As Dennis Wise continues to beat the drum that Newcastle fans will never accept anyone as manager or owner who hails from the South of England, everyone else pays attention to the actual facts of the situation and recognises that Alan Pardew is no longer the man for the job. In truth, he hasn't been the right man for the job for some time, and no amount of fighting talk, or insistence that the team are behind him will convince anyone otherwise: the simple fact is, even if they're fighting, they're rudderless and badly misused. And Pardew is the man to blame in that respect; he is unable to pick the right system to suit his players, his tactical awareness leaves a lot to be desired and he lacks the self-awareness to identify the real problems. Few fans would argue that there's a problem in leadership at the club, but there are still those who seem compelled to back Pardew because of the alternatives, or the ominous suggestion that the man chosen to follow could be worse. But such thinking is ludicrous: even with Mike Ashley installed as owner, Alan Pardew is not the only manager who would agree to work at the club under the current circumstances, no matter what Rob Lee says. Yes, there are problems under Ashley, but the appeal of the Newcastle job to bright young managerial talent has no been diminished, and rather than looking at the likes of Steve Bruce, David Moyes or Tony Pulis there is a wealth of ambitious, talented managers who should be approached when Pardew is inevitably sacked.
