Shoule we cut Pardew some slack?So a few weeks ago i decided that I was going to try and be as positive as possible about Newcastle United and to try and look on the bright side of life with regards to the current manager.
Reading this blog daily, and like most Toon fans, not in the North East, I crave even more than usual my daily fix of NUFC news. What I am noticing is that Alan Pardew is not only disliked, but he is hated by the majority of fans and has some very unrealistic expectations on his shoulders given the current regime hes working under. Every comment Pardew seems to make is scrutinised and analysed by the fans who are coming to the conclusions that he ‘talks far to much’, hes ‘patronising’, that he is an ‘Ashley propaganda machine’ and have already written him off as one of the Southern shandy drinkers ruining the club!
I cant agree, and in my positive frame of mind, as far as I can see he has not done much wrong in his relatively short term here, he was not my first or even fifth choice, but he is here now and I have a theory on why the fans should try to not be so negative about him and maybe lower expectations this season as its the clubs hierarchy, not Pardew, that clearly have the lack of ambition to move NUFC to the next level. (more…)
Square pegs...The most unexpected transfer of pre-season is finally close to conclusion, with Newcastle United’s Jose Enrique getting his wish granted to strut his stuff in the UEFA Champions League next season by joining Liverpool. Wait a second…Are Liverpool competing in Europe next season?
Anyway, Mr Pardew has given a rare interview with the ‘Chronicle’ in regards to Jose’s exit and potential replacement to the left-back position. He rambled:
“Jose showed no motivation to sign a new contract and when a player is in the last year of his contract it is a difficult situation when it comes to accepting a fee.
“A replacement is ongoing as we speak. We need to put in place our back-up plan now but I think it’s unfair to name names in public.”
Maybe I’m misinterpreting our Alan here, but “we need to put in place our back-up plan now” seems pretty obvious. I’d have thought we would already have a back-up plan done and dusted before we had agreed to let Enrique leave. I mean that’s just sensible, but we all know who’s calling the shots don’t we? In fairness, Enrique hasn’t exactly helped matters either by refusing to talk about his future with the board (allegedly).
I suppose our “back-up plan” was Neil Taylor a few months back, but Swansea ousted our attempts to lure him to St James’ Park and he decided to stay on at Swansea. (more…)
Are they saving the club?A look at Newcastle United’s financial situation to see what Mike Ashley really has done for the club.
One of the things we often hear is that, even if he has no other redeeming features, at least Mike Ashley is sorting out the finances at Newcastle United.
It has become something of a mantra for the pro-Ashley fans but let’s have a look at the figures and see if that mantra is justified.
Before I do that though, I need to disclaim a few things. I’m not a financial expert. I do know a bit about running the books for Limited Companies but obviously nothing the size and scale of Newcastle United.
Additionally, the figures I’m quoting below are from financial reports filed at Companies House which I paid to access via a popular online supplier, so I’m merely trusting that they’re correct.
A First Look At The Books
The following table of figures is taken from the last five years of reports filed by Newcastle United Ltd, which are currently complete up to the 09/10 financial year (Newcastle run July – June for their financial years):
Patronising?Speaking in a rare interview, Newcastle United manager, Alan Pardew has told both fans and players that we need to buy into what Newcastle United is all about, saying:
“People need to buy into what Newcastle United is all about, we haven’t got the riches of some of the clubs.”
Well of course, I can’t speak for all of the fans, and wouldn’t attempt to, but writing personally as someone who was born in Gosforth and who has bought into what the club is since childhood, I feel a little patronised when a manager who has been at the club for less than a year should be telling both myself and my fellow sufferers who have supported the team through thick and thin, including times when the club had far fewer riches than it does today that I have to “buy into what Newcastle United is all about”. Unless, Mr.Pardew wasn’t really asking us to get behind the team, but get behind himself, Ashley, Llambias and the constantly misleading statements they are making to us, the ever decreasing investment in new players as the best of the old ones are shown the door, the huge increases in prices for disabled fans, the cheapening of our stadium with tacky, garish Sports Direct advertising, the breaking up of the singing section. Mr. Pardew, please don’t conflate the right to express an opinion on how much fans of the club are taken for granted with not buying into Newcastle United itself. (more…)
Pardew smiles at him a lotAlan Pardew is fighting to keep Newcastle United’s resident left-back, but could that cause more problems than it would solve?
Alan Pardew is allegedly still ‘fighting’ to keep Jose Enrique at Newcastle but I do wonder if it’s worth the bother. Pardew said:
“I keep looking at him and smiling, hoping he is going to stay. He smiles but hasn’t signed a contract yet. He was terrific against Fiorentina and showed why I want to keep him.”
I must admit if Alan Pardew kept smiling at me I’d be keen to find the exit and probably phone the police too, but that’s besides the point.
This is speculation on my behalf but I get the impression that Enrique can either take or leave Newcastle and that the only reason he won’t leave is if he doesn’t get a better offer from somewhere else.
Now, I’m a realist and I think the days are just about gone where football players have much in the way of ‘devotion’ to a club, so I’m not knocking him in terms of that. What worries me is that we get into next season without a contract having been signed and then he ends up going on a free next summer. (more…)
