It has been less than 72 hours since Newcastle United ended their 4-match losing streak with a 3-2 win over a good Everton side and you would think that they would be going into their game at home to Burnley on Thursday on a wave of optimism.
However, that isn’t the Newcastle way is it? Just as the north-east club seems to be getting back on the right track, everything gets thrown up into the air again as Alan Pardew looks set to make an unbelievable move from the 50,000 seated St. James’ Park to his old stomping ground, Selhurt Park, which is half the stature of the former.
Pardew has spent four years at Newcastle, having taken over from fan favourite Chris Hughton back in the December of 2010, but it hasn’t exactly been a smooth ride for the former West Ham boss as his tenure has seen a rollercoaster of both emotions and results.
Don’t get me wrong, Pardew’s time at Newcastle did have its good moments, the fifth placed finish back in 2012, was met with talk of an awakening of a sleeping giant of English football and that Newcastle could finally get back to their rightful place among the elite in the country.
However, it didn’t quite develop that way. The restrictive transfer policy, which had once thrived when bringing in star players like Hatem Ben Arfa, Cheick Tiote and Yohan Cabaye, was starting to turn into nothing more than a money making opportunity for notorious owner Mike Ashley.
Time after time, star player after star player left. Andy Carroll for £35 million, Cabaye himself for £20 million, Demba Ba for £7 million. Yet, they very rarely seemed to be replaced by players of the same calibre or value.
A heavy 2012/2013 Premier League schedule coupled with a Europa League game most Thursdays and a depleted squad meant that the Magpies dramatically dropped off the pace they had easily managed the previous year. Not 12 months had passed since Pardew had collected his Manager of the Year award but a 16th place finish was not acceptable for anyone involved at the club.
Then to last season, which could have stood for an ironic metaphoric representation of Alan Pardew’s time in the job. An average start to the year saw Newcastle placed firmly in mid-table going into the Christmas break but an astonishing run of form, sparked by a Yoan Gouffran scoring streak and Yohan Cabaye’s world class ability, meant that the Geordies were challenging for Europe at the start of the New Year.
Yet again though, Pardew lost Cabaye and seemingly the dressing room with it. Without its on-field leader, Newcastle’s team crumbled and Pardew again seemed out of his depth. The team slipped to tenth and Pardew’s credibility seemingly with it.
This season’s protests at the team’s awful start seems to have been the final straw for Pardew, who has seemingly jumped at the chance to jump ship. Which begs the question, what happens now?
The immediacy is that John Carver and Peter Beardsley will likely take over the team but who is next? Ashley must act quick, especially going into a transfer window, so that the team does not endanger itself falling into a relegation battle.
A manager with the abilities of a Jurgen Klopp or Rafael Benitez may be out of the question as a result of the control that Ashley seems to have over transfers but there are some quality domestic managers who would fit the roll. Most notably Tim Sherwood, who’s brief reign at Tottenham was met with wide spread approval. His 50% win rate speaks for itself, even in such a short reign.
Ex-England manager Steve McLaren is another contender, having previously been involved with the club on a scouting level. His work in the early 2000s with Middlesbrough will appeal to Newcastle’s tight pocketed owner, working his side into the then UEFA Cup on a shoe string budget. Despite his poor international record, he is still a good manager for a mid-table Premier League team.
The final contender at this point in time seems to be a bit of a wildcard, Christophe Galtier of St. Etienne. The club was allegedly in talks with Galtier around the end of last season to replace Pardew anyway however, his proud nature may mean the club will have to wait till the end of the season to get the Frenchman, who has a 1.55 point per game average as St. Etienne coach, compared to Pardew’s current 1.38 ppg at Newcastle at present.
No matter what the future holds for Newcastle United, you can rest assured that it won’t be a straight forward decision to who the manager will be. One thing most English football fans will agree though, whether they like it or not is that Newcastle as a club and a fan base deserve better than their current mediocrity.
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