Will Pardew’s work at Newcastle see them qualify for Europe?

By Tony Alvarez

Following yesterdays 3-1 win away at West Brom Alan Pardew’s Newcastle side sit 6^th in the Premier League with 50 points the same amount as 5^th placed Chelsea but with a much worse goal difference.

I feel Newcastle are quietly going about their business and are not being noticed, when people talk about sides over achieving people rightly mention the likes of Swansea and Norwich but no one mentions Newcastle who at the start of the season people would of thought you was crazy if you predicted a 6^th placed finish.

Pardew proving the doubters wrong with new Toon

By Laurie Fitzgerald

Back in December, one of the strangest managerial decisions in recent times was made when Newcastle owner Mike Ashley sacked Chris Hughton and appointed Alan Pardew as his replacement.

Many people, including myself on this website, questioned the logic of sacking a man that had guided the Magpies back into the Premier League and stabilised them only to replace him with a manager that had just lost his job at League One outfit Southampton (http://shoutsfromthestands.wordpress.com/2010/12/07/the-surreal-mind-of-mike-ashley/)

What made things worse was that it was well-known that Pardew and Ashley were good friends, and Ashley giving his mate a five-year deal infuriated many that felt Hughton had been harshly treated.

Ten months on though, and Pardew has proven myself and his other doubters wrong by creating a young Newcastle team that’s become well-drilled and difficult to beat.

This is despite the fact that the former Reading and Charlton boss has had to overcome a host of obstacles during his time in charge so far at St. James’ Park.

When the appointment was announced, Sky Sports ran a poll that found out almost 95% of fans didn’t want Pardew to be their new manager.

Just a month later, the club agreed to sell star striker Andy Carroll to Liverpool for a club record £35 million on transfer deadline day, leaving Newcastle short in striking options with no time to replace the influential 21 year-old.

With a host of inconsistent results that followed, I did another feature that asked Newcastle supporters whether or not Pardew had won their approval after getting the job in such controversial circumstances. (http://shoutsfromthestands.wordpress.com/2011/03/22/has-pardew-proven-to-be-the-right-man-at-newcastle/)

The jury was still out from the feedback I had gathered from forums, with most wanting to wait until the summer and allow him to put his stamp on the squad to see if he was the right man in charge.

But when the summer came round, eyebrows were firmly raised when a host of big names departed the club, including captain Kevin Nolan, Joey Barton and Jose Enrique.

It was a big risk taking out the spine of the team and replacing it with youngsters predominantly from France, which included the likes of Yohan Cabaye, Demba Ba and Gabriel Obertan, something that I also voiced concerns about going into the new season.(http://shoutsfromthestands.wordpress.com/2011/08/28/will-newcastles-loss-of-key-trio-prove-crucial/)

Even with the last-ditch attempt to try and persuade Bryan Ruiz to join the club before he eventually signed for Fulham, it seemed that Pardew felt that his options were short going into the new campaign.

But with such negative facts, you’d think that Newcastle were about to make a poor start to their season. It turns out they’ve been anything but.

After seven games, the Toon are still unbeaten and currently sit in the top four going into the international break.

What Pardew has done is that he has integrated a tight-knit group of players and got them believing in their own ability, and it’s shown in their early performances.

Defensively Newcastle have been one of the best teams in the Premier League. The centre-back pairing of Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor have been outstanding.

Geordie Taylor and Argentinian international Coloccini have developed a real understanding in a partnership full of strength and aerial dominance.

Their protection in front of the talented young Dutch goalkeeper Tim Krul has been the main aspect of their unbeaten start, with just four goals conceded – fewer than any other side in the Premier League.

They’ve also been protected by a well-organised midfield, thanks mainly to the most underrated holding midfielder in the league in Cheik Tiote.

The 25 year-old Ivorian puts in a host of strong tackles, but the majority of these break up opposition play and allows the likes of Cabaye and Jonas Gutierrez to roam forward.

Up front has been the biggest surprise where despite the dearth of options available to them, Pardew has discovered a partnership that functions very well indeed.

Demba Ba and Leon Best have formed a little-and-large partnership that allows Ba to hold up play and bring the pacy Best into the action, and they’ve not been shy of goals either.

They already have seven goals to their name in the league between them, with Ba scoring four goals in his last two outings, providing the Magpies with a real purpose in attack.

Of course there is a long way to go for Newcastle to maintain their impressive beginning, and they still remain big outsiders for a remarkable push for the Champions League (remarkable in the sense that they’ve only been back in the top flight for just over a year.) 

But after their best start in 17 years it seems that Newcastle are laying the foundations for a very good season due to a squad growing in confidence and a manager growing in stature with players and supporters alike.

Now excuse me, but I have to get back to eating some of that humble pie - I’ve got quite a bit to get through.

So what do you think? Has Pardew finally proven his doubters wrong? Will Newcastle maintain their impressive start to the season? Leave a comment and let us know your views.

Will Newcastle’s loss of key trio prove crucial?

By Laurie Fitzgerald

Different season, same old drama for Newcastle United.

Once again it has been far from a quiet summer at St. James’ Park, with more focus fixed upon the controversial owner Mike Ashley.

After a season that saw them re-establish their status as a settled Premier League club, the last thing that was needed was to rip the spine from the team.

The key trio of defender Luis Enrique and midfielders Kevin Nolan and Joey Barton all had contract negotiations that needed finalising one way or the other.

Unfortunately for the Newcastle supporters, each situation has been concluded with the departures of the three players from the North-East.

Nolan was the first to go; having asked for a five-year deal to see out his career at St. James’ Park, Ashley refused to agree to these terms.

Therefore they sold their influential skipper to a club that was willing to offer a long-term deal to Nolan in West Ham United.

Barton and Enrique had already upset the Newcastle hierarchy by voicing their displeasure about the way the club was run via Twitter.

Both had wanted to see considerable re-investment into the squad following the sale of star striker Andy Carroll to Liverpool for £35 million, something that was promised to manager Alan Pardew following the sale in January.

In the end, it led to Enrique joining Liverpool for £5.5 million, while Barton signed a four-year deal with newly-promoted Queens Park Rangers on Friday.

Despite calls from the duo for money to be given to Pardew, there have been new arrivals during pre-season.

Demba Ba, Gabriel Obertan, Yohan Cabaye, Sylvain Marveaux, Mehdi Abeid have all joined, with the club focusing on bringing in younger players predominantly from the French market.

However, this doesn’t go to replace the experience they have lost, not only on the pitch but also off it.

A lot of these younger players coming in from overseas will have looked to the likes of Nolan, Barton and Enrique for help and guidance in order to settle into English football as quickly as possible.

This means that key figures such as Fabricio Colloccini, Steven Taylor and Steve Harper are going to have to step up both in the changing rooms and on the field.

Recent upheaval doesn’t mean that the Magpies are consigned to a season of struggle, and they have started the season brightly, with a 1-0 win away at fierce rivals Sunderland already providing the season with an early highlight.

All the fans want to see after witnessing managerial shake-ups and relegation over the last few years is a bit of stability – and only time will tell if the loss of Nolan, Barton and Enrique will come back to haunt Ashley.

So what do you think? Was Ashley right to let go of three important players? Or was he working in the best long-term interests of the club? Leave a comment to let us know your views.