Thoughts on Pardew/Ashley/Season in general?

Hello Geordies, Leicester fan here in peace.

I've been following you since I drew Newcastle as my team in my work league and I have to say that I am glad I did!

I'm just curious to your thoughts on the excellent season you are having - also do you still hate Pardew (found this revealing poll when he was appointed http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/poll/2010/dec/08/newcastleunited-alan-pardew), do you still want Ashley to go and do you think that you can maintain - or even better - your current position in the league?

BTW This isn't a WUM, I genuinely am curious - aside from me still wanting to give Shearer a smack for kicking Neil Lennon in the face for having the affront to tackle him a decade or so back, I don't think that there has been any bad blood between our teams and I hope it stays that way

I'd like to say see you next year but it would take a minor miracle for us to reach the playoffs this season so see you in 2 years!

 

I still really dislike Mike Ashley, he has made a mockery of the cub, and renaming the stadium really didn't help however, he is getting better at running a football club, as recent transfers have shown. Pardew has taken me by surprise, didn't think he would do this well, quite the opposite really.

With the new rules coming in, Ashley is the best for the job at the moment. I expect a few players to leave for a huge amount, but I do believe we will be able to replace them.

All the best.

 

We all love Pardew now, but are still bemused by some of his tactics and substitutions. Especially not playing Ben Arfa but when we are doing so well who cares? I think we tolerate Ashley, he has made strange decisions but we have signed good players and are being run well. We are financially sound and he has shown by signing Cisse we have money, but there is always a threat with him that we may sell some of our stars. Honestly I think we can push the top 6 and have a cup run.

 

I am getting to be really fond of Pardew. He seems a nice man, knows his stuff and has kept the dressing room spirit high. He is good at talking to the media and yeah despite saying Noocarsel instead of Newcastle, I really like him. Obviously it helps that we are doing really well. The reason why none of us wanted him was mainly because we didn't want Chris Hughton to go sand we were all pissed off by it. Although, I wanted Jol in charge at the time haha.

On Ashley, I think he is someone who does what he wants and doesn't care who he upsets. But, if we are going to not sell key players to finance deals then I will like him. I still don't like him atm because he has ****ed up so many times, but seems to be learning from his mistakes. Llambias can piss of though lol.

I think we can maintain this position. With 17 games to go, there will be times where we think we will drop down the league and others when we feel we will get in the Champions League lol. It all depends on how we cope while the ACON players are away, injuries to key players will kill us atm while them players are away. Also, if we get some luck along the way then I think we could push for 5th as Arsenal/Liverpool aren't as great as many thought they were going to be and we aren't much worse than either of them. If Van Persie gets injured for Arsenal, we have a great chance to finish above them imo.

Good luck for this season, hope you come up. I like Nigel Pearson, seemed canny when he was our assistant!

 

I don't think pardew was ever really hated or even disliked for that matter, it was more then treatment of Chris hughton that everyone was so pissed off about. If anyone did hate him I'm sure they don't now.

MA is a better owner than Shepard was, it's just his lack of PR, that hateful twat llambias and the idea of plastering his tacky adverts everywhere that get me, truthfully if it wasn't for Ashley we'd be in a terrible place right now (see Leeds United)

I think we can push on for Europe this season, and hopefully recruit a squad strong enough to balance both a high league position and good cup runs next season, who knows after that.

 

I got crabs in Leicester once.

From the indoor market.

They were nice and made a great addition to my fish cakes.

 

Recent articles on Ben Arfa give an insight into why he might be benched a lot more than Benny would like.

 

I get why we don't play him but starting Obertan over him just frustrates me

 

Whilst I want to give Obertan time, it is true. Ben Arfa offers a lot more.

 

Don't you mean you want to give lennon a smack for daring to headbutt Shearer's foot

 

This. I think you got the wrong end of the stick

 

I don't think anybody actually hated Pardew, but certainly the enormous majority didn't think he was going to be a step up from the loveable Chris Hughton. People were angry with his departure and the feeling generally was 'well if he is at least replaced with somebody amazing, it might make sense'. So you can imagine the bewildering anticlimatic anger that followed Pardew's initial appointment.

But yeah, he has totally grown on all of us over time, some more than others, but I don't think you could say he was disliked by anyone. Personally I think I speak for a decent majority when I say we love the guy. He's done a great job with the team, far better than any of us thought, and has gone about the job with dignity. He still has a few cracks that need ironing out but generally speaking he has far, far exceeded what we thought he could do and things are looking good indeed.

