensus of opinion as to the solution?

  11. Lew Davies says:
    December 13, 2012 at 11:25 pm

    “well yes he is too chicken shit to come out and say he has been shafted by the MD and owner.”

    Lew, you can bet that he’d be breaking his contract if he did that. It’ll be in there somewhere that he’s not allowed to say anything like that about the MD or owner, You can also bet it’ll also be in there that he won’t get more than a year’s salary (or less) if he’s sacked and his 8 year contract is ripped up.

    “I haven’t read all the responses yet, but do we have a consensus of opinion as to the solution?”

    Consensus of opinion amongst NUFC fans under Ashley? Are you mad?!!! :-)

  12. @worky

    alan green said much the same re. his contract prior to the liverpool game, noting also that is was ridiculous, nothing more than insurance against an approach for a manager whose stock at the time was quite high.

    @lew

    i have no clue how my club gets itself out of this. i hate the current regime. remember when john hall said he wouldn’t sell the club to anyone who didn’t understand it or have the ambition to take it forward? that bloke could spout as much guff as pardew and llambias put together.

    i wonder how many supporters would have fat freddie back?

  13. stewpot says:
    December 14, 2012 at 12:19 am

    “nothing more than insurance against an approach for a manager whose stock at the time was quite high.”

    Compen 4 Ashley, stewpot. I don’t think he’ll be poached by England or Real Madrid now though.

    “i wonder how many supporters would have fat freddie back?”

    NUFC really does attract the most awful owners. Sadly however, the far richer and more powerful Ashley can be even more awful than Geordie Satan and his weasel faced sidekick, Dougie.

  14. @worky

    you’re not wrong mate, i’ve so far had to put up with seymour, mckaig, hall snr, fat fred and now this knob… not a decent one among them.

    isn’t the sultan of brunei supposed to be a toon fan ;)

  15. stewpot, I think the story was that he once gave the club a very fancy minibus, but then took it back when the permed messiah was sacked, so he probably isn’t a big Ashley fan!

    If he was a real Newcastle United fan, he probably would have bought it already. It would be the same as one of us buying a rusty old car or something like that. Actually, I think it’s cars that are really his thing more than football clubs. He has huge garages full of gold plated ones and stuff like that. I think he has hundreds, or even thousands of the things.

    Not quite old enough to remember when we were owned by a Pirate then? :-)

  16. i went to my first games in the 74/75 season but don’t really remember them… that was me fatha babysitting :)

    i don’t know anything about the sultan but i did have mate, former SAS who was his bodyguard a few times!

    there must be a russian oligarch, or an african dictator or a south american drugs lord who wants a toy football club… anybody would be preferable.

  17. dont think the managers to blame we lost a lot of players last season but only brought in 1 real 1st teamer the lack of summer transfers or the lack of them to blame for this slump not the manager

  19. williamson poop collos poop taylor spends more time siting in the stands watching than playing so hes on list also

  20. ba can jog out of toon as well as far as i care keeps using this 7 mil get out clause look a noose over the clubs head and the big baby takes his ball and runs off home to mammy if he cant play down the middle and as far as im corcerned ya earn ya place in the team

  21. It’s almost like we have hit a brick wall.
    I blame the lack of transfers when we any supporter and his dog knew that without some quality investment we would struggle.
    Pardew said he was happy with the squad,he wasn’t and he was clearly told by the board he was getting no funds.
    The writing is on the wall now though,a squad that has fallen apart,players a shadow of their former selves and a manager that has the technical nous of a steaming turd.

  23. sirjasontoon says:
    December 14, 2012 at 8:37 am

    “It’s almost like we have hit a brick wall.
    I blame the lack of transfers when we any supporter and his dog knew that without some quality investment we would struggle.”

    How good a squad do we need to be 14th SJT? A squad like Man City or Manchester United? Swansea and Norwich came 11th and 12th last season and their squads were put together for a fraction of the cost of ours. If we wanted to do well in Europe and still stay at the top end of the Premiership then we should have invested in the squad, but this idea that we need one of the best squads in the Premiership just to be a mid table side, or even to stay safe, the idea that were a poor underdog like Norwich with hardly any money and a shoestring squad of cheap players is getting a bit silly now.

