da wazamba： On Monday night, Newcastle United struggled to play a determined Liverpool squad who were not quite ready to give up on their top four aspirations. The Magpies finished the match with only ten men after Moussa Sissoko was shown his second yellow and were fortunate to only be beaten 2-0. The defeat was their fifth in a row and unsurprisingly supporters are angry.
da cassino： The situation has got so bad that a boycott is being planned for Newcastle’s next Premier League game against Tottenham. No doubt Interim Head Coach John Carver is feeling the pressure to turn things around within their last six games even though their campaign is all but over and he’ll still surely lose the role this coming summer.
Down in South London ex-Magpies manager Alan Pardew has had a glorious three months at Crystal Palace. When Pardew joined, the Eagles were down in 18th fearing the dreaded drop but fast forward to April and with just over a month until the season ends the Englishman has reorganised his men into a cohesive match-winning side who have jumped a massive seven places up to 11th.
Palace have won four of their last five and look set to finish their campaign higher than Pardew’s former employers in the North East.
So should Newcastle regret the loss of Alan Pardew?
Well, although playing better under Pardew it should be remembered that supporters were very vocal about their distaste for the man. They created such a hostile environment that when Pardew got the chance to jump ship he took it.
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Despite the difficulties faced by both Pardew and Carver their tactics are not what has been wrong with the club. Owner Mike Ashley is the problem. Back in 2012 and 2013 Newcastle were building a strong side and playing well but then notably a big offer came in for key playmaker Yohan Cabaye and rather than hold onto their best player Ashley allowed him to leave. To this day supporters haven’t forgiven this decision believing that greed has been more important than the development of the team.
Since Pardew’s abrupt departure in January Newcastle have surely been drawing up a manager wish list. Many names have been associated with the role though why any of them would want the hassle is beyond me. Whoever takes the job will have little or no say regarding the comings and goings in the transfer window and will have to work for an owner who has proven he cares little for the wellbeing of the club and thoroughly lacks ambition.
No one wants to see empty football stadiums but maybe loss of revenue is the only thing that will hit Ashley where it hurts. Apart from that Magpie supporters can only hope that whoever is chosen to manage their beloved club this summer will get a decent amount of good results and bring some joy back to St. James’ Park, otherwise the managerial door will continue revolving. Good luck to Newcastle but Pardew was right to make his escape when he did as life was far from rosy under Mike Ashley’s regime.
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