Newcastle United

Napoli have reacted to an article dismissing the city of Naples as a "mafia stronghold," suggesting that they wouldn't judge Newcastle by television programme Geordie Shore.

According to the Daily Mail, there was a reaction to the Guardian's light-hearted transfer rumours feature, discussing the likelihood of Danny Welbeck going to Napoli:

The article on the Guardian's website linked Danny Welbeck with a potential move to Serie A, saying the club would make the England striker and Manchester United "an offer they can't refuse."

The language used was widely condemned in Italy and provoked a Twitter storm aimed at the website's deputy sports editor, Barry Glendenning, who wrote the piece.

But whether the whole thing seems like an overreaction or not, the response from Napoli's Head of Communications, Nicola Lombardo, was quite something. In an open letter on the Napoli website, he wrote:

I am aware that it can happen that an article is not read carefully before being published. It is possible that as the editor of the Guardian's sports pages you may not have realised what was written. If not, we would be dismayed to read such a dated, dumb, vulgar cliche as this, linking the city of Naples to the mafia.

This is an archaic impression that is also rejected by English tourists who every year choose Italy - and Napoli - as their holiday destination. They would not do that if they thought that Naples is Italy's mafia stronghold, a place where people fire at or rob each other in the street. We would not judge a city like Newcastle on the basis of MTV's Geordie Shore; we do not think all of that city's inhabitants are rude, gym-addicted and sociopathic. It is a shame to see the Guardian did not afford Napoli the same courtesy.

Glendenning, on Twitter, appeared to take the criticism in his stride: 

After a stressful day on the internet, i like to cool down with refreshing ice-cream from a lovely city pic.twitter.com/hxbeU9Vz1v

— Barry Glendenning (@bglendenning) May 1, 2014

Ordinarily, the final home game of a campaign is a day to look forward to—a chance to thank the supporters for their unwavering devotion, enjoy some seasonal sunshine and show off next term’s new kit. 

But this has been no ordinary season at Newcastle United, and following six defeats in a row, there will be no such niceties when the Magpies take the field against Cardiff City at St. James’ Park on Saturday.

There is audible unrest on the terraces, and during Monday’s loss at Arsenal, Toon boss Alan Pardew bore the brunt of the fans’ fury, much like he had at Stoke a fortnight earlier.

On both occasions, it was a small band of travelling followers who made their voices heard. This weekend, however, there will be a choir of over 50,000 ready to make themselves heard.

For the first time during the manager’s three-and-a-half-year reign, calls for him to be sacked are being heard loud and clear, and Pardew himself is in direct earshot.

“I know the fans are unhappy and disappointed, particularly with myself,” he told The Shields Gazette’s Miles Starforth. “But we need the stadium in the best possible shape we can have it. The players need a lift.”

Despite his calls for unity, the 52-year-old’s wishes are unlikely to be granted, and a home crowd who have sat on their hands and remained silent over the past few months have reached a tipping point.

Across Twitter this week, the hashtag "#60minutewalkout" was used to debate the idea of emptying St. James’ Park after an hour. Fans' dissatisfaction has also been reflected in the national press.

"Newcastle United fans have rarely been so depressed and sacking Alan Pardew is easiest option to placate them" was the headline in The Telegraph, while The Guardian asked, "Where has it all gone wrong for Alan Pardew at Newcastle?"

But closer to home, it was the city’s local newspaper, the Evening Chronicle, that went for the jugular, splashing "P45DUE" across its front page ahead of a list of the manager’s failings:

United’s run of 14 defeats in 19 games is unacceptable at any level, but under scrutinising eyes on the terraces and in the white-hot spotlight of the Premier League, it is unforgivable.

Should Newcastle lose again on Saturday, Pardew will become the first Toon manager since 1977 to oversee seven successive league defeats, and the pressure will reach new heights.

What should have been an afternoon stroll to celebrate his team’s top-half finish has turned into one of the biggest games of his career—and for all the wrong reasons.

