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Hatem Ben Arfa, Newcastle Terminate Contract, Midfielder Completes Nice Move
Jan 4, 2015
Hull City's Hatem Ben Arfa looks at the match while sitting with the Newcastle Supporters during the English Premier League soccer match against Newcastle United at St James' Park, Newcastle, England, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)
Hatem Ben Arfa and Newcastle United agreed to terminate his contract with immediate effect, clearing the way for the midfielder to complete his move to Nice.
Continue for updates.
Ben Arfa Completes Nice Move
Monday, Jan. 5
Nice have confirmed the signing of Hatem Ben Arfa via their Twitter account:
BBC Sport had reported on Saturday that Ben Arfa could well be on his way back to his home country after a recent spell with Premier League rivals, Hull City.
His most likely destination appears to be Nice—with the Ligue 1 club saying a deal was in place "in principle" for the 27-year-old attacker via their official website.
Nice said in their statement, per BBC Sport:
Some details remain to be ironed out but Ben Arfa has never been so close to OGC Nice. The attacking midfielder should continue his career in the red and black shirt [of the French club].
Ben Arfa has had a miserable time in England recently and a move back to France is not a surprise.
The Northern Echo's Scott Wilson and The Chronicles' Lee Ryder both commented on Ben Arfa's exit from Newcastle, with Ryder highlighting that the Geordies' squad no longer wanted the player to be part of the team:
Hatem Ben Arfa's #NUFC career officially comes to an end. The talent was there, but without a bit of application it meant absolutely nothing
Ben Arfa has only managed to clock up 384 minutes for Hull recently, per WhoScored.com, signalling that his time in England was coming to an end as his performance value evaporated.
The player knows the challenge of Ligue 1 well and mid-table Nice is the correct destination for a talent who needs a fresh start.
Ben Arfa is a magnificent individual when in top form but that player has not been present for some time, with injury also hampering his consistency.
Newcastle will be pleased to have him off the wage bill so they can concentrate on new signings in the January window and both parties can split in amicable terms.
Sorry FA Cup Tale Has Newcastle United Problems Laid Bare
Jan 3, 2015
New manager—a caretaker one at any rate—same old story as far as Newcastle United are concerned.
The FA Cup, lest we forget, is arguably football’s most famous knockout competition and is the most recent piece of silverware to enter the, now extremely dusty, Newcastle trophy cabinet (we’re not including the Fairs Cup and Intertoto Cup).
It was back in 1955 that Newcastle lifted the FA Cup. There are few Magpies fans who will be able to remember Jackie Milburn and Co. seeing off Manchester City at Wembley.
What the current crop of Magpies fans will be able to recall, all too clearly, is their club’s lack of appetite to challenge for cup glory.
Newcastle owner Mike Ashley has made no secret that his priority is to see the team survive in the Premier League. That is, after all, where the money is. A businessman as successful as Ashley knows that all too well.
The fans, though, do not see their club as a business. They see their club as the heartbeat of the city, and want to see the team perform to their best in whatever competition they enter (that would include the Fairs Cup and Intertoto Cup if they still existed).
Magpies caretaker boss John Carver had a chance to make an early statement with an FA Cup third round trip to Leicester.
Carver spoke positively ahead of the game per a report from the Daily Star’s Ian Murtagh. When asked if it had been made clear that the cup was not a priority and that key players should be rested, he said: "I have not been told that.
"I know exactly how much it means to the fans to have a cup run because I am one of them.”
Carver’s words were positive, and yes he had injuries such as the season-ending blow to Steven Taylor, but his team-sheet spoke far more.
Newcastle trotted out at the King Power Stadium without captain Fabricio Coloccini, in-form forward Ayoze Perez and standout midfielders Jack Colback and Moussa Sissoko to name but four first-choice players.
#nufc lived up to all suspicions and gave up on #FACup. Weakened team. Don't believe the injury excuses. Big mistake from Carver and co.
With the club well placed to secure the “target” of Premier League survival, they are in 10th place with 27 points, a trip to Leicester was the opportunity to set up a cup run.
Not for a minute am I saying Newcastle were on course to lift the trophy at Wembley in May, but they had a chance to give the fans a cup run.
That did not happen, as a goal from Leonardo Ulloa handed the Foxes a place in the fourth round.
