The notion that Pardew and his players don’t deserve to be in the position they are in currently is insulting. The togetherness of the squad at this present moment seems stronger than it’s ever been, especially after the egos that once inhabited the dressing room were removed. Pardew has surprised many with the way he has conducted himself since taking the job in December despite the Geordie faithful’s opposition to his appointment. Almost a year later they are singing his name proudly from all four corners of St James’. Alongside chief scout Graham Carr he has worked extensively in scouting players and making sure they are the right fit for his Newcastle United, and so far they have all paid off.
Perhaps his biggest achievement so far is doing what no manager in the past 20 years has been able to do in tightening a notoriously leaky defence up. Newcastle boast the meanest back line in England, conceding just seven goals in their 10 games thus far, which has given them a solid base to work from. He’s got the rest of the starting eleven focused and determined to not give the opposition an inch on the field.
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Monday night’s win over Stoke was testament to Pardew’s tactical nous and the players’ willingness to do what is necessary to achieve victory as they attacked and defended as one unit. The work ethic that has been instilled within the squad is a breath of fresh air and they displayed it to full effect as they hustled, harried and frustrated the home side on Monday, with Jonas Guttierez putting in another lung bursting shift down the left.
In attack they were incisive, with Ba continuing his impressive scoring record with a hat-trick, whilst Leon Best once again ran himself into the ground. Even without midfield enforcer Cheik Tiote they looked solid, with Pardew putting his famed man-management skills to work on Danny Guthrie who put in a gritty display despite fans labelling him the weak link in the side.
To cut a long story short Newcastle deserve to be where they are because they are going out onto the field, putting in performances and winning games. It’s no fluke and it’s certainly not because they haven’t played any of the supposed big teams yet. The squad mentality has improved 200% and it shows in the way they play with a steely determination mixed in defence mixed with a confident swagger in attack. Newcastle are winning games because they are playing good football and going into every game knowing they can come away with a positive result. With Everton, both Manchester clubs and Chelsea on the horizon they will be put to the test, but there is no reason to believe that they can’t come out shining.
Written by Jak Penny
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