Pardew Hints He Might Quit Newcastle

Under-fire Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has reiterated that the club are behind him, stating in his usual pre-match press conference that the messages he is getting from on high at the club are very much of support, and not open pressure. That much is unsurprising considering Mike Ashley's open admission that his finger is not yet on the trigger, but the manager has at least acknowledged that there is something that would make him quit himself. He's already been accused of a lack of self-awareness, and skin as thick as a rhino in the worst possible way, but Pardew clearly does have some knowledge of his impact on the squad, even if his barometer for that impact is broken.

He is adamant that he will not walk away from Newcastle in the short term - not surprising since he's got a great job - but he has said that not getting a response from his players would change his mind:

"You have to understand that this is my business. I love this football club. The players are feeling a little bit of the stress and the heat that is upon them.

"They are a young group and I need to help them. I will do that until such point where it comes that I can€™t help them anymore."

Quite how he's helping players right now is difficult to quantify; some of the individual stats - Jack Colback's pass completion rate, Remy Cabella's chances created - are impressive, but the team has stuttered for almost an entire year. If after that amount of time he still thinks he can help his squad, then God knows at what point he might decide that he's come to the end of his influence. Do you think Alan Pardew will ever quit? Share your thoughts below in the comments thread.