merlin

Just because you don't want him to be sacked won't stop a large percentage of fans looking at his record and the awful performances of the side and thinking he SHOULD be sacked. If he doesn't go in summer, we will be looking for a second-rate replacement by December....

Good news. That'll depend on who it is, i have my fingers crossed it's someone decent. It's certainly preferable to just sticking with Pardew with no change of personnel anywhere. If we are stuck with him, I'd at least want a some fresh impetus/ideas in the coaching methods. Just papering over the cracks....KK once brought in Lawrenson as our 'defensive coach' but it didn't make any difference - we still lost the title to Man U and our style of play didn't really alter. Why didn't WHU, Charlton or Southampton consider bringing in a new coach before they fired him ? The answer is that they obviously weren't happy with having him in charge.....

That's my view as well, I just don't think we can afford to sit on our hands and risk sabotaging another season. Players who are at important stages of their career don't have time to p*ss about while Pardew experiments with coaches, they will want to hit the ground running next season. I still think the next 4 games are massively important in Pardew's future. If we show some fight and cohesion he might get another crack. If we limp over the line and come close to getting relegated then he surely has to go. The fact we are still worrying about this with only 4 games left is a massive indictment in itself. You are both exactly right - failure to act in the close season means scratching around for the dregs of management if Pardew is fired half-way through next season. As for him producing any decent performances between now and the season's end, its too late - IF he had a decent record at other clubs you would give him another chance if the side played well between now and then. He hasn't and we cannot afford to waste another season.....

The actual scary stuff is whether our owner realises it. ...or, more to the point, whether he cares enough to do anything about it...

Now you know why the idiot Bird works for a rag like the Mirror....at one time, they would have used it in outside toilets..... We are all wrong and a two-bit journo from a rag with shrinking distribution is right.....Yeah, OK then..!

You should - you might learn something....

He's had quite a few years of being 'poor at his job' whilst with previous clubs...didn't Ashley and Dracula notice that by any chance...? Some don't care about his previous managerial record and say we can only judge him on what he does here In that case, SOME would employ Ronnie Biggs to be keeper of the Crown Jewels...!

All the good players leaving..? Spending all that money ? Wait until the end of the season and then January if you think we have no 'good players leaving'.....

He's had quite a few years of being 'poor at his job' whilst with previous clubs...didn't Ashley and Dracula notice that by any chance...?

He's probably been told to keep his mouth shut and if he does, a transfer to OT may be arranged... It might even be set up already...would anyone be surprised at what this club does...? Nah, I know where you're coming from, mate. It wouldn't surprise me if Pardew deliberately has all of the team playing s*** so that we can shift them all in the summer, for massively reduced fees. Wouldn't put it past him, the horrible c***. The attempt at irony was a nice try, but in the real world, Fergie KNOWS how good Cabaye could be in his side.... Other managers won't be fooled by sub-standard performances from players in Pardew's set up....!

You missed one out ; ' Which other PL club can you see employing you in August..?'

f***ing hell Yes, that's what we'll be saying...!

He's probably been told to keep his mouth shut and if he does, a transfer to OT may be arranged... It might even be set up already...would anyone be surprised at what this club does...?

Pardew simply wants to try to head off criticism and appear to be listening to supporters - in truth, he doesn't give 2 stuffs what the fans think('they're just fans, and thick with it, we are the pros, they don't understand the game but we have to humour them because of Season Ticket renewals, blah-di-blah..' etc etc)and neither do the board as long as STs continue to be sold. Any fool can see that Supermac has him worked out...and so have many of us. He has to go.

Much depends on whether Suarez is still in their side after his biting incident at Chelsea - if he is banned by the FA, we have a chance. If not, it doesn't look good and another defeat could be on the cards. We'll see...

Macdonald's comments were spot on, regardless of what some think of him. People forget that he also did a decent job at Fulham as manager until his personal life intervened. Everything he pinpointed as being wrong with the team in the Derby last week was correct ; I've seen people writing off Tiote and as Macdonald says, he used to be excellent. Likewise, the way Cabaye is playing far too deep is on the button and as for Gutierrez, well we all knew that. As he says, top players will be disillusioned after this season and I can see at least one and maybe 2, departures unless there is a change of manager - I am also convinced that the players that leave will go on to show that they are much better than they look under Pardew's managment.

