Pardew didn't come here from a strong position. I would think that he would have taken almost any job as he was doing nothing. That said, I don't think his wage will be as low as some think because he's had a new contract since first joining the club and was in more of a position of strength to get a better deal.
The deal we think Pardew has isn't that bad as he will always get £2 million when sacked or 12 months salary, depending on what the clause is. Pardew has been here for 2 1/2 years and he's the 7th longest serving manager in the league so I doubt too many are going to worry about the clause. He's going to get more now if he leaves than he would have if he'd signed a 3 year contract when first brought in.