Alan Pardew's Newcastle United - A 'team' in its true meaning

Unbeaten in the Barclays Premier League this season apart from the high flying Manchester City is the ‘Other United’ – Newcastle. The black and white army of the Tyne side is a team who according to the much informed pundits was predicted to have a season of hard struggle, what with losing star names such as Andy Carroll and important figures like Jose Enrique and Joey Barton to the loss of talismanic captain Kevin Nolan. Don’t get me wrong but the pundit predictions may still come to fruition, but for now the Magpies or the Geordies as Newcastle is lovingly called by its loyalists, are enjoying a season in the upper echelons of the Premier league in 3rd place with 22 points from 10 games and the added pleasure of sitting above Chelsea.

In a week which is celebrating 25 years at the helm of Manchester United by possibly the world’s greatest football manager Sir Alex Ferguson, talking about minor achievements of any other is a moral crime in itself. But the man in the following pictures does deserve some back pages if not the Headlines.

Alan Pardew – Architect of the rising Toons

Alan Scott Pardew’s arrival at Saint James’ Park was a low key affair and was a case that brought much disapproval from the club faithful