We already knew that it didn't really matter what happened against Swansea City, but in the grand scheme of things a point at the Liberty Stadium helps nobody, even if Newcastle's second half performance was vaguely impressive. Fans who want to see Pardew sacked would probably have preferred a loss, despite everything their heart tells them, and Pardew himself would have wanted three points rather than just one. And while the first half performance of Swansea suggested that Garry Monk's men would win at a canter, the resurgence of Papiss Cisse and a smart, long-awaited move to 4-4-2 gave the Welsh side some concerns. Yes there was spirit, and yes it's good to see Cisse score another two goals, but who does a point really help? The long term picture is that Pardew will not change his system for the next game, because he will feel vindicated by not losing, and though the substitute appearance of Sammy Ameobi was a key moment, he simply will not start him. Either of those major changes would mean an admission of fault, and if one thing is clear from the way Pardew manages from the touch-line, he prefers to be able to make changes to show that he's in touch with performances. It's very rare that a player can earn a call to the first team from substitute appearances. So it looks like it's all going to continue as it is. The supposed change to 4-3-3 ended up with players ranging around the pitch in no discernible positions for most of the first half and it was only when the 4-4-2 change came in that anyone looked disciplined. It's frustrating then that it seems unlikely that Pardew will heed his own lessons and start with the traditional system next week. Still, Cisse took his goals well, and Tim Krul's form looked to have improved with a couple of wonder saves - even if his positional sense is still atypically poor. And to bounce back from being goals down away from home is nothing to be sniffed at. But we're still 18th, Pardew is still manager and the light at the end of the tunnel doesn't look to be coming very soon.
