Alan Pardew is expected to still be in charge of Newcastle United when Hull City visit St James’ Park on Saturday.
Although defeat against Steve Bruce’s side would effectively make Pardew’s position untenable, Mike Ashley, Newcastle’s owner, is famously impervious to supporter opinion and has resisted increasing calls for the manager’s head.
With the manager adamant he will not resign and Bruce distancing himself from reports that he is set to be poached from Hull, Newcastle’s staff were told it was “business as usual” on Sunday. Ashley can be capricious but unless he has a dramatic change of heart, the manager will have the chance to start winning back hearts and minds against Hull.
Despite Saturday’s 4-0 defeat at Southampton – the latest disappointing result in a shocking run stretching back to January – Pardew has some protection thanks to the six remaining seasons on the eight-year contract he signed in September 2012. It is believed the agreement offers extremely generous compensation in the event of dismissal.
With his backroom staff, including John Carver, Steve Stone and Andy Woodman, tied into similar deals, managerial regime change would prove extremely expensive for Ashley.
Two weeks ago sources said Ashley had “no appetite” for sacking Pardew and although that attitude is understood to have since changed, two reporters were banned by the club on Friday for suggesting he had two games to save his job.
Bottom of the Premier League after four games, Newcastle have barred more reporters [three] than they have accrued league points this season, but Pardew believes he should be afforded time to incorporate seven new signings, six of whom arrived without experience of playing in England.
His problem is that Newcastle fans have not forgiven him for a run of 14 defeats in the final 20 games of last season.
At virtually any other club Pardew would have been dismissed last spring when, despite a 3-0 home victory over Cardiff City, the St James’ Park crowd shouted such strong abuse that he spent the game penned into his dugout, unable to step into his technical area for fear he would spark a revolt.
This season the fans’ disgruntlement has been exacerbated by Pardew’s controversial decision to loan Hatem Ben Arfa– a France international with whom he had fallen out – to Hull. Under the terms of that deal Ben Arfa cannot play on Saturday but Bruce is thought to be contemplating putting the Frenchman in Hull dugout.
Not that Bruce, a former Sunderland manager, lacks sympathy for Pardew. “It isn’t nice – it’s horrible for him and I find it very, very disrespectful that I’m linked with somebody else’s job when he’s still in a job,” said Bruce.
“After what happened to me at Sunderland, which was similar to what Alan Pardew is going through now, I know how difficult the north-east is.”