LEICESTER, ENGLAND - JANUARY 03: Leonardo Ulloa (R) of Leicester City celebrates scoring the opening goal with team mates during the FA Cup Third Round match between Leicester City and Newcastle United at The King Power Stadium on January 3, 2015 in Leice
Leicester made changes of their own, but they are rock bottom of the Premier League and in greater need of handing key players a break.
It was not as if Newcastle went down all guns blazing, laying siege to the Leicester goal and coming up agonisingly short.
The Magpies fashioned little by way of a threat after falling behind, and the margin of defeat could have been far greater but for fine saves from Jak Alnwick to deny Chris Wood, Marc Albrighton and Jamie Vardy.
So what next for Newcastle?
Carver has said he is keen to take the job on a permanent basis, per Neil Cameron of the Evening Chronicle.
Pardew was never the most popular figure on Tyneside, but Carver already has bridges to build with the fans. Fan power, though, will have no say at St James' Park.
It is Ashley who will have the final say. And that is the stark reality that has left Newcastle fans so angry.
Newcastle United have released Alan Pardew from his contract to allow him to take over as manager at Crystal Palace , the Tyneside club have confirmed ...
John Carver Named Newcastle United Head Coach for Remainder of Season
Dec 31, 2014
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - JANUARY 17: Newcastle United caretaker manager John Carver smiles before the Barclays Premier League match between Newcastle United and Southampton at St James' Park on January 17, 2015 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
Newcastle's quest to replace Alan Pardew is now set as the club announced his former assistant manager, John Carver, has been appointed as the club's full-time boss until the end of the current campaign.
Continue for updates.
Carver Named Newcastle Boss
Monday, Jan. 26
Newcastle announced Carver has been named the club's head coach until the end of the season. Carver released a statement following the announcement, per the club's official website:
This is a proud day for me.
I have worked with, and learnt from, the best manager that this football club has had in Sir Bobby Robson. I know what this Club means to this city and its people. I believe in my players and the staff I have around me.
I am confident that we can deliver exciting successful football and look forward with relish to my role as head coach of this great football club.
Managing director Lee Charnley also released a statement:
At the beginning of this process it was my desire and intention to appoint an individual to the position of head coach who would be available to start immediately.
Having now explored at some length the options available to us at this time, the decision has been taken to defer the appointment of a permanent head coach until the end of the season.
The head coach will be a long-term appointment that will play a major role in shaping the future on-field progression of Newcastle United and it is vitally important that we get the right individual.
John has a long history with the Club and has the full support of the board. Our goal for the season of a minimum top ten finish remains unchanged and we are confident that John, supported by the backroom staff, will be able to deliver this.
Lee Ryder of the Chronicle first reported Carver was expected to be named the club's boss:
Carver has taken on the role of caretaker manager since Pardew's departure was confirmed and, despite failing to win any of his games in charge of the Toon Army, the Newcastle board look set to give the 50-year-old the chance to prove his worth from now until end of the campaign, per Craig Hope of the Mail Online.
According to the aforementioned piece, Steve McLaren remains the club's No. 1 long-term choice.
Sherwood Won't Be Newcastle's Manager
Thursday, Jan. 22
Tim Sherwood spoke on the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast show regarding the chances of him becoming the new manager at Newcastle, per talkSPORT (h/t Alex Sharp of the Daily Mail). Speaking of the Newcastle position, Sherwood said:
This one, for me, is not something I will be interested in.
I want to make sure the next one [managerial job] is going to be the right one. I want to be picky, I want to be picking the right one.
I am still a young manager and I think there is plenty of time for me. I don't want to rush back into the first job [offered]. I'm desperate to get back in but I'm not desperate for anything.
Garde Speaks on Newcastle Links
Sunday, Jan. 18
Bleacher Report UK French football correspondent Andrew Gibney shared Garde's comments regarding links of him to Newcastle:
Rémi Garde commentating for Canal + refused to comment on #NUFC links "I can't say anything today." via @F8Piraux
Indeed, the Chronicle understands that there are still other candidates in the frame for the position.
[...]
Garde wants to visit the training ground and check out facilities at the club’s training ground.
However, it has emerged that Newcastle have sounded out other candidates and St Etienne’s Christophe Galtier and Frank De Boer are currently in contracts meaning United must wait until the end of the season if they want either of them to succeed Alan Pardew.
