Newcastle's manager doesn't really do under-statement when things are going his way: fair play to him, his last two results have been won on the back of belligerent rigid structure and patience (as well as thanks to some costly mistakes by the opposition). But surely he wasn't suggesting that he was just like Sir Bobby Robson in the wake of his latest victory against Liverpool? Perhaps his allusion to Robson having some dark days on Tyneside was just an indication that it can happen to anyone, and that life up here is "not all gin and tonics and aperitifs" (no, me neither). Perhaps he wasn't trying to say that he is to be judged alongside the Geordie knight, but it's hard to resist that when he's also claiming he sort of foresaw victories coming, a little bit (but don't quote him on that). The truth is, Sir Bobby was streets away from Pardew in his style of play, his man management commitment (not giving up on talented players because of their attitudes), and his knowledge of what winning and ambition could mean to Newcastle fans. Yes, Pardew can say the fans are great, and that they can cause more pressure, but he's never shown that he truly understands the mentality of ambition or of players who look to entertain a little bit. He's not alone of course - the same can be said of the media representatives who are so quick to jump on any protest against Pardew as a witch-hunt by unreasonably over-ambitious fans, who think victory is all that matters on Tyneside. It's a big thing, but it's not everything. The truth is, Pardew is far more like Glenn Roeder, and not just in his more dour commitment to reductive tactics, or his one dimensional playing style. Pardew is actually currently mimicking Roeder's last period of success at Newcastle - a short run of form that followed a terrible start to the season. The coincidences should be troubling for pro-Pardew fans: not only were there protests against the board in 2006 when Roeder was sacked, but the team started with poor results against teams they should have beaten. From there, came a run of wins, punctuated by a couple of losses, and then most interestingly a run of six games that included two 2-2 draws, one loss, and three wins, including one at home to Liverpool, and one away to Spurs. A spooky coincidence and a trick with stats is all well and good, but the likeness to Roeder is a telling one, and one Pardew needs to learn from. Roeder singularly failed to adapt his team after that run of good form to other opponents, and banged the same drum over and over, which sadly led to a haul of just 7 points from a possible 33, and his (forced) resignation. Newcastle were left in 13th, and Sam Allardyce came in. So if only for that reason alone, we need to fundamentally make sure that Pardew shakes off the Roeder similarities sooner rather than later.