  24. it’s coming to something when our supposed local paper, has become nothing more than a mouthpiece, for ashley’s corrupt regime.
    why are they kowtowing to this bull?, i thought journalism was supposed to represent the truth ffs.
    why are we continually fed utter tripe stories, that dont mean diddly, in the scheme of things.
    they are just regurgitated stories rehashed together, and put out as news.
    i’m starting to think lee ryder is employed by ashley, when did alan oliver leave the chronicle?, did it coincide with ashley turning up, and has ryder been in his post since then?

    i used to think alan oliver was a bit dodgy, but he looks like pulitzer prize winner, alongside lee ryder.
    are the chronicle terrified of upsetting the lowrachy, and being banned by them, for unfavourable articles?
    i would rather die standing up, than live on my knees.

    as for this risible poll ryder has put out, it does look something political parties would come up with, to get a favourable outcome.

  25. joe hawkins says:
    December 14, 2012 at 1:06 pm

    “it’s coming to something when our supposed local paper, has become nothing more than a mouthpiece, for ashley’s corrupt regime.
    why are they kowtowing to this bull?, i thought journalism was supposed to represent the truth ffs.”

    Represent the truth? :lol: They represent advertisers Joe, big companies like Sports Direct and Newcastle United.

    “i’m starting to think lee ryder is employed by ashley, when did alan oliver leave the chronicle?, did it coincide with ashley turning up, and has ryder been in his post since then?”

    Anal may have left the Chronic but he didn’t leave Trinity Mirror Group Joe. He went national with the People, one of Trinity’s national Sunday titles.

    There are fewer and fewer media groups who own more and more. You don’t get many genuinely local papers anymore, they’re all being swallowed up by the machine.

  26. This squad will be lucky to finish anywhere near 14th Worky especially after the next lot of fixtures….:lol:

  27. worky, it wouldn’t suprise if ashley hasn’t bought the paper aswell.
    the way it’s being run smacks of ashley cheapness, and it’s not like he couldn’t afford it lol.
    i would like to know the exact date lee ryder took over the reigns, from anal oliver.

  28. I agree with the various comments that we do actually have a decent squad, even with the injuries. Trouble is that Pardew somehow just does not seem to have the nous how to get the best out of them. Why?

    Does he actually have his coaching badges. Has he lost the dressing room. Is he running scared and/or doesn’t know how to adapt to changing pitch situations.

    be interesting to hear his team talks before and during games.

    Of course a run of wins will alter the situation but the prognosis at this time does not look too hopefull.

    New players may not make a difference if some of the above instances apply.

  29. Certainly Pardew looks like he’s ready for a meltdown,
    appears older and more drawn.
    Things are not going right and he apparently, cant figure out what to do.

    I have the feeling watching the side, that a certain malaise, similar to that which we experienced watching the relegation team, has settled in.
    Plus under the circumstances, there has to be an unsettled dressing room.

    All of which, can be traced to the obvious source, loosing.
    So why are we not,compared to last season, competing for a top six spot?

    Simple, the schedule, plus the fact we have a thin squad, made thinner by the usual number of casualties.
    Shows Ashley’s concern’s are more about saving on transfer fees and not about how well the side performs.

    All of this could have been avoided, the fact we would have injuries, the fact we would have a heavier schedule,
    Plus the fact it takes a full squad (not a bunch of youngsters with possible sell on value) to play in the EPL.

    The fact that everyone is now aware we are in a relegation struggle, we will possibly see some reaction from the board, bringing in re-inforcements and pressurising Pardew (waste of time)

    Hell we cant be relegated again, we are too big a side,
    yeah right, where did i hear that before ?
    It’s still a slow learning curve!
    but then what the hell do i know ?

  30. Worky

    It just so happens I am in the process of creating something as regards to this survey and its ‘findings’ with the fans who filled the survey in.

    I have already been in contact with Ryder in Twitter land and to be fair to him he did reply to me several times. When I quizzed him whether The Chron would be backing up his article with another short survey he ignored my question and merely re-tweeted my request.

    If you would like put our two heads together on this, just give us a little whistle in my email address and I’ll tell you what I am up to.

    ; D

  31. Partridge’s latest “Our fans are important to us now because our results and stats don’t look good, but this is the time we really need them to support us,” he said.

    Serve up shite week in week out and what does he expect?

  32. Joe Hawkins
    Not getting on your case here.
    But journalism was never about the truth!
    It was about forming opinions, by slanted writing, each major and possibly moreso local rag’s, have certain agendas, where they need the support of the locals or nation on.
    One has to learn to read between the lines.

  33. chuck, i take your point, it’s just seems alarming, how downhill the chronicle has went.
    unless that’s what’s being done to most populated places, we are all being dumbed down, but slowly and surely, mankind is waking up to the lies, and starting to question the established order.

  34. has anyone seen lee ryder’s twitter account?, the picture is hilarous.
    in his full glory with corner flag raised above his head, and his sizable kite, i bet it took him three weeks to recover, after that run.
    complete with his bandy legs, reminiscent of brian glover, in “kes”.

