Alan Pardew - 3 Years On

So... 3 years in... how do you you review Pardew's tenure.
Personally the key word for me would be stability.
We've done the hire/fire thing to death over the past decade so stability I welcomed.... I just wasn't sure about AP.
I'll formally judge him at the end of this season but I have to say that he's certainly winning me around.


http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...newcastle-manager-after-three-years-in-charge

Three years ago, Alan Pardew became Newcastle United manager after Magpies owner Mike Ashley unceremoniously axed former boss Chris Hughton. Thirty-six months later, Pardew is the second-longest-serving manager in the Premier League—second only to Arsene Wenger—and still splits opinion on Tyneside.

In his two full seasons with Newcastle, Pardew was responsible for his side finishing fifth and then 16th in the Premier League, a statistic that rather sums up the former West Ham manager’s stock in the North-East.

Pardew comfortably collected the LMA Manager of the Year gong after leading his side to a Europa League place in his first season, a season in which the Toon Army pushed for a Champions League spot until the final game of the campaign.

Ashley was so impressed that he awarded Pardew with an eight-year contract, effectively making him “unsackable” for the foreseeable future.

However, the success and smiles were short-lived as Newcastle struggled to juggle European and domestic competitions the next season and had to fight for survival until the final weeks.

Throughout the summer of 2013, the jury was still very much out on Pardew. Tactical mistakes and failure to add to the thin squad meant pressure built, making the start of the new season paramount to fans’ support. A poor start could have been the beginning of the end for the 52-year-old.

Once again inconsistency struck, with the Magpies following good performances with poor ones, including a demoralising loss away to Everton. The Derby defeat to Sunderland also threatened to start putting nails in Pardew’s coffin but a fantastic recovery has seen his stock once again rise.

Newcastle have won five out of their last six games to date, including memorable wins over Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United. The win at Old Trafford was something that will boost Pardew’s CV massively, as he became the first manager to lead the Geordies to a win against United in 41 years.

The reasons behind the recent upsurge in form are clear, as Pardew has finally found a formation that seems to get the best out of his key players. The “old-fashioned” 4-4-2 with an attacking partnership of Shola Ameobi and eight-goal Loic Remy has provided Newcastle with a genuine threat.

Hatem Ben Arfa, arguably Newcastle’s most individually gifted player, cannot find a way into the side as the players given a chance ahead of him—namely Moussa Sissoko on the right wing and Yoan Gouffran on the left—have performed brilliantly.

The two mentioned are prime examples of the unity in the Magpies’ squad now, as all of the French players brought in just under a year ago finally seem to have settled. Mathieu Debuchy looked like a shocking signing in the first six months on Tyneside but has now started to show the form that made him one of the European Championship’s stand-out players in 2012.

A mention has to go to Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, too. The former Montpellier defender struggled at the start of the season and rightly lost his place to Mike Williamson, but he has performed admirably when given the chance, albeit while not forcing his way back into the starting XI on a regular basis.

These factors have turned Newcastle from a side looking to have a solid, unspectacular season into a team pushing for a Europa League place. Pardew’s reputation is rising by the week.

So, after three years of inconsistency at the Newcastle United helm, Pardew’s job is safe for now. If the last two seasons have been anything to go by, though, do not be surprised if opinion once again swings the other way in the coming months.

 

I strongly disagree with the term "old-fashioned 4-4-2". It's anything but. We make excellent use of the full backs who are forever rampaging, our "wingers" rarely hit the byline, instead always bee-lining towards goal. We don't play the direct game, which is the more traditional exponent of the 4-4-2. It's as close to the SBR/KK formations of old, but only in looking at it on paper.

What I like about our formation is it makes utter sense in this league. For all the "clever" formations seen among the big clubs, is it any coincidence that Spurs cannot score? Is it a coincidence that Chelsea strikers have scored ZERO goals away from the Bridge throughout the whole of 2013? I wonder if more clubs kept it a bit simpler, would the league be quite so finely poised as it is now?

 

A good point fella. Sometimes if the fancy stuff aint working, going back to basics can pay dividends.

 

Last season I think Pardew was too stubborn. He had convinced himself that, by hook or by crook, that 4-3-3 would work, somehow. He played so many players in the wrong positions and even when it looked like he got it right on paper, it just didn't work. We all felt some of those players were something they're not - a lack of protection from Santon killed him, a lack of stability in the middle didn't work, Sissoko just isn't a Prem No 10 (yet), neither's Cabaye. On the positive side, Pardew has been much more humble this season (see the comments after Swansea, for example) - as a result, it's been picking good, solid formations which play to the strengths of the team. Whereas last year he wanted an attacking RWF to take the game to the opposition (HBA), this season he wants a hard-working RM not afraid of pressing (Moussa). He got ahead of himself - only two or three clubs can turn up and say "we don't give a to$$ how you play, see if you can deal with this". Suffice to say we're not one of 'em.

 

Still don't rate him and would like him out but that's me (I am not a fair weather fan as this is my view after beating man utd away naming no names mr hacky

 

Just can't imagine who that might be.

 

I'll judge him in May.

Great start this season, be interesting to see how me manages the squad over Christmas. If he picks the same 11, running them in to the ground for the Boxing Day, 29/12 and New Year's Day games it'll show me he hasn't learnt that much.

If he rotates, even if we lose those fixtures he'll have come a long way for me.

 

Tell me who this fairweather is, I'll send the boys round

 

In all honesty I think he's taken some stock in the criticisms aimed at him and he's altered his approach, where as last year he was too stubborn.
Yes we've had some good results recently, but I still have my doubts over his managerial ability.
Manchester were there for the taking. Spurs play some good stuff in the middle but are limp up front and Chelsea aren't exactly an unstoppable force this season.
Arsenal seem to be the yardstick with which to measure Pardews skills.
He's been hung out to dry by the board and is performing well considering, but this year the league is shaping up to offer a 5th place style high whilst next season could be a rehash of last.
Instability with Colo and Cabaye and the need to substantially restock the squad whether they leave in the summer or not means he's got his work cut out.