As I write this, it is looking ever more likely that Newcastle United manager, Alan Pardew,is set to make the move back to the club where he spent a large period of his playing career.
But is this really a sensible decision, half way through a Premier League season? I believe it is, and for all three parties involved too. Here's why:
Firstly for Crystal Palace. They look to be in free-fall at the moment with their 0-0 draw at QPR on Sunday taking them to no wins in their last 7 matches. They currently sit third from bottom in the league table and are struggling to score goals. If Alan Pardew does come in, they will have a manager who has managed to keep Newcastle in the Premier League for four seasons running which is a solid achievement considering the serious lack of money being available for him to spend during his time at the club. His success at Newcastle has largely stemmed from his ability to get the best out of the strikers at his disposal. Demba Ba, Pappiss Cisse and Loic Remy all had high scoring seasons whilst playing under Pardew. Palace fans would certainly love to see him have the same affect on the likes of Frazier Campbell or Marouane Chamakh.
For Alan Pardew himself, he would love to go back to the club where he spent 4 great years as a player, most notably in 1990 when his goal against Liverpool took to the club to their first ever FA Cup final.
On top of this, what would be the point of him staying at Newcastle? He's managed to take the club as far as he can with the limited resources that are available to him, and yet he still gets abuse from large portions of the Newcastle fans. Alan Pardew doesn't deserve to be given this treatment, he was only four points away from giving the club Champions League football back in 2011 remember.
This brings me on to my final point that Newcastle would actually benefit from this move as well. In my personal opinion Pardew has done a good job at Newcastle, as best as he could under the circumstances. But many Newcastle fans have always had reserved feelings about Pardew as he replaced the much loved Chris Hughton. As well as this, Alan Pardew never really took the domestic cup competitions seriously. Newcastle United are a huge club with a great history but their last notable cup win stretches back to 1955. A different manager may well see less changes made to the Newcastle starting line up for the cup games.
And Newcastle certainly wouldn't be short of options with who to replace him with either. Frank De Boer at Ajax (pictured above) and the former Swansea boss Michael Laudrup would introduce a more attractive brand of football to St James' Park, while someone like Tony Pulis is Premier League proven and will certainly tighten up Newcastle's defence.
And Newcastle certainly wouldn't be short of options with who to replace him with either. Frank De Boer at Ajax (pictured above) and the former Swansea boss Michael Laudrup would introduce a more attractive brand of football to St James' Park, while someone like Tony Pulis is Premier League proven and will certainly tighten up Newcastle's defence.
