The appointment of Alan Pardew as Newcastle United manager has underwhelmed Toon fans. It has also revived their doubts about the judgement of owner Mike Ashley which to some extent had been set to one aside after promotion back to the Barclays Premier League. The sacking of Chris Hughton did not go down well with most Magpies, but when the club talked of an ‘experienced’ manager what fans anticipated was not one who had done the rounds with a rather mixed record.
The appointment of Alan Pardew as Newcastle United manager has underwhelmed Toon fans. It has also revived their doubts about the judgement of owner Mike Ashley which to some extent had been set to one aside after promotion back to the Barclays Premier League. The sacking of Chris Hughton did not go down well with most Magpies, but when the club talked of an ‘experienced’ manager what fans anticipated was not one who had done the rounds with a rather mixed record.
The Evening Chronicle carried a Pardew editorial yesterday, the opening line of which was: ‘To say the appointment of Alan Pardew is bewildering and perplexing to Newcastle United fans is an understatement.’
It went on to capture the mood of powerlessness among fans that may translate into empty seats at St James’ over the coming months and next season: ‘No amount of chanting, protests, gnashing of teeth or complaint is going to change the decision. As long as Ashley holds the reins and controls the finances of the club, he calls the shots.’
The fans’ website nufc.com is usually quite restrained in its comments compared with many such sites. On Thursday it referred to Pardew as ‘a chancer appointed by chancers’, adding: ‘And in making the change, Mike Ashley has once again demonstrated the utter contempt that he now holds for the fans that he once sought to buddy up with. At a stroke he’s managed to successfully re-ignite the bad feeling on and off the field that resulted in our fall from grace two seasons ago. Is he trying to take us down?’
It’s a long time since Ashley sat amongst the fans wearing the shirt. He did try to sell the club and couldn’t get the price he wanted. A prospective buyer might be put off by a manager with a five-and-a-half year contract. Pardew may become a short-term hero if Newcastle beat Liverpool tomorrow, but it is difficult to see him staying in post for the length of his contract.