Pardew signs EIGHT year deal at United

Eight year deals for these three, and Woodman, and Carr..... Alan Pardew has been handed a staggering new deal which will keep him at St James' Park until 2020.

The new eight year deal is echoed right through the club following on from Graham Carr signing a similar deal not so long back. His current backroom staff of John Carver, Steve Stone and goalkeeping coach Andy Woodman have also signed new long term deals.

It's an odd one as deals like this aren't often seen in football. Indeed the original five-year deal signed by Pardew was seen as somewhat of a break against the norm, with the future of a football manager only ever certain for a limited time and whilst results continue to justify an employment.

I'm a fan of Pardew but I still don't like deals like this. To me it takes away the edge knowing full well that, regardless of results, as a manager you are either guaranteed a job or guaranteed a large pay off should your position become untenable. Mind you, I have no doubt that there is some clause in there limiting any kind of compensation due to Pardew and his team in the event of a firing.

Still, a firing seems a long way away right now. Against the odds, and against the wishes of some NUFC "fans" who don't want to back the manager, Pardew has been successful to date. However the true test will be replicating and bettering his success on an ongoing basis although a seeming lack of backing in the transfer market hasn't exactly given him a great chance of doing that this season. Still, early days and all that...

Managing Director of Newcastle United, Derek Llambias, had this to say on the matter:

"If you look at clubs like Manchester United and Arsenal, Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger have shown that stability gives you the best platform to achieve success and that is the model we wish to emulate here."

"We are looking to build on the success we had last season and these new contracts are aimed at keeping the club progressing on and off the pitch, as we have done since returning to the Premier League in 2010."

"Alan has done a fantastic job over the last couple of years and has proved what a great Premier League manager he is. I have total respect for him in all football matters and have an excellent relationship with him which I think benefits the club enormously."

"Alan also has one of the best backroom teams in the country and I would like to thank John Carver, Steve Stone, and Andy Woodman for all their combined efforts."

"We hope this announcement will be great news for the fans, whose support and commitment to this club over the years has been fantastic."

Now I'm not denying that Alan Pardew was deserving of a new deal. After all he was reportedly one of the lowest paid managers in the Premier League and I have no doubt this deal will still mean that he is one of the lower earners. Maybe he's been given a bit of a payrise but I can't see it being staggering.

I just feel that eight years is too long. It's great to see such a signal of commitment from a football club these days, but at the end of the day this is a deal that bucks the trend for a reason. Not many managers make it past two or three seasons, let alone ten!

What do you think?