It's safe to say that Newcastle United are suffering somewhat of a slump under the management of Alan Pardew of late—with three wins in their last 10 games, the club is on a current six-game losing streak—and notable in his absence within this slump is French midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa.

In that 10-game spell, Ben Arfa has completed a mere 158 minutes of Premier League football, generally being utilised as an impact substitute; in his only start of that period, the midfielder suffered the embarrassment of being hauled off at half-time during Newcastle's heavy 4-0 loss away to Southampton.

A high-profile signing back in 2011, Ben Arfa's absence has led to many questioning the team selection of Pardew, and this was somewhat explained when it was reported that the 27-year-old had been training with the Newcastle reserve side recently:

Hatem Ben Arfa trained in "different group" to the first team today #nufc

— Lee Ryder (@lee_ryder) May 1, 2014

With his stock on Tyneside falling rapidly, is it perhaps time for Hatem Ben Arfa to look on to pastures new and leave Newcastle United?

Sadness

In a recent interview with The Independent's Martin Hardy, Ben Arfa spoke of his frustration at the lack of first-team opportunities available to him this season:

I feel sad and frustrated, but not angry. I want to help my team and I can’t. It hurts a lot. I want to take the ball and give the maximum for the team. When I see we are losing games 3-0 or 4-0, it is very hard for me and I’m on the bench. If I was involved on Saturday [against Cardiff City], I think I could make a difference. I would like to try.

These are the words of an underused talent with an expressed determination to help his failing side, and it remains an enigma as to why Ben Arfa has been such a peripheral figure this term. However, the words of the Frenchman's manager come some of the way to explain at least his perspective:

Pardew on Ben Arfa: "This is not about me, Hatem or any individual player. What is important is the team and performance.' #nufc

— Miles Starforth (@milesstarforth) May 1, 2014

It seems to be in Pardew's interest that keeping a regular side—crucially, without Ben Arfa—is paramount to the club's success, although results suggest otherwise.

Confidence

Ben Arfa's form has definitely not reached the heights shown in previous seasons in 2013/14.

Statistics, courtesy of Squawka, show that the Frenchman has the worst shooting accuracy of any of Newcastle's regular attacking players, at 36 percent, and his haul of three goals so far this season is a testament to that.

Furthermore, Ben Arfa has only created 30 chances for his teammates this season, which leaves him below Yohan Cabaye in terms of contributions to Newcastle's season—a player who left the club in the January transfer window.

However, to give credit to the 27-year-old, this form is difficult to achieve with short bursts from the substitute's bench, as Ben Arfa continues:

Every player in the world needs confidence to show their best. It is hard to come in during games and it is very hard for the player if you’re substituted at half-time, like I was against Southampton. It hurt me. I had tried, it was very hard.

It’s not easy because when you come on and we’re 2-0 down and everybody wants you to do something great. I think it’s better if you start the game and it’s 0-0. After that you can lift your game up. When I come on with 20 minutes or 30 minutes left I give my best and sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s not good. But I give my best.

As most of his opportunities this season having come as cameo appearances, it is important to look at an early run of starts for Ben Arfa at the beginning of the term.

The midfielder's best run of form came in the first four games of the season, wherein which he completed 334 minutes of a possible 360 in games against Manchester City, West Ham United, Fulham and Aston Villa.

Again, as per Squawka, Ben Arfa score two goals and completed 65 percent of attempted take-ons as he performed at his bewitching best.

Newcastle took seven points within that purple patch for Ben Arfa, underpinning the theory that a player performs more consistently—and better—give a confidence-boosting run of games.

Adel Taarabt

If his form this season proves Ben Arfa as the definition of the footballing cliche of the mercurial forward, one need only look to another until-recent Premier League misfit to suggest that perhaps a move to a more appreciative manager would benefit the Frenchman.

Adel Taarabt, currently on loan at Italian giants AC Milan from QPR, endured torrid spells at both the London club and another loan club during a short spell with Fulham earlier this season.

