Pressure is on tonightNewcastle United manager Alan Pardew has the job of picking up the mood of fans tonight after a disappointing end to the transfer window, but does he deserve a bit of sympathy?
How about a bit of sympathy for Alan Pardew? Yes, I know he blabs rubbish a lot of the time and he doesn’t always seem to engage his brain before doing so, but he’s been let down in the transfer window as much as we have and the pressure is now on him to come up with some good results.
A bad run now would just add to that air of depression a lot of fans are currently feeling and Pardew will know that.
On the weekend, Pardew was lamenting the relationship between Mike Ashley and the fans and intimating that it doesn’t really help him do his job. Pardew said:
“It’s difficult at Newcastle and I don’t think the owner’s relationship with the fans helps. That’s obvious. I don’t think there’s anything I can say or do that will improve that.
“Hopefully over the next three or four years, if I bring some success to the club, maybe that can be looked at in a different light. But certainly not in the short term.” (more…)
Alan Pardew: Up to the task?Speculation about any departure by Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew is incorrect according to John Carver, but what of Pardew’s prospects for the season ahead anyway?
There has been some speculation that Alan Pardew might walk after being let down by Ashley and Llambias in the transfer window, although Assistant Manager John Carver dismissed that idea yesterday.
Carver said: “Why is his position in doubt? This has been a good start for us. We have picked up seven points from three matches and we are into the third round of the Carling Cup. We are going in the right direction.
“If you had told people we would have what we have now, they would have snapped your hands off. How can people question the position of the manager? It’s absurd.”
It sounds a bit like Carver has got the wrong end of the stick actually. I think any speculation was about whether Pardew might decide to leave rather than being sacked. I don’t think many people thought his position was in ‘danger’ as such. (more…)
Should Ashley sack Hughton if he gets Newcastle promoted?I feel somewhat strange writing about this as promotion is by far from a certainty yet, although even the most downbeat fan has to be looking up at the Premier League and thinking a swift return looks more and more likely as the weeks and games pass by.
However, inspired by Simon Bird, let’s discuss what could possibly be one of owner Mike Ashley’s biggest problem should we go up. Do we stick with Hughton or do we change manager again?
Not many Toon fans wouldn’t pat current boss Chris Hughton on the back for the amazing job he has done in taking Newcastle United 5 points clear at the top of The Championship. We can’t deny it, it’s there in print, and despite a certain number of fans fearing the worst before the season kicked off, Hughton has slowly turned it around. We can look at individual games where perhaps things could have been done better tactically, Leicester away is a prime example, but what we do have to admit is that the majority of the time Hughton has hit the nail on the head and got the tactics right and earned the results we needed. (more…)
No Toon job this seasonAlan Shearer reveals that whilst he’d take the Newcastle United manager’s job today if it was offered, he’s prepared to get on with life in the interim.
With Barry Moat’s bid – or indeed anyone else’s bid – looking less likely to succeed as time goes on, Shearer’s chances of becoming Newcastle manager this season are fading. It looks like we’re stuck with the current regime for the moment and Shearer has been reflecting on this, saying:
“I can’t revolve my life around that any more because I have other things going on.”
The future Toon manager then touches on the philosophy of determinism, saying:
“If it happens, it happens, and if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. Whatever has happened has happened. If anything else happens then it does – I will just get on with it.”
Which seems to me to be a clever rewording of Laplace’s Demon* – deep stuff indeed from the former number 9. After that philosophical interlude, Shearer goes on to praise Hughton, saying: (more…)
Next permanent manager?Nicky Butt has recently called for Chris Hughton to be made permanent manager of Newcastle United, but what are the options?
Apparently Derek Llambias will shortly be reviewing the positions of Hughton and Calderwood in light of our great start and Nicky Butt hopes that their positions are made permanent until the end of the season. Butt said:
“The team is showing there is belief here, and Chris and Colin deserve the job now.
“Hopefully they get it and that will mean we can all concentrate on the job in hand.
“People keep looking at us and say ‘they still haven’t got a proper manager’ even though Chris is acting manager.
“He’s not done anything wrong, but he hasn’t been named as boss.
“So it would be nice to see Chris get the job.”
Personally I don’t want to see a manager appointed ‘for the rest of the season’ – I’d rather see someone appointed for 3-5 years. The frequent changes of manager have been one of Newcastle’s main problems and one of the reasons why we were relegated last season. We need to get away from this short-termism. (more…)