  36. Why do sides with smaller grounds have overall much larger annual earnings than NUFC ?
    Because they have a larger worldwide fan base, ergo they sell more shirts (Liverpool)
    Because like Chelsea, their ticket prices are higher.
    Ditto Arsenal.
    Obviously Man. U. Has both a larger stadium and a larger fan base.
    Spurs, larger fan base.
    Citeh, they dont need either, they have a buillionaire owner.
    But wait a minute so do we, plus we gotta bigger stadium.
    So what is it then they all have in common?
    Ermm! they have all won something in the last fifty years, it seems success brings profit.
    I dont know if Ashley is aware of this, what ?
    The fact the present fan base of people in the Newcastle area and a few ex-pats, can not perceptively increase NUFC’s revenues.
    Which indicates their has to be an increase in the fan base, that can only be accomplished, by presenting a side that is both entertaining and wins silverware.
    Which begs the question, how?
    Investment, it just does’nt happen for no reason.
    Now NUFC has it’s PR dept. going full bore in the wrong direction i might add, how about a few quid investment in both a real manager and players, and an attempt to sell the NUFC Brand Name, which with a bit of success could expand bring in that extra revenue.
    What i’m saying here is the clubs full potential is not being exploited, because the present owner has’nt the foresight to realise it takes a bit of investment.
    ah well!

  37. Totally agree Chuck good post.
    It is almost like the board and manager constantly belittle NUFC saying we can’t compete etc
    Why don’t they get us into a league where they feel we can compete like the championship perhaps?
    The club is heading that way under the guidance of these utter numpties!

  38. I don’t care for polling in general. It’s not as telling as most people think and you need an understanding of methodology to take anything from responses.

    That said, I kinda don’t care anyway. Even if I were 95% supported by my firm’s clients, I’d be promptly shitcanned if I failed at my job as miserably and for as long as AP has this season. But then, my bosses know something about the field in which we work.

  39. Chuck-we put in bad performances from the off. You can’t blame the schedule for that. Five first-half goals all season. Is that down to the schedule? Two things. The players are tuning AP out, which is related to the other thing: other managers have thoroughly sussed AP, tactics-wise.

  40. I am sure that everybody has read the latest in the Chronicle:

    http://www.soccerway.com/news/2012/December/14/pardew-feels-pressure-growing/

    What Pardew says makes sense but he is still blaming the players. Last week it was the kids, this week it is Jonas and Tiote.

    A lot of us on here have wondered about the loss of form of both of these players but I question whether it is a good idea for the manager to do so publicly. From what I have seen both are self-motivated but out of sorts.

  41. I have watched a few Citeh games this season and they are vulnerable at times. Maybe we have a shot if we don’t just sit back and defend?

  42. Tunyc – I totally agree. I think the players must be thoroughly sick of Pardews guff and poor tactics.
    As you say, they have tuned him out.
    Unfortunately, we dont have any natural leaders taking the bull by the horns. Much like Nolan and Barton and Smith.
    We could really do with a Nolan right now. Colo isn’t doing the leadership thing and we have nobody else stepping up. Even Steven Taylor has gone back into his shell.

  44. ToonBano says:
    December 14, 2012 at 4:06 pm

    “Worky

    It just so happens I am in the process of creating something as regards to this survey and its ‘findings’ with the fans who filled the survey in…”

    Hang on Toon! I’ll get back to you when I’ve got this blogging finished.

  45. nobby just got fired in peru… he could trumpet the lads onto the pitch and then shove his horn up ashley’s arse, wide end first.

  47. The disappointing results this season have, in my opinion, been the result of a clumsy shift in footballing philosophy. Hughton had made the side a well-organized unit with an impressive aerial threat. Stoke with a little more quality call it (or current West Ham). The 1-0 win at the Emirates a couple years back may have been the best example. Zonal Marking did a piece at the time about Newcastle defending in two banks of 4, and we won the game from a long free kick from near the centre circle that Andy Carrol headed home.

    I think that management wanted to play a more controlled, possession style, rather than needing to park the bus against the likes of Arsenal to get a result. To be fair, Pards had a reputation of turning out attractive football at his prior stops. In came Cabaye, Marveaux, Santon, Anita, Obertan, HBA’s loan deal was made a permanent transfer . . . all good, technical players (I won’t argue about Obertan right now). However, none of them really provide anything in the air. Look at Santon and Obertan; the pair are both over 6′ and don’t do much at all in the air.