I've said before - the players go along with Pardew because he probably gives them an easy time and doesn't let them take any flack ...look at how he gave them Monday off after the Mackem debacle last week ; they should have been called in at 7 a.m. Monday for a 10 mile run etc....

In other words, Ashley is going to have to sack them both, which would be a great idea in my opinion ; Llambias as a football club CEO makes an outstanding croupier. I wish Mort had never left - he was streets better than this Dracula clone....

We need a manager who can change a game - this one can't and he's proved it time after time....

Best thing you can say about this game is that we managed to avoid defeat. WBA were also poor on the day, so a point is scant return after promising the fans a 'reaction' after last week's debacle. Usual second half fade out(which indicates lack of fitness, not being 'tired'...no wonder the players 'seem' to like him, they get an easy time), and WBA capitalized with an equalizer which was the least they deserved. Usual easy surrender of possession and unconstructive crossing and again, the game was like watching paint dry.. Next week will be very interesting......we are lucky other games went in our favour at the bottom - with the obvious exception of you-know-who..!

:thup: Absolutely spot on. We've got a generation of fans who crave "stability" more than they crave winning games. After relegation and suffering Ashley's approach to running a football club fans are now scared of what comes next. Under Freddie we would be screaming for blood, banners sit down protests the lot to get Pardew out but I feel most are terrified of who Ashley would bring in. With Freddie we knew it would be some kind of top well respected manager but Ashley it could be out of the frying pan into the fire. Even if he did go after some sort of well respected to manager I think we all know there is very little chance of them wanting to come here and work for him and Lambias. I know its not good and both Pardew and the players seem to have lost their way but I do not believe we "over performed" last season I do believe though we have better players. Stay up give him 10 games next season if it does not look any better than I will be making a banner myself but until then we have no choice but to get behind him as he is going nowhere for now. Enjoy the mediocrity then - if he stays for long, Ashley is going to have to start giving seats away cheaply like the Mackems did in order to get people in. We once had a 20,000 waiting list for STs...not now..... Incidentally, how are you so certain that Di Canio is going to be the disaster you seem to think ?? His record at Swindon is decent and he certainly doesn't have the record of being sacked that Pardew has. Southampton have had 2 managers since they fired Pardew in 2010 and each one has proved to be better than Pardew because they have progressed as a club since

If Pardew is giving the press an easy time with plenty of meaningless quotes, they will be quite happy NOT to get on his case as long as the fans don't - after all, the fans are the ones who buy the papers and if they think the press are out of line with their coverage of club and manager, they won't buy the papers... Its a chicken and egg thing - fans read only good things about Pardew so don't aggravate for his removal; press see that no chants/anti feelings being expressed about Pardew at SJP so go along with what they see as tacit approval for the manager. It is only when fans begin to want the manager out that the press will jump on the band-wagon. Reporters are lazy swines and want to get their stuff into the editorial dept and head off for the pub - although Dalglish had a better record than Pardew when he was here and the players liked him(because he kept any criticism from them), the media were on his back as soon as we faltered because he was obstructive with them and didn't trust them. The players we have now will only like Pardew if he defends them all the time and gives them an easy ride in training ; whether they actually RESPECT him I would doubt...most of them are internationals and will compare notes about managers at international get-togethers as well as comparing him to those they have had before.....

There won't BE any realistic targets until we are; a)Sure of staying up b) getting rid of Pardew or not... If b) turns out 'not', then be prepared for OUTgoing transfers...

This coupled with the fact that many fans have been brainwashed into believing we couldn't get a better manager and are beginning to accept mid-table mediocrity as the norm...

DOF..? You have to be joking. SBR was here for 5 good years and got us into the CL yet even he didn't get that. Would Reading or West Ham offered him DOF after his stints there..? He can be as likeable as you like, but what matters is his influence on the football club - nothing else.