Newcastle: 10 Major Mistakes Pardew Has Made In 2014

3. Letting Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa Leave

The decision not to sign a centre-half this summer was already a bad decision with four centre-halves at the club, because two of them could and should have been improved upon. Mike Williamson is a solid enough option for the squad, and Steven Taylor seemed to have been written off entirely - not to mention the club's infuriating treatment of Yanga-Mbiwa - and reinforcements should have come in. But then, that lack of movement was proved even more ridiculous when Newcastle decided to go ahead with Yanga-Mbiwa's move to Roma on loan in the very last hours of the transfer window despite their apparent replacement falling through (and signing for Southampton, depending on who you believe it actually was). Pardew should have strongly protested the fact that he would be left with only three centre-halves - and pointed to the injury records of both Coloccini and Taylor - and told the club to hang their desire to reclaim the money they'd paid for Yanga. Instead, we now have two fit centre-halves and no opportunity to sign anyone until January, at which point prices will go up as selling clubs know full well how desperate Newcastle are for reinforcements.