More often than not, Taarabt was seen on the periphery, producing moments of magic with little consistency.

However, following his move to Clarence Seedorf's resurgent Milan side in January, the Moroccan's form has taken a turn for the better; as per Squawka, Taarabt has started 10 of 11 games for Milan since his move, scoring four goals, including a superb solo goal to open his account against Napoli in February.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAOh3pJ0qUk

It took a move to another club to free Taarabt of a dismal run of form, and with Ben Arfa a very similar player, it may be the best option for the Frenchman to take.

Commitment

However, in his interview with Hardy, Ben Arfa expresses his commitment to the club:

I want to stay here even if the manager doesn’t believe in me, because I will show him I can play here. ... My dream is to be in the top four next season with Newcastle, to get into the Champions League or to win a cup. That is my dream.

Under Pardew at Newcastle, this dream looks far from becoming a reality anytime soon, and a midfielder of Ben Arfa's unquestionable calibre—on his day—deserves to contend at a higher stage.

Given that Taarabt is flourishing without the weight of pressure of being the foremost attacker at Milan—supported by the talents of Kaka, Keisuke Honda, Mario Balotelli and Stephan El Shaarawy amongst others—a move to club such as Arsenal, joining their current potent attack, may benefit Ben Arfa.

Many options are to be considered from both sides, but if the Frenchman is to take heed of a player such as Taarabt's success elsewhere, a move for Ben Arfa could prove a shrewd one for many sides.

Newcastle United's launch of a new grey away kit for next season has gone down like a lead balloon on Twitter, with Magpies fans bemoaning just about everything they feel is wrong with the club.

As you can see from the collection of comments on the kit, there's very little to be positive about on Tyneside at present.

There's a lone cry of support for the goalkeeping kit, but even that's tempered by an observation about how miserable Tim Krul looks to be posing in it, and doubts about whether he'll be around next season.

The same doubts apply to the other two players pictured in the photo (Moussa Sissoko and Fabricio Coloccini).

Thoughts then turn to the kit.

Grey was famously the colour Manchester United abandoned midway through a game in 1996 because manager Sir Alex Ferguson said the players could not see one another.

There's a couple of digs at payday loan company and sponsor Wonga, before the predictable calls for manager Alan Pardew and owner Mike Ashley to leave the club.

That's probably about the sort of reaction you have to expect these days when the club has lost their last six games on the spin and the mood is at rock-bottom. 

Disgruntled Newcastle fans are planning a walkout at the Magpies' last home game of the season on the 60-minute mark.

The act of defiance will be in protest of Alan Pardew and the club's hierarchy, who have overseen a dramatic loss of form since selling Yohan Cabaye in January. Prominent supporters on fan site NUFC.com revealed the raw emotion behind an idea that could dramatically affect Saturday's tie with Cardiff, per Jason Mellor of the Daily Star:

Given the team's current rate of implosion, even sticking around for an hour might be beyond the call of duty.

The lack of unity is glaringly evident and mirrors the fractured relationship between manager and fans. There's a clear need for a figurehead at this club to restore some self-respect, organisation and belief. That man is not Alan Pardew.

Newcastle have won three of 14 Premier League matches since Cabaye was offloaded to Paris Saint-Germain for £20 million, per WhoScored.com. He scored a brace in his final appearance at West Ham, but Newcastle have only netted more than a single goal once in the fixtures since.

A run of six straight defeats ensures the Tyneside club currently sit bottom of the Premier League form guide. It's a stark loss of quality when considering the side's output before 2014 arrived. Newcastle won seven of 10 matches throughout November and December, but they are suffering now that the club have failed to replace the sorely missed Frenchman.

Rob Lee, who spent a decade patrolling Newcastle's centre, believes the well-supported club are currently regressing, as reported in Mellor's article.

"If you can see your club progressing, fine, but they can see no progress whatsoever. They can see the club going backwards," said Lee. He also labels the current crop "relegation material" and believes "no one knows what's going on," calling the club "shambolic."