    Now, the club should be ready to play slick passing footy, right? Wrong. We still field half a team better suited to Stoke football than to Arsenal’s. Willo, Simpson, Raylor, Jonas, Gosling, arguably even Ba and Tiote are ill-suited to a possession game. Cisse probably fits neither style, he’s best suited to a counter-attacking game like Villa played under O’Neil. Pards has been trying to mold his team into a passing squad, but to be honest most of his attempts to field a ball control line-up have failed miserably. I don’t understand the supporters who have been crying for 4-2-3-1 or even 4-3-3 as the solution to our problems, as so often that has failed so spectacularly (see 5-1 to Fulham last year, first half at Everton this year, first 20 minutes at Fulham this year, etc.). When we play 4-4-2, the football is dire but we don’t get blown out and still have enough players that can turn the game on their own. Thus, Pards is trying to play conservative, long ball 4-4-2 to get results while the squad continues its transition.

    Now for a clumsy metaphor. A frequent mistake made by businesses is called ‘straddling.’ Companies need to focus on what they do well rather than trying to be everything to everyone. Sports Direct is actually a good example of not straddling at all – it’s brand image is “cheap”, which means customers know where to go when to save money on sports gear. They lose customers who want higher quality or better service, but you have to make tradeoffs to succeed. Which Ashley has done at Sports Direct. I hope you see where I’m going here. Newcastle are straddling at the moment, unable to find an identity like they had at the beginning and end of last year (beginning was really conservative, play it tight, end of the year was fluid counter-attacking). If Pards wants to play 4-2-3-1, he probably needs to play Perch at CD and Anita at RB, with Tiote, and Bigi at CDM and HBA, Cabaye and Marveax/Obertan advanced and Cisse as the striker. Unfortunately, almost EVERY player in that lineup has suffered from either injuries or a serious dip in form, and that team would assuredly be abused in the air. This is the problem for clubs without substantial resources playing a possession style. If some of the key cogs get injured, the team is going to get relegated (see Bolton last year without Holden and Lee). You lose the games to the top clubs because trying to outpass them without classy players is suicide, and teams like W Ham, Norwich and Stoke will abuse you physically. When the key players stay healthy and on-form, success may ensue (Everton and WBA this year, Wigan at the end of last term).

    TL;DR NUFC TRANSITIONING TO PASSING STYLE; PARDS RESORTS TO LONG BALL B/C HALF HIS PLAYERS CAN’T PASS. LOSING ENSUES

  48. @smudge

    an interesting read but how on earth do you get this: “To be fair, Pards had a reputation of turning out attractive football at his prior stops.”

    the only reputation i was aware of was for being a long-ball merchant.

  49. stewpot says:
    December 14, 2012 at 11:56 pm

    “the only reputation i was aware of was for being a long-ball merchant.”

    Stewpot, I watched Pardew before he was Newcastle United manager and he’s a route one manager from Reading. That’s why I was so horrified when he was appointed in place of Hughton, who was doing an absolutely brilliant job of bulding something at Newcastle from the ground up.

    Llambias knows the square root of f-all about football yet he claims he’s the one who decided to bring Pardew in. That’s just bizarre and incompetent in the extreme. Big Sam got Bolton into Europe just like Pardew did and actually did quite well with the help of a few excellent players in the twilight of their careers but it doesn’t mean I’d want him back as a Newcastle United manager either.

    I don’t understand the comparison between Hughton and Stoke either, or this stuff about us being a long ball team until Pardiola came in to turn us into Barcelona. Perhaps it’s because we had a very big lump who was good at heading the ball when he was here? Perhaps it’s because, as Stewart Robson said, Pardew’s a conman who constantly witters on about how he plays the right kind of football and so on? Maybe he does it so often that people who can’t tell the difference actually start to believe it? Perhaps it was just Toon fans projecting what they wanted to see on to something completely different?

  50. I certainly agree that his assertion that he plays good football has been bought hook, line and sinker by a worryingly large proportion of our supporters.

    i think there’s a masive amount of hypocrisy amongst our fans also. i wouldn’t like allerdyce back either but he was given absolutely no chance at our place and the football was no worse than what we’ve been served up by pardew and there was a huge consensus against him.

    you could even say that roeder turned around a dire situation under souness and was also booed out of the club when it started to go downhill.

    i’m not saying either should have been given longer i just don’t understand why pardew has been indulged to the extent that he has been.

  53. ToonBano says:
    December 16, 2012 at 4:06 pm

    “Workyticket,

    Give us a shout chief when you can. You got my email address right?”

    Bano, I was just doing that now the game’s over. You should have an e.mail now.