Can this Newcastle man succeed against all odds?

Being a Premier League manager in this day and age is not easy, however for some it may be easier than others. Newcastle are one of an increasing number of clubs who are working on a tight financial budget and placing extreme restrictions and pressures upon their manager.

Newcastle have faced a rather turbulent summer, with manager Alan Pardew still under all sorts of pressure to deliver this season, despite the upheaval and unsteadiness that remains at the club. He is working under severe limitations, with hardly any of the money acquired from the selling of big names being reinvested, decision making out of his control, top players being sold left, right and centre, and an inadequate squad to take into the new season. Despite most aspects of the club being taken out of his control, Pardew will be the one who bears the brunt for decision making, so he simply can’t win in the position he is in.

Pardew is faced with a megalomaniac owner, who seems to want to make money on transfer dealings rather than create a decent side. He has also had to deal with significant unrest at the club, as the top players seem to want out of the mayhem, big players like Kevin Nolan, Andy Carroll and Jose Enrique have all been sold, and it remains to be seen whether Joey Barton will stay, after his Twitter outburst. Pardew now has to work with what he has, which realistically is a thin squad, at a massive football club, where there remains huge expectations from the fans. The fans have always had high hopes at Newcastle, and the board have made all sorts of promises to them over the years which they simply have been unable to deliver on.

Whether it’s Freddie Shepherd’s managerial ins and outs, or the current iron fist of Mike Ashley, it seems that the Newcastle job is a poison chalice, and remains one of the toughest jobs in football. So many good managers have tried and failed at Newcastle over the years, the likes of Sam Allardyce – who lasted just 8 months – Ruud Gullit, Kenny Dalglish and Graeme Souness have all struggled to work within the limitations imposed by the club, and it seems this season will be no different. The lack of stability with the club’s managers over the years, means that Newcastle lack the consistency which is the basis for success at any club. Pardew is under tremendous pressure, the job is almost an impossible one to do, as he faces similar problems to those who have gone before him.

Newcastle have extremely high expectations, yet the the restraints placed upon the manager make it difficult for him to do his job. The restrictions Pardew is under are pretty extreme, added to this the weight of expectation of the Newcastle fans and we can see that this is arguably the toughest job in football right now. Unfortunately for Pardew, patience is something he is unlikely to get. Pardew also has to deal with an intefering owner, and an inability to make any decisions. If he fails to get Newcastle off to a flyer then he may just be the latest casualty of their managerial round-a-bout, and who then would be willing to take on one of the toughest jobs in football?

Written by Lauren Rutter

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