10 Ridiculous Arguments Against Sacking Alan Pardew

5. It's Just A Matter Of "Small Margins"

This one comes from Pardew himself in the wake of Newcastle's loss at Stoke: rather than admitting that his team were out-classed and out-fought, as they were, Pardew spoke to NufcTV to claim it was merely a matter of small margins that they lost. The problem at Newcastle is not in the margins, it is far more fundamental than that: the coaching set up is broken, and there are weaknesses at the simplest level that need to be addressed. Yes, Newcastle enjoyed 56% of the possession against Stoke, put in 10 dribbles and hit the post, but the stats show something troublesome. Of the 16 shots the team managed last night, only one was on target, and they managed to win 10 corners without taking advantage. And then of course there's the worrying stat that so far this season no Newcastle player has been caught offside even once. It might be enough for some to say we were unlucky, and it could be so different, but the attacking problems at Newcastle are becoming a joke, and a better manager could turn those stats into points.