Newcastle: Sitting on my black and white fence

Article by e-Newcastle Correspondent Adam Vass

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As I write this article I am currently sat on a big wooden fence with Alan Pardew on one side and and nobody on the other, trying to decide which side has the greener grass.

Who was the last great manager we had? Does Chris Houghton, the savour of Newcastle during the relegation season count? Houghton was only in charge for 68 games but had a great win rate of 59%, but during most of his time in charge we were in the championship so it is hard to judge him against the rest.

Sir Bobby for me if the most recent truly great manager Newcastle has had, I get nervous writing about the great man just in case I say the wrong thing and do him an injustice. He organised the players, commanding respect and the players knew what the club meant from the passion that surrounded him. When he arrived at the struggling side he was able to lift us up to 11th place by the end of the season, the next year he took us to 4th place. In the 2002-03 season Sir Bobby brought us to the Champions League after finishing 3rd in the league.

If Alan Pardew is in for the long haul as his contract suggests, he has a lot to live up to if he wants to repeat SBR’s achievements and a very tough owner to deal with in the process. He has done a decent job this season seeing Newcastle win at old Trafford and White Hart Lane but with the sale of Cabaye, faces a very difficult task now.

I would love to see us buy in a top manager and a young playmaker with the money we got from Cabaye and see how far we can go under some experienced guidance. Spending money on managers is a very underrated thing in my opinion. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below?

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