Pards has two games

Please let there be a god.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...to-save-his-job-at-st-james-park-9707489.html

 

This rag is meant to be a decent one.

 

The article...

Alan Pardew is fighting for his future as Newcastle United manager, just four games into the new season. The Independent understands there has been a change of mood within the club towards Pardew.

The Newcastle owner Mike Ashley stood by the 53-year-old last season when he head-butted the Hull midfielder David Meyler, although he was fined £100,000 and accepted a formal warning for his behaviour. However, the club spent nearly £40 million on nine new players in the transfer window and there has failed to be an upturn in results.

Pardew’s lack of popularity with the club’s support at the end of last season was such that he could not even stand in his technical area for the final home game at St James’ Park because of the abuse he faced. Yet there was a determination from within the club to stand by the second-longest serving manager in the Premier League and ride out the storm.

That attitude appears to have cooled in light of* a winless start to the Premier League season and an inability to arrest a slump that goes back towards the beginning of the year. That run is beginning to cause concern with the Newcastle board and the reaction to the decision to omit Hatem Ben Arfa from first-team activities in the summer and then let him join Hull late on transfer deadline day has further cranked up hostility in the stands.

Newcastle face Southampton a week on Saturday and then entertain Hull at St James’ Park the following week. That has the possibility to be another afternoon of hostility for Pardew, who must also contend with the antagonistic element of Ben Arfa being in the visiting dugout (the French winger cannot play against his parent club as a loaned player).

Those two games are now believed to be crucial to the future of Pardew.

 

I sincerely hope this is true.

 

But who would Cashley replace him with? Will they realistically be any better? More the point, for this to happen, it means we'd probably have had to lose against Hull and Saints - in which case we'd be in serious doodoo.

I'm not saying I'm a Pardew fan, but be careful what you wish for lads and lasses.

 

I'd be surprised if there was any substance to this. It wouldn't make any sense. Surely you would have just changed him in the summer? Also they seem to think he spent 40m. It shows a bit of a lack of understanding how transfer work at Newcastle and what we actually spent once recent sales are considered. Sounds like a bit of typical newspaper mischief.

I suppose we do like to do things in a bizarre manner. It would be "interesting" to see who came in.

 

We can only hope but if it means ****s like Lennon or Hoddle no thanks.

 

If it was the Mirror printing this I would take it with a pinch of salt. Since it's the Independent there may be some truth in this. They have a tendency to be bang on with these type of stories.

 

I agree. Misery fest movies like Requiem for a Dream probably fall into a similar bracket of "interesting".

 

I would be surprised if they did dump Pardew, he has been the best shield for Ashley in his dealings with the club and fans, he deflects so much of the fans anger from Ashley, the other question of a replacement I think would see Moyes near the head of the queue, has worked well with limited budgets at Everton producing good results, recent PL experience and readily available with no compo cost, exclude the debacle at MU which is ongoing and he kinda fits the profile.

 

Bad report they keep banging on about spending 40 million when in reality we've sold around that since this time last year.

 

I think if the club showed ambition then Moyes and Pulis would snap up the opportunity, but I don't think either would like working under Ashley.

 

Moyes had a excellent reputation pre-MU.

He now has an equivocal one. His next job is crucial: if he succeeds, then he is a great manager who was given an impossible task at MU. If he fails, he is a loser.

With all that in mind, would you risk your reputation and future career prospects on making us a success under Ashley or would you wait for something better to come along ?

 

I'd have the Scottish slotbadger all day long.

 

To be fair to Moyes - He did well at both Everton and Preston.

Old Trafford was a poisoned chalice. He was left with an average squad by SAF and you get the impression that they didn't want to play for him. I think Moyes would do a great job wherever he ends up.

 

I think van Gaal may be helping rebuild Moyes' reputation. I'd be more than happy with him here.

 

The independent is a good paper, and I trust it to be honest.

If this is true, I think either Pulis or Moyes are in talks with the club. They're both clearly miles better than Pardew and both have proven experience. Just hope we can see some changes soon.

 

I'd really rather it wasn't the Tramp in the Tracksuit. I'd stick with Pardew before I took him

 

I really wouldn't want Pulis. I used to live in Stoke and the Stoke fans really hated him from what I could gather. Negative, joyless football that had many of them saying they would take relegation if it meant losing him and getting a manager who played more attractive football. Sound familiar?

 

This 100% for me.

I don't think Pardew is anything more than a mediocre manager, but I also don't think he is any less either. As hard as it is to see right now we really could end up with worse.