On Jan. 9, just 24 hours after it was claimed Frank de Boer was Newcastle's top managerial target, it was reported that ex-Lyon boss Remi Garde was the lead contender, per Ryder:
Newcastle United have opened talks with former Arsenal player Remi Garde about the possibility of being head coach - according to reports in France.
Magpies’ managing director Lee Charnley is the man entrusted by Mike Ashley to make the appointment and after some disastrous appointments in the past by United, he knows that the club can’t afford to get it wrong again with 27 points on the board and the club’s Premier League place not yet secure.
Garde, Christophe Galtier and Thomas Tuchel are three of the leading candidates for the job but the ex-Lyon boss is thought to be keen on the job.
De Boer Tops List
Thursday, Jan. 8
Newcastle are prepared to be patient in order to land their top target, according to Dave Kidd of the Daily Mirror:
Frank de Boer is Newcastle’s top target to take over as head coach – in a bold new approach from owner Mike Ashley.
The Ajax boss, 44, is seen by the Toon hierarchy as a master tactician who can take the club to new levels following Alan Pardew’s departure to Crystal Palace.
Newcastle are likely to leave caretaker boss John Carver in charge for the rest of the current campaign – as revealed by Daily Mirror Sport last week.
They know de Boer will not renege on his Ajax contract mid-season, but they have put him at the top of a five-man shortlist and are willing to wait until summer.
Hoddle Interested, McClaren Ruled Out
Monday, Jan. 5
Lee Ryder of the Chronicle reports Hoddle is one of the candidates for Newcastle's vacant post:
The Chronicle understands that Hoddle is on the club’s radar and is interested in the job.
Hoddle has a good rapport with chief scout Graham Carr and would be receptive to the club’s vision of a head coach model.
John Cross of the Mirror reports Real Madrid No. 2 Paul Clement is also an option, but Derby have ruled out Steve McClaren. Laurie Whitwell and Rob Draper of the Daily Mail provide quotes from Derby chief executive Sam Rush:
Steve and I caught up after the Southport game, as we do after all games. We had a chat about the speculation and after our chat I thought it was sensible just to confirm that Steve McClaren is going absolutely nowhere.
Meanwhile, Steph Clark of the Northern Echo outlines a Newcastle shortlist, including the names of Remi Garde and Christophe Galtier.
Carver Wants to be Considered Candidate
Saturday, Jan. 3
The Chronicle's Lee Ryder provides an update on Newcastle's search for a manager:
John Carver says he is putting "hat in ring" for job #nufc
Carver was without injured senior players like Fabricio Coloccini, Moussa Sissoko and Jack Colback in the third round tie but despite the disappointment he said after the game: “I would be a fool if I didn’t want the job. Deep down I was always thinking that.
“Results dictate what happens but I don’t feel any different. I still want to be head coach.
“I have put my hat in the ring. I have told the players that.
“I didn’t make it public, I told the players that on the first morning because I didn’t want them to think anything else. Now I am making it public.”
Carver talked about what was required, per Ryder:
He said: “The position is now not for a manager - it’s a head coach job. So head coach is to get the team up and ready for the next game. That’s all I have been thinking about.”
It means that Carver would not be involved in transfers or recruitment but it’s a position he is confident of carrying out.
He said: “There’s no need for me to be in touch with the owner. None whatsoever, because that’s the line the club are going to go down.
“When I was in Toronto I was head coach. I had a director of football.
“I never got involved in any transfer dealings or players in or out. My job was to look after the team and get prepared.
“I have not spoken to Mike. My only communication has been with Lee Charnley.
“We spoke on Monday night. We had a short conversation on Friday about the game.
Carver is the current caretaker manager of the Magpies, and a lifelong Toon supporter, according to the Daily Mail's Craig Hope. His tenure as manager has been unremarkable thus far, however, with the Magpies drawing 3-3 with Burnley on New Year's Day, and losing 1-0 in the third round of the FA Cup to Leicester City on Saturday.
Bruce Rules Himself Out of Newcastle Job
Thursday, Jan. 1
Hull City manager Steve Bruce has ruled himself out of the running for the Newcastle United job, insisting he is fully focused on his future at the KC Stadium, per Richard Sutcliffe of the Yorkshire Post:
BREAKING NEWS: Steve Bruce rules himself out of running for #nufc job. "I have a job to do here at Hull." #hcafc
The Tigers—currently 17th in the Premier League table—are gearing up for a critical clash with Everton on New Year’s Day, and the 54-year-old has reaffirmed his intentions to steer the team out of their current predicament, per Philip Buckingham of the Hull Daily Mail:
Steve Bruce on Newcastle links: "I'm fully focused on one thing and one thing only, to stay here and get us of trouble."