Regrettably for supporters who wish to see Pardew sacked, he signed a monstrous eight-year contract in 2012, keeping him in place until 2020, per BBC Sport. A severance package at this stage is likely to be costly, especially considering the deal doesn't include a "break clause," as noted by Charles Sale of the Daily Mail.

Indeed, owner Mike Ashley would need to pay Pardew between £8.5 million-£9 million if he is dismissed at the end of the season, according to Sale's figures from 2013. Ironically, this kind of expenditure would likely affect the amount Newcastle could spend on replacing Cabaye.

Whether or not Saturday's planned walkout goes ahead, it's clear there are many problems at the club. Newcastle should be among England's elite, not continuously flitting between mid-table and the bottom half. Major changes need to be made.

Committing to a prolonged Pardew tenure is turning out to be the major mistake many predicted two years ago. Although the 52-year-old doesn't have the support of the fans, he appears to have the backing of the owner and possesses more than enough time to improve Newcastle's fortunes.

Follow @Nakerman

Monday night's Premier League clash between Newcastle United and Arsenal was only ever going to have one winner. The joke circulating around of late has been that Alan Pardew's Newcastle side are already on their holidays and their display at the Emirates Stadium did little to dampen those criticisms.

A 3-0 away defeat to Arsenal is, of course, nothing disgraceful. However, the damning verdicts of Pardew post-match have largely concerned his side's lacklustre showing in sinking to a sixth straight defeat.

Indeed, to make matters worse, the Toon have scored just twice in their last eight fixtures. The January exit of Yohan Cabaye, left unreplaced, has left the side deprived of its best player and, perhaps more damning, aware of the lack of ambition of the club's senior figures.

This is not just Pardew's mess, but his side are doing little to help his already weak standing in the eyes of the club's fans. Their performance was not up to expected standards.

Easy pickings for Arsenal's forwards

The major weakness in Newcastle's tactical setup was clear from early in the encounter, as pointed out in the game's opening stages by Zonal Marking's Michael Cox.

The pictures taken from the live footage below show the issue identified by Cox. Newcastle were content to back off and allow Arsenal to carry the ball to the halfway line. However, they were also seeking to play a high defensive line.

Given time on the ball and a relatively short passing distance to pick out runners into the space behind the defence, Arsenal have the quality of player that will eventually succeed.

The situation detailed above occurred on numerous occasions during the game. Either Pardew had set his side instructions that were clearly counter-productive or, more likely, his side were failing to adequately follow through with his demands that they press defenders as they near the halfway line.

Despite the obvious threat, Arsenal would eventually open the scoring through Laurent Koscielny from a set-piece situation.

For a side like Newcastle, to concede from a set piece against Arsenal would have been sickening. Set-piece goals are often entirely preventable and this was no different.

Moussa Sissoko was the man responsible for marking Laurent Koscielny and, while a physical presence, he showed his lack of defensive instincts to allow the Arsenal man to sneak ahead of him as the ball came in. It was all too simple.

Arsenal's second, five minutes before half-time, would kill the game and it came exactly as foreseen above.

Mikel Arteta carried the ball from deep and was given all the time he required to loft a ball over the top of the defence to Olivier Giroud. While the Frenchman messed up his attempt to score, Mesut Ozil was on hand to finish.

If it was obvious to observers at home, Pardew should have been rectifying the situation from his pitch-side vantage point.

At no point in the game, though, did Newcastle appear to be busting a gut to win and they rarely threatened an Arsenal side that has been shown to, at times, be fragile. It was a poor display all-round, compounded by the loss of a third goal in the second half.

Where do Newcastle go from here?

As discussed above, the Magpies' post-January form has been atrocious. Over the New Year period they were within touching distance of the likes of Liverpool but have fallen apart in dramatic style since.

Pardew's ban for headbutting an opposition player didn't help proceedings, but another poor transfer window in January highlighted that the club's priorities do not lie in improving their league position.

