Newcastle United: Alan Pardew Named Barclays Premier League Manager of the Season
Premier League sponsors name Newcastle's manager as their Manager of the Season after bringing European football back to the Magpies.
We're delighted to announce that Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has been named Barclays Manager of the Season after a fantastic campaign with the Magpies.Pardew took over at Newcastle in December 2010 after the dismissal of predecessor Chris Hughton - a move which was not universally popular among Newcastle fans at the time, with his first game in charge bringing an impressive victory at St James Park against Liverpool. By the end of that first season back in the Premier League, Newcastle finished in 12th after letting a final day 3-0 lead slip at home against West Brom, but only the most cynical of fans would have counted the season as a failure after the high-profile departure of Andy Carroll in January threatened to derail the entire campaign. This year with a reshaped squad, including excellent summer acquisitions like Yohan Cabaye and Demba Ba, and the eye-catching January signing of goal-scoring sensation Papiss Cisse, Newcastle have defied those who predicted a miserable season for the Magpies, with impressive league form and an eye-catching style of play that has had most of their star players linked with so-called "bigger clubs" every week. Highlights this season have included the 3-0 home win against Manchester United, the 2-0 defeat of Liverpool at St James Park and the Cisse-inspired 0-2 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. But even more, Pardew has transformed the fate of certain Newcastle players, including Shola Ameobi and James Perch, who hasn't put a foot wrong all season after a difficult first year on Tyneside. To my mind, he deserves every single accolade bestowed on him for a spectacular first full season in charge at St James Park. Pardew beat off likely competition from Swansea City's Brendan Rodgers, Norwich's Paul Lambert and Roberto Mancini, who has taken his team to the top of the league with just one game to go. What do you think - does Alan Pardew deserve the prestigious award? If not, who would you have chosen? Let us know below.