(Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
With a 1-0 win over Spanish outfit Real Sociedad, Moussa Sissoko’s last minute goal brought a pleasant ending to Newcastle United’s pre-season programme. This was Alan Pardew’s first time in the home dugout since last seasons EPL closer against Cardiff. For the entire 90 minutes against the now relegated Welsh outfit, unforgettably, Pardew was taunted by Newcastle fans so intensely that he seemed to lack the bravery to step into the technical area. Nevertheless, when you consider the fact that they beat Cardiff 3-0, maybe he should sit in the dugout more often.
An edgy affair, Sunday’s game against Sociedad seemed to symbolize Alan Pardew’s relationship with the St James’ Park faithful, with more moans and groans than a tennis matchup between Venus and Serena. After coming so close to receiving the sack last season, the 53 year old faces a mammoth task if he ever wishes to feel the warm embrace from some of the most passionate fans imaginable.
However, after signing no less than nine players, seven of whom will feature this season, perhaps Alan Pardew is on the right path, even if many of these signings are replacements for star men who have departed. His prudence may have bought him some time, even though he will need a positive start to keep the Geordie crowd content, especially as a large number of ‘Pardew Pessimists’ still exist. Interestingly enough, under strict instructions from Mike Ashley, Newcastle are refusing to make Pardew available for interview, and, unsurprisingly, the manager was nowhere to be seen after the final pre-season game. It seems rather pathetic that they feel the need to chaperone a grown man, doesn’t it?
Although Pardew quite rightly received harsh criticism for his previous antics, his ability to source the bulk of Newcastle’s summer signings from global bargain bin is truly impressive. Like Jesus converting water into wine, give Pardew $20 and he might arrive back with Gareth Bale and a new pair of Gucci shades. Often unprofessional on the sideline, perhaps, but Pardew is far from inept when it comes to sourcing quality players at rock-bottom prices. Like budget conscious travellers in duty free, Pardew picks up quality goods at economical prices. Once settled into life in the north-east, the manager moulds them into Premiership products and encourages them to play football that catches the eye of Europe’s elite. You see, quite simply, Newcastle are a feeder club, and that will not change for many years to come.
In last Sunday’s match programme, Pardew declared that he does not intend to repeat the errors of last season, a polite way of saying that he will not attempt to head-butt another player. After getting off to a great start twelve months ago, performances started to deteriorate in January when Yohan Cabaye was sold. Failing to immediately replace the Frenchman proved to be a costly mistake, one that saw Pardew’s men suffer a string of defeats and the home fans grow utterly disillusioned. Approaching this weekend’s game against Man City with a healthy squad, although Ben Arfa looks like he spent a summer on a strict diet of peanut butter and lard, Pardew may very well have reason to be optimistic. Of the four new signings that started against Sociedad, irrefutably, Remy Cabella looked to be the most promising, and academy product Rolando Aarons, coming off the bench, excited the home crowd with his ingenuity.
For now, whether or not these acquisitions can stop certain fans demanding Pardew’s head on a stick remains to be seen. The signings of Jamaal Lascelles and Karl Darlow from Nottingham Forest, who have returned on loan to the Championship side, certainly look like exciting prospects. Yet, to obliterate the painful memories from the second half of last season, continuous improvements must be made, especially when you acknowledge the reality that Newcastle won just five of 21 matches during that dismal spell. After’ butting’ Hull’s David Meyler and 2,000 fans prematurely walking out during the final home against Cardiff Alan Pardew went from pantomime villain, think Mario Balotelli, to real villain, think Vladamir Putin. The raucous rebellion seems to have been quelled by a harmonious foray of summer unveilings.
Similar to Piers Morgan’s relationship with the US public, one can’t but feel that harmony on Tyneside can only be achieved if Pardew and owner Mike Ashley both up and leave. Let’s be honest, it doesn’t take the brainpower of Freud to recognize one simple fact; last season will not be forgotten if Newcastle start badly. Their super-market sweep approach in the transfer market has seen the acquisition of the aforementioned France midfielder Cabella, Holland internationals Daryl Janmaat and Siem de Jong, Argentine forward Facundo Ferreyra, as well as Monaco hitman Emmanuel Riviere, and Jack Colback from Sunderland. Cabella, Janmaat and De Jong are technically proficient players and seem to rival the class of Cabaye and Mathieu Debuchy, the two French internationals who were sold for big prices.
But let’s not forget that Spurs spent more than £100m on seven new players last season, and as we know all too well, both Andre Villas-Boas and Tim Sherwood – assisted by Les Ferdinand – received their marching orders. Having watched de Jong play for Ajax a number of times, he certainly looks like a top player, but how will his Dutch goal scoring exploits translates in the Premier League? Like at almost all big clubs, both time and benevolence have an expiry date, so the pressure is on to hit the ground running. The best way to answer the critics is with a proven goalscorer, something every football fan admires.
Oh how the Newcastle faithful would love to see Loic Remy, a man who was previously on loan at St James’ Park, back again this season. While Harry Redknapp, the QPR manager, says the club are building for a campaign with the striker, many believe that the fox in the box is simply too classy to play for a mediocre club. The Frenchman came close to a move to Liverpool in July but a failed Anfield medical scuppered any chances of the transfer going through. Last season’s tribulations at Newcastle were aggravated by a severe goal-scoring deficiency. Whether Rivière, who scored one goal in every three league appearances for Monaco last season, can successfully adapt to the Premier League is anybody’s guess. On the other hand, Pérez, is seen as one for the future, while Ferreyra, a striker from Argentina, arrived on loan after refusing to return to Donetsk because of the conflicts in the Ukraine.
With Shola Ameobi departing and Papiss Cissé’s recovery from a nasty knee injury still ongoing, the pressure is on these new strikers to prove their worth. While Ameobi was far from prolific in front of goal, his departure marked the end of an idealistic era. What about the previously mentioned Ben Arfa, a man who occasionally displays flashes of brilliance? Regrettably for Pardew, any attempts to push Ben Arfa out the door, to date, have proved to be futile, and Ben Arfa’s agent has stated that the mercurial No10 is more than happy to sit out the final year of his contract and move on for free next season. A subtle rapprochement would of course be the most logical action, but when has logic ever entered a Pardew/Ashley equation? This weekend will go a long way to confirming or refuting the old ‘time is a great healer’ cliché; can a plethora of electrifying new names amend a plot so downbeat it makes Leonard Cohen lyrics sound positively chipper.
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