Will the axe fall?
After much gnashing of teeth and shaking of heads the dust is slowly starting to settle after the transfer windows closure.
That is not to say that the anger and resentment is still not bubbling away amongst fans as they try and fathom what transpired on deadline day. There is no doubt that there were multiple parties involved with the dealings that went down but one man seems to be taking the brunt of the blame and that man is Alan Pardew. How much say he had in the Ben Arfa & Mbiwa deals is anybody's guess but that seems not to matter as the heat builds on our silver haired supremo. Defensively we have been a shambles and to loan out and not replace a defender is fraught with trouble and I can't help but feel that we will suffer the consequences of this gamble. The mountain for Pardew to climb to win back support from the fans almost seems insurmountable when you couple this with the departure of Ben Arfa. In the past Pardew has not been fully supported in the market place by the board/regime and has had to make do with what he has been given. Last season was particularly bad when you consider what he had to work with. However this season, he has seen new players come through the door and it could be said that he is building a squad with the players that he wants. To me this is going to put added pressure on Pardew and the board/regime will want to see some results from the investment made. We fans will also want to see some improvement from a footballing perspective but to date it looks like we are still a work in progress (to put it very nicely). No one is expecting the new players to hit the ground running and time will be given for them to customize themselves with the pace of the premier league. I guess the big question is how much patience will the fans and the regime allow before Pardew's position as manager becomes untenable . There is popular belief amongst a lot of fans that Pardew is safe no matter what happens. This could be true and only time will tell.
For the record, I don't hate or dislike Alan Pardew and if we were playing some good football and moving in the right direction I would be happy for him to stay. Personally I think he has run his race and has nothing more to give to the team. I am not knocking his commitment and his work ethic as I think he tries as hard as possible. I just don't think he has any tricks left up his sleeve and his time as Newcastle Manager has run it's course.
What are your thoughts?