The race to replace Alan Pardew in the Magpies hot seat has churned out a host of speculated candidates for the job, but as of yet, no hot favourite had emerged at the time.
Former boss Glenn Roeder thinks the Toon Army should be looking at illustrious names, per Stan Collymore of talkSPORT:
It’ll be a tough task to replace Pardew in the north east. Despite his misdemeanours—of which there were many—he recruited players well, regularly steered Newcastle away from the drop zone and played a dynamic brand of football.
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 21: Alan Pardew, manager of Newcastle United looks on during the Barclays Premier League match between Newcastle United and Sunderland at St James' Park on December 21, 2014 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo
With that in mind, it’ll be intriguing to see which way owner Mike Ashley turns in his pursuit of a new boss, and while Klopp may be beyond the reach of Newcastle, there’s absolutely no reason why they shouldn’t show plenty of ambition when making their move.
Papiss Cisse Banned for 3 Matches After Seamus Coleman Elbow
Dec 29, 2014
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 28: Papiss Demba Cisse of Newcastle United in action during the Barclays Premier League match between Newcastle United and Everton at St James' Park on December 28, 2014 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)
Newcastle United striker Papiss Cisse has been banned after being found guilty of violent conduct by the FA. The striker appeared to repeatedly elbow Everton’s Seamus Coleman in the teams' recent Premier League clash.
Continue for updates.
Cisse Apologizes for Elbow
Wednesday, Dec. 31
Lee Ryder of The Chronicle provides a statement from Cisse:
Papiss Cisse says sorry for Coleman clash: "I'm sorry for doing something like this" #nufc#efc
Senegalese striker Cisse caught Seamus Coleman flush in the face when he lashed out during Newcastle's win over Everton, and although referee Craig Pawson appeared to have a clear view of the incident, no action was taken on the field at the time.
Cisse went on to score an equalising goal for the Magpies—trailing 1-0 when the aforementioned clash occurred—who went on to notch a vital 3-2 win.
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 28: Papiss Demba Cisse of Newcastle United exchanges words with Seamus Coleman of Everton during the Barclays Premier League match between Newcastle United and Everton at St James' Park on December 28, 2014 in Newc
Everton manager Roberto Martinez spoke about the incident in the aftermath of the game, per Louise Taylor of The Guardian:
"Elbowing a fellow professional is unacceptable," Martinez said. "It should have been spotted. It’s a clear elbow which is trying to hurt someone and those are not actions we want to see on a football pitch."
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 28: Roberto Martinez the manager of Everton reacts during the Barclays Premier League match between Newcastle United and Everton at St James' Park on December 28, 2014 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Ma
As noted by the Spaniard, the incident was pretty clear-cut. It was a sour moment in what’s been a pretty prosperous season for the forward, too, as can be seen here courtesy of OptaJoe:
5 - Papiss Cisse now has scored five goals in his last six Premier League appearances. Perky.
With Premier League games convoluting the calendar during this unique period and the FA Cup also on the horizon, the Toon will certainly feel Cisse’s absence.
Despite enduring a torrid 2013/14 campaign, the striker has shown he remains the club’s best finisher during his performances this season.
Alan Pardew and Newcastle Are a Bad Match, It's Easy to See Why He Wants out
Dec 29, 2014
Newcastle United's manager Alan Pardew awaits the start of their English Premier League soccer match between Newcastle United and Everton at St James' Park, Newcastle, England, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)
These are strange times at Newcastle. After a four-game losing streak they grabbed a morale-boosting 3-2 win over Everton on Sunday, but now they look likely to lose their manager, a man still unpopular with large sections of their support.
Alan Pardew is bookies' favourite to take the Crystal Palace job, vacant after Neil Warnock was dismissed following the Boxing Day defeat to Southampton, with several sources, including the Guardian, reporting that he is the Palace board's choice to step in.
Pardew encouraged the rumour mill on Sunday, sending his assistant John Carver to conduct the post-match media duties, ostensibly to avoid any questions about the Palace job.
