10 Ridiculous Arguments Against Sacking Alan Pardew

9. He's Got Fight

As the tides of aggressive criticism have grown in Pardew's wake, so too has an annoying assessment by the media, and by an element of the home crowd at St. James' Park that Pardew's reaction to the criticism indicates how good he is for the job. After the Hull game in particular with the Sack Pardew protest having drawn a lot of media attention and the manager standing on the touch-line to face a volley of boos and criticism, the media said "at least he faced the protests down". It was as if there was something admirable in his dignity, that he wasn't going quietly into the night, but that is a ludicrous assessment, and one that has no place in his suitability for the job. After all, the game before Pardew had sat on his bench cowering at the crowd's criticism of him, and at Stoke, Newcastle requested that the bottom section of the crowd be closed as it was close to the tunnel. As a result Pardew was protected, and fans filled stairwells out of sight. But even if he did applaud the criticism of him, why does he see himself as untouchable? It hardly matters that he can take a bit of grief, if he isn't able to address what's causing that grief: after all, the club should not aspire to be a punching bag.