Pardew Alienates Newcastle Fans

By Paul Holland
12 years Ago

So often histories can hinge on a small turn of events, whereby the seemingly innocuous tumbles out of control and comes to represent a watershed moment: Newcastleai??i??s 1-2 defeat at the hands of Reading last Saturday felt like a watershed moment at St Jamesai??i?? Park. Too often this season the fans have left the stadium in disconsolate mood but this time was different; anxiety had turned to anger after a lacklustre display and a senseless substitution that may be talked about for years to come.

With the game at 1-0 to Newcastle, the oldest footballing dilemma in the book presented itself. Would a nervy Newcastle, desperate for a win, get the jitters and begin to defend their own 18 yard line, or would they have the character to keep on playing and increase the deficit against a team second from bottom who hadnai??i??t won away all season. Just after the all-important hour mark, the substitutions board lit up and the crowd peered through the portent blizzard expecting to identify an Obertan or a Bigirimana to replace the flagging Gutierrez; the midfield was struggling to link with the attack and Newcastle needed an extra spark in midfield to reignite the game.

What happened next was an act of footballing suicide. Pardew brought on defender James Perch for the impressive attacking midfielder Sylvain Marveaux, and in doing so declared that a hapless United would spend the rest of the game defending the edge of their own box against a team that hadnai??i??t scored in the second half of an away game all season. Football is so often bound with psychology, and as much as being tactically inept, the substitution sent a huge psychological thunderbolt through a nervous team, inviting a second rate Reading side to take the game to a jittery Newcastle defence.

Newcastle later went on to substitute the remaining heart of their midfield ai??i?? Anita and Cabaye ai??i?? in a move that at times seemed like Pardew was publicly falling on his own sword. But forget these subsequent substitutions ai??i?? necessary or not – the damage was done when Marveaux left the pitch.

There was an inevitability about Readingai??i??s impending victory as their often is when a prevailing mood takes control in a football match. To some, the crowdai??i??s reaction to Pardew may seem harsh; to take off a mediocre French midfielder and collapse like a pack of cards might suggest that much more is afoot behind the scenes at St Jamesai??i??s Park, but nevertheless, it was the straw that broke the camelai??i??s back. Pardew doesnai??i??t have the playerai??i??s to come off the bench and change games, but you have to play the hand that youai??i??re dealt, and Pardew played it disastrously.

The sight of Newcastle chasing the game in the final ten minutes was one of utter bewilderment; all of their flair players were withdrawn and the long ball game came hauntingly back into play after a non-too disastrous first half where Newcastle at least played a bit of football.

Pardew both accepted responsibility and stoked the fires of discontent after the game with the following ill-chosen comments regarding the fansai??i?? hostility towards his substitutions: ai???ai??i??That negativity spread around the stadium and to the players, and thatai??i??s what happens when youai??i??re down at the bottom. It was a negative stadium second half and there was a lot of ooai??i??s and boos and the players were trying to do their best.ai???

A broad section of Newcastle fans have harboured doubts about Pardew for a long time. He can seem one dimensional in his route one approach ai??i?? which can be bamboozling for a team that hasnai??i??t scored from a corner since October 2011. He plays a game based on the willingness of a team to chase down the second ball and at home he likes feeding two or three men into the forward line, but he has seemed to struggle to motivate players in these disciplines since last season. Pardew needs to be winning games at Newcastle or he may always be seen as a ai???Yes Manai??i?? – a pawn in Mike Ashleyai??i??s austerity kick ai??i?? which by the end of the season could be marked by two relegations in four years; a poor return from a blinkered investment strategy, some might say.

Newcastle stood still in terms of transfers at the start of this season, and now they seem like they may have to throw money at everyoneai??i??s second choice transfer targets. That doesnai??i??t seem like good business strategy and some might question Pardewai??i??s reluctance to rock the boat last summer. The recent sale of Ba has exasperated the current situation, especially considering his undemanding release clause and fees.

In the past week the rumours have grown about whether Pardew will be sacked after the impending Aston Villa v Newcastle six-pointer. If Newcastle fail to get even a draw, they have two games against Chelsea and Tottenham in quick succession and if the rot has truly set in and Newcastle are in free fall, drastic action may be completely necessary rather than surprising.

Pardew has driven something of a wedge between himself and the fans with his ai???negativityai??i?? comments, and he seems somewhat ostracised from the board when it comes to transfers. This could suggest that heai??i??s on borrowed time with names as varied as Adkins, Blanc, DiCanio, Di Matteo and Poyet all being bandied about on internet forums. Some bookies even had Pardew at 1/5 on for the ai???next manager to be sackedai??i??; with a rush of money possibly indicating that telling news had been leaked.

The task isnai??i??t insurmountable for Pardew, and if he gets some signings through the door and makes a fist of the upcoming Europa League games he could yet turn things around. Danny Graham is one signing that would unite the supporters, in a team that could do with a bit of strength and commitment. Defensive signings Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa and Massadio Haidara can further breathe life into a sinking ship, and it may indeed be wise to draft all of the new boys directly into the team without delay.

Pardewai??i??s fall from grace has been drastic to say the least. Following a campaign where he nearly steered Newcastle into the Champions League he now faces questions over whether his tenure will last until the end of the season. In reality, most Newcastle fans still donai??i??t expect relegation, but of all the teams in the mire, they are the ones in free-fall.

Categories: English Premier League, Features

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