Pardew out?

Saturday’s 6-0 slump to a Luis Suarez-less Liverpool side showed what kind of trouble Newcastle are in. Their recent awful run of form has put them merely five points above the relegation zone, with 18th placed Wigan also having a game in hand on the North East side.

Every Newcastle fan out there knows that Alan Pardew has in recent months signed an eight year contract at the Tyneside club. Due to their poor league position and fairly terrible performances this season, this news can’t exactly be music to the supporters’ ears.

So what is going wrong at Newcastle? One problem is injuries. Even at West Ham, Pardew’s squad was full of players unavailable due to them constantly hurting themselves. A notable case was Dean Ashton, whose injuries caused him to retire at the young age of 26. 

These injuries result in many of Newcastle’s star contingent being unavailable, which is obviously a large disadvantage for them.

Gary Neville thinks that it’s the foreign squad that is causing Newcastle problems. He says the lack of English players is resulting in a lack of identity and soul in the dressing room and on the pitch. There are only four English players who have made ten or more appearances for Newcastle this season. Says it all really.

I think it’s Pardew. Last season he made the right choices, bought the right players, and was tactically very clever, cutting through big teams like Man United and Man City. But lets look at the Liverpool game. What was going on there? Liverpool outplayed them because Brendan Rodgers made the right decisions, while Pardew didn’t. 

So unless Pardew gets his act together, surely he will be out the door sooner or later.

These are worrying times for Newcastle, as their recent performances have not been up to scratch, and if things stay like this, they may find themselves playing Championship football next season.

Leander Winden (@LeanderWinden)