Who Will Be Newcastle United's Next Manager?

The Sunday newspapers are rife with speculation over Alan Pardew's future (or lack thereof) at Newcastle United after yesterday's 4-0 humiliating defeat at Southampton looked to be the straw that broke his back. And, as to be expected, they all carry their own scoops over who could replace him in the St. James' Park hot seat, though at this stage it looks like little more than pulling names out of the air. The Mail reports today that former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez is in the frame for the job along with outed Manchester United manager David Moyes. Currently at Napoli, Benitez usually finds his name at the top of the "next manager odds" lists and Moyes will be linked with every top English job until he finds himself out of the unemployment line. Those two lead the media favourites for the job along with Hull City boss Steve Bruce, with some reporters going even further as to suggest that Alan Shearer could come in as his assistant.

Whether Bruce, a well known Geordie, would be welcome on Tyneside is suspect, not least because he recently managed bitter rivals Sunderland but also because his time at the Stadium of Light was miserably underwhelming. A potential deal to bring Shearer as his number 2 to sweeten the deal with Newcastle fans also looks a long shot given how his brief tenure as Magpies boss ended with relegation and a break down in relations with owner Mike Ashley, which won't have been patched up by Shearer's fairly frequent media criticisms of the Sports direct owner.

What is likely without question is that Pardew's future is more in doubt than it has ever been in his time with Newcastle. The owner looked particularly glum yesterday at St. Mary's having to watch a gutless, clueless and deeply worrying defeat that was more scary in both the players, the manager's and the fans abject and expected acceptance at being turned over so easily by a side who weren't even in the division when we finished fifth three seasons ago. The passionate Newcastle fans - almost from the first whistle - were far more interested in sticking the knife in Pardew with banners of "Pardew is a Muppet!", "Pardew Out" and many chants for Hatem Ben Arfa, "It's Never Your Fault' and "We Want Pardew Out" sung loud and frequent. Perhaps in the biggest sign that he has ran out of ideas and hope at the club, Pardew never got off his seat as his side crumbled before his eyes, with John Carver and Steve Stone doing the work, with chants of "Pardew, Pardew, show your face" going unanswered. As for what will happen this week regarding Pardew's future, only time will tell. Though one thing's for sure, Newcastle fans can expect many "names in the frame" stories to emerge in local and national backpages as the week goes on; not ideal preparation for our game next Saturday against bookies favourite for the job, Steve Bruce's Hull. Do you think Alan Pardew will survive the terrible 4-0 defeat at Southampton?Who should be Newcastle's next manager if Pardew is sacked? Would you welcome former mackem boss Steve Bruce on Tyneside? What about Bentiez or Moyes?