From Palace's point of view, it's an understandable appointment, should it happen. Pardew is a former player at Selhurst Park, and has a record of doing a decent job in straitened circumstances, as his time at Newcastle most certainly has been.
Yet what does it say about Newcastle that Pardew could want to leave?
Of course, there are emotional factors in such a decision, Pardew returning to a former club and close to his own home (he was born in Wimbledon). However, at Newcastle he has a relatively secure job, an owner he clearly has a good relationship with and of course he is at a bigger club.
Why would he swap a side in ninth place for one currently fighting a relegation battle for the second season in a row? A club at which he will inevitably be compared with Tony Pulis, the man who arrived at Selhurst Park in similar circumstances last term, and dug Palace out of the hole they were in with time to spare?
That he wants to leave Newcastle surely only emphasises the issues at St James's Park. Pardew, objectively, has done a perfectly good job with relatively limited resources, but he remains unpopular with the fans for any number of reasons. He is seen as Mike Ashley's man, a symbol of the hated regime at the club, while his antics do little to endear him to any supporters, such as headbutting Hull midfielder David Meyler on the touchline or getting into a deeply undignified row with Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini last season.
More than that though, there is the sense that while he has done a reasonable job, it could have been much more than that. Pardew (and indeed Ashley) seem perfectly happy to tread water, to do just about enough to keep the bottom line happy and the club chugging along.
This, at a club that for better or worse has one of the most emotional fanbases in the country, will never wash on the terraces. These fans want more from their club, as most do but even more so in this case, so Pardew was perhaps never going to be a good fit at Newcastle.
For this reason alone, it is understandable that Pardew would want to leave. He may well feel his efforts have been unappreciated, but at the very basic level nobody wants to be in a job when they're not wanted.
It might not turn out to be much better at Palace, but at the moment one can see very well why Pardew would want to give up a relatively safe job for something different.
Fan Wears Half-Newcastle United, Half-Sunderland Shirt in Derby for Good Cause
Dec 21, 2014
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 21: A fan supporting both teams applauds during the Barclays Premier League match between Newcastle United and Sunderland at St James' Park on December 21, 2014 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 21: A fan supporting both teams applauds during the Barclays Premier League match between Newcastle United and Sunderland at St James' Park on December 21, 2014 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Laurence
A fan spotted wearing a half-and-half Newcastle United and Sunderland shirt became a talking point during the Tyne-Wear derby, but it seems there was a good reason for his choice of kit.
Ordinarily, a shirt supporting both those teams would be unimaginable, but the man's jersey actually appears to be a tribute to John Alder and Liam Sweeney, two Newcastle fans who died following the team on their summer tour when they were on the MH17 flight that crashed in Ukraine.
The middle of the shirt reads seems to read "United in grief," which would be acknowledgment of a Sunderland fan tribute in which allegiances were put aside and £33,000 raised to help the families of those affected.
Newcastle fans applaud in the 33rd minute in respect of the £33,000 raised by Sunderland fans after flight MH17. pic.twitter.com/aEddiej3ys
A good justification for an otherwise inexplicable jersey.
Newcastle's League Cup Collapse Leaves Alan Pardew 1 Game from Trouble (Again)
Dec 17, 2014
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 17: Goalkeeper Jak Alnwick of Newcastle United is consoled by Massadio Haidara of Newcastle United after the Capital One Cup Quarter-Final match between Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United at White Hart Lane on December 17, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images)
LONDON — Newcastle United do not care about domestic cup competitions. That is not an exaggeration, merely a statement of fact.
Over recent seasons, the club’s hierarchy have made no secret of the fact that domestic cups are not a priority for them; that surviving in the Premier League—and ensuring the cash windfall that comes with it—is the one and only ambition.
That might be the sort of pragmatic approach that the demands, and rewards, of modern football force upon a club. Even so, it is sad to see a club with supporters as magnificent as Newcastle’s limp out of what was increasingly looking like a winnable competition in the manner they did against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday evening.
Newcastle have not won a trophy of note since 1969 or one on home soil since 1955. At White Hart Lane, they entered the Capital One Cup quarter-final match knowing victory would bring them within one tie of Wembley, and that there was a 33 percent chance that the one team standing in their way would be League One side Sheffield United.
As far as chances of breaking that trophy drought go, this was about as good as the club could hope for.