Ashley has always been a dividing point in fans' opinions. We're not split in two, we seem to be split infinitely on almost every point of discussion within this topic. Some people are extreme in their view that he is a greedy, vengeful man who is doing all he can to piss off the people of Newcastle and some think he is a great businessman who is going about running the club in a sensible manner while dropping the odd clanger along the way.
I'd have to speak for me personally on this one and say I'm probably close to the latter camp than the former. I think he is a very good businessman and I think he's done wonders for this club in getting us onto sound financial legs. BUT his quite blatant abuse of the club and its historical assets for his own company's benefit shows that he cares very little about the sentimental and historical ideals that make football what it is, that make NUFC what it is. His lack of public relations and apparent lack of care for how his regime comes across (not giving a stuff what that oafish moron Llambias runs around shouting) is grating, sometimes embarrassing and most importantly creates an atmosphere of unpredictability which is at the root of the division in fans opinions.

 

Most were not angry at Pardew, just pi$$ed that Hughton got sacked. Don't believe the papers, especially when it comes to us

Obviously a fair number were scepticle, but given everything we'd been through... a lot of us were crying out to make sure he at least got a good crack! (that's my category)

Exceptionally happy atm with the way the club is being run, the signings we've made and with Pardew. I still don't trust Lambias/Ashley (not sure how much involvement Ashley himself has) but if they stick to this plan for a few years and don't do anything stupid then I may be willing to say it was a rough start with terrible PR.

Still angry about the ground name. Furious in fact.

It would only take one **** up for me to turn back to sheer hatred, more so now that things seem to be going right. We've got a good shout at progressing to be an amazing team again, if they took that away from me now I would be utterly devastated... AGAIN... but I'll still follow united

Owners/players/managers (especially managers!) come and go, the stadium and the fans always stand!

I don't know if I want Ashley to sell, there's always the case of better the devil you know and there seems to be a chance that they're getting the hang of things. Having said that I certainly wouldn't be sad. Would just hope the new owners kept Pardew.

I think we can maintain around our position, provided we either A. get a decent backup CB or B. Don't lose one through injury.

How's tricks at your end anyway, any signings?

 

Personally I never had a problem with Pardew. I was angry at the way Hughton was dealt with but never blamed Pardew for any of that. I'll admit that is was underwhelmed by his appointment as he wouldn't have been anywhere near my short list for the job, but I'm very happy to have been proved so wrong. Baring a few strange decisions here and there he has done a very good job for us and I hope he will be here for years to come.

Ashley is a difficult one. I've always had the opinion that even at his worst he was still along way from being the worst chairman we've ever had and his worst days seem to be well behind him. He is now making fewer decisions which piss off the fans and has in my opinion worked wonders with the finances and structure of the club. He put in place a plan to take the club forward and has stuck with it despite many protests from fans who didn't share his approach. We are now seeing the dividends of his plan.

I doubt he will ever be loved by the fans. I don't like the man as such, I just appreciate that he is the right man for the job at this moment in time and we could do alot worse.

Time will tell but my guess is that at some time in the future he will sell up and at that time the club will be in a much stronger position, both financially and as a team, than it was when he took over.

 

Most of the other lads have said it, but the thing with Newcastle managers is, not just whether or not the fans take to them, but if they take to Newcastle...

Look back at the huge list of managers we've had, only a few of them seemed to me to really invest anything into understand the fans and the area. Keegan, Sir Bobby, Roeder, Hughton and now Pardew all seemed to fit.

I really like the guy and whilst sometimes his tactics do frustrate, he has shown he is willing to change (going to 4,3,3 at QPR) and get htem spot on (3:0 against Manure)

 

Pardew seem sto be doing us well

ashley isnt to be trusted yet until this transfer windows over il give my opinion on him then

and as for the season i think we have done really well except the norwich game

 

Seems you all agree with my sentiments - although I didn't realise your feeling on the stadium name change given that our stadium is an identikit block of sponsored concrete.

Is it that big a deal that it is changed if it gets you a proper sponsor that pays you so many millions a year?

Another random question - would you accept Steve Bruce a manager?

He is a local lad, Newcastle fan but played for Man Utd and managed Sunderland?

BTW Wedge Head Tiote and Jonas' Dance Teacher I haven't also forgiven Shearer for pointlessly fouling the Argentina keeper when Sol Campbell scored in that World Cup game in 1998 when Beckham got sent off as well - what are your thoughts on that one? Random fact - that keeper (Ricardo) signed for Leicester last season and was ****.

Also BTW StoneyNUFC it is spelt "captain" - I'm no spelling Nazi normally but that caught my eye and I can't unsee it now!

Good quote from Coloccini regardless, he has a good head under the poodle hair.

Good luck with the rest of the season - aside from having the perfect name for chanting, Pappise Cisse looks like he will be a class act.

 

Steve Bruce as manager - No chance. He might be a Toon fan but is a ****e manager, is a ****er and a ****ing fat ****. Just wouldn't fit at all.

On Shearer - I think people just try to find fault with the best, and Shearer is the best

 

My only objection to Steve Bruce as manager is that he is utterly crap.

I never care about past clubs or allegiances, it is whether they can do a job for us that I care about.

 

Brucey has been a poor manager wherever he's been, and i don't want him anywhere near a coaching/managerial position at Newcastle at any point.