A lot of blame has been placed upon the foreign players for their "mercenary" attitude and upon Pardew for the results, both with good reason. But, the problems at Newcastle start from the top.

Changing Pardew will only do so much, but it feels like the time has come for him to move on. The summer window, meanwhile, must be better than three of the last four in which minimal work has been done to improve the squad.

Cabaye has gone, while Loic Remy will almost certainly head elsewhere in the summer. Hatem Ben Arfa, meanwhile, has seemingly been isolated from the squad. Newcastle, before even thinking of improvements, have three major talents to replace in the coming months.

The fans' frustration is clear and understandable. Monday's performance, meanwhile, was unacceptable in the manner of defeat. Arsenal are a good side, but to make it so easy for them is almost unbelievable from such an experienced team and manager.

After seven straight defeats, the final two matches are crucial to the future of both Pardew and several of his playing staff.

Newcastle United and Crystal Palace will, in all likelihood, finish on around (if not exactly) the same number of points. However, one manager will go into the summer lauded as one of the finest in the division, while the other has question marks over his job hanging around like a thick and cloying fog.

The difference, of course, is obvious. Tony Pulis took over a listing ship and righted it, while Alan Pardew's ship was sailing serenely towards its destination before the captain stopped paying attention and it almost ground to a standstill.

Pulis has performed near-miracles in dragging Palace not only to safety, but to within three points of Pardew's Newcastle, despite United having a stellar first half of the season that saw them with a good chance of European football at one stage.

It's remarkable that Newcastle's season has been allowed to drift so much, but with six defeats in a row and three wins since the turn of the year, there is a real danger that they will slip out of the top half of the Premier League, a sense of apathy having taken over the club in the second half of the campaign.

There was a clue to why that might be in Pardew's comments after the latest defeat, a 3-0 stroll in the park for Arsenal on Monday. He said, as quoted by the Guardian:

They've seen us lose again and they're not happy, and I have to respect that. But all I can do is do this job to the best of my ability. We've been top 10 all year. We should have performed better in this run, I know, and we've got to finish in the top 10. If Cardiff think it's important for them on Saturday, it's important for us to finish in the top 10, too, believe me.

The top 10 seems to be it. That seems to be Newcastle and Pardew's aim, and that's good enough. They are a club of enormous size and significance, but absolutely limited ambition, so when by around January or February time it became clear that the top-10 finish was highly likely, intensity dropped, minds wandered, and this dreadful run of form began.

There are extenuating circumstances, of course. Loic Remy has been injured for a number of games, while Yohan Cabaye was sold and not replaced in January, an example of another big problem Newcastle have had this season in Joe Kinnear.

There are things out of Pardew's control that have hampered him, but of course he has not helped matters himself, his headbutt on David Meyler ranking among the stupidest and most pointless acts ever made by a top-flight manager. Indeed, he was lucky to have kept his job after that incident, his only significant punishment being the seven-match touchline ban that has coincided with this dismal run.

At most clubs, such an easing off would result in the manager's position being called into question, but the chances of Pardew facing the sack seem slim. It's difficult to conclude anything other than this is a club run on such low expectations that this slump will not be viewed as unacceptable.

Mike Ashley appears content to keep Newcastle chugging along; mid-table finishes being fine as they keep them out of trouble and don't really cost him any money. He is happy to contribute the bare minimum in transfer funds to replenish the side; just enough to ensure the club don't get into any trouble.

There seems to be no ambition, as there should be, for Newcastle to better themselves, to achieve anything above mediocrity, which at best is an insult to their fans.

The Newcastle Chronicle, a local paper with which Pardew and Newcastle have had some run-ins this season, not least when he apportioned some of the blame to the North-East press recently, as per the Daily Mail, pointed out this week that he has presided over a worse run of form than the last 28 Premier League managers to be sacked.

It might be said that Ashley is bucking the trend and not caving in to the knee-jerk culture of football today, but it should at least give him pause for thought. At present, Newcastle are a club drifting, and that simply isn't good enough.