Nevertheless, Alan Pardew named a rotated side for the game (in fairness, Spurs did exactly the same thing), leaving Papiss Cisse and Daryl Janmaat (among others) at home, while giving forward Emmanuel Riviere his first start since September.
The visitors, playing in that garish grey and lime-grey away kit, nevertheless started brightly, but a dropped cross by inexperienced goalkeeper Jak Alnwick gave Spurs an early lead, and the hosts never looked back.
FT 4-0. Impressive performance from Spurs, turning it up like that. Newcastle tried but didn't have enough.
“If ever goals changed games, this was it,” Pardew bemoaned afterward. "I thought the game was pretty even really, but Jak makes a mistake on a cross…you can get away with that sometimes, but it summed up our night really."
He added: "All of us were so desperate to resurrect it for him. It’s a cruel game, as we all know, and Jak’s really in the firing line at the minute. We had some big chances we didn’t take."
Newcastle did have a couple of “big” chances—glorious ones, in fact—but it was Spurs who edged the overall play and ultimately increased the scoreline at regular intervals.
Mauricio Pochettino also “freshened” his lineup, but the greater depth of his squad was evident by the names listed on the substitutes bench (Erik Lamela's opposite number was Adam Armstrong)—and so a side that has always prided itself on its FA Cup and League Cup achievements moved a step closer to adding another chapter to that history.
They will face Sheffield United in the semis, with Chelsea and Liverpool meeting in the other tie.
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 17: Alan Pardew, manager of Newcastle United gestures as players clash during the Capital One Cup Quarter-Final match between Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United at White Hart Lane on December 17, 2014 in London, England. (
“I think it was very important for us,” Pochettino said. “We needed this victory and this performance. Our players needed to feel this freedom and confidence.
"The team is starting to show more solidity, more character—I think we showed today we believe in our way, and I’m very pleased with that.
“We can go to the semi-final; we know Tottenham have a tradition in the cups and this victory is very important for us.”
Pochettino also professed himself “very happy,” sounding very much like a man who had seen his side turn an important corner. Yet despite that, and how embarrassing it threatened to get late on, it was the travelling supporters who drowned out the home fans with their chanting throughout, a credit to their club even as such a tantalising shot at a trophy slipped through their fingers.
“At one point I was just absorbing what the fans were doing,” Pardew acknowledged afterward, having made a point of recognising them at the final whistle. “They were with us all game.”
It was all so different last time Newcastle were at White Hart Lane, at the end of October.
Coming into the Premier League fixture having previously scraped a 1-0 home win over struggling Leicester City that many believed saved Pardew his job, a smash-and-grab effort in the second half saw Newcastle steal a second win in succession, driving what would eventually become a run of five wins in a row that sent them soaring up the table.
That pulled Pardew away from the precipice; now two subsequent visits to north London have him, if not right back at it, then certainly edging toward it, peering nervously at what might be around the corner.
The weekend’s 4-1 Premier League defeat to Arsenal exposed the lack of options—and, perhaps, occasional lack of spine—in some areas, and following it up with a 4-0 loss in a cup game was not the way to respond.
“We need to get back to winning ways,” Pardew acknowledged. “The irony is that a win at the weekend and we could be into the top six.”
The irony of that irony, then, is that a top-six side should by rights have been eminently capable of giving Tottenham a better contest and this cup tie a better shot.
Injuries undoubtedly harmed things—a shoulder problem picked up by Alnwick means Pardew will explore the Premier League’s emergency loan rules on Thursday—but Newcastle’s next game is also against Sunderland, a derby in which Pardew’s side have not fared too well in recent seasons.
Perhaps Pardew, ever focused on his own self-preservation, realised that a win in the derby would boost his short-term popularity far more than a cup win over Spurs, even if that cup triumph might have paved the way to perhaps ending the club’s trophy drought in 2015.
“I thought we were a little short of personnel tonight,” Pardew said. “We looked unbalanced. This wasn’t the same as Arsenal; this was a much better performance, but the scoreline doesn’t reflect it.
“We need to put some difficult results behind us and what has happened recently against Sunderland. We need to make sure our fans go home with a performance that gives them a win.
“This [Sunderland] fixture is not about the performance level…that ain’t going to be enough, we need a win [as well].”
If that win comes, Pardew will be flying high once more. If it does not, however, an up-and-down season for this fabled club may be heading back toward some turbulence.
