Despite latest reports that his job is safe for now you’d have to be off your chops to put any money on Alan Pardew being at Newcastle come the new year, let alone the end of the season.
Regularly in football things go past the point of no return. Whatever you try things continue to worsen. This has patently happened at Newcastle. The results have been too poor for too long. Pardew has lost the fans, the players and the only remedy is to find a new boss – someone to bring fresh hope and ideas – someone who can turn over a new leaf and say to the lads ‘the season starts here’.
There is no way that Newcastle are this bad. They have a decent squad which, even without further investment, can finish in the top half of the table come May. But they do need the right guy to dispel the gloom and return some feel good factor.
Having managed Sunderland, with limited success, some Newcastle fans will be wary of bringing in Steve Bruce. He’s never managed a top club with real success. But he does have the sort of man-management ability and tactical nous to turn this club around.
And let us also consider the fact that Newcastle United is such a turbulent place right now that this could be seen by many as a poisoned chalice – a career wrecker if it goes wrong. Certainly you can’t see Pardew managing a club of commensurate size for some time.
Steve Bruce has done a great job at Hull and may be apprehensive about taking on such a big beast. But we think that he is the man for the job right now and he can at least start to take the club back in the right direction if Mike Ashley can tempt him in.
Brucie is the man to stop the rot.
Newcastle fans: who do you want for the next manager?
