According to a report in the Guardian, Alan Pardew has one game to save his position as manager of Newcastle United.
With reports sailing that the 53-year-old has not only lost the support of the fans but also the front office after a winless start to the season and a 4-0 defeat by Southampton.
In a twisting bit of irony, the man most linked with the potentially vacant job at Newcastle has been Steve Bruce of Hull City, and the one match Pardew now has to perform in this weekend is a home match with Hull.
In essence, that means not only would the match serve as a last chance for Pardew to prove his worth, but also in effect serves as an audition for Bruce should he actually be the one United want.
Also, with this report, it would confirm what a pair of journalists from the Telegraph printed a few days ago that said owner Mike Ashley was looking to sell and suggested that Pardew had two matches to save his job. The report caused the club to release a statement saying the report was “factually inaccurate” and dubbed the story “disgraceful journalism,” banning the Telegraph from reporting on the club (since, the Telegraph has edited the story into a watered-down version, removing the suggestion on Pardew’s job security).
Now, in the new report by the Guardian, the paper states that their club source indicated Ashley had “no appetite” to sack Pardew, but after the performance against Southampton, his stance has changed.
The report also awesomely points out Newcastle has banned more reporters so far this season (three) than it has points accumulated (two).
This morning prior to the Manchester United win over QPR, NBC’s Premier League insider Neil Ashton indicated two other candidates who would be logical replacements should Pardew leave and Bruce not be interested/offered. You can watch Ashton’s segment here:
For more on the current situation, here is our story from this morning on reports that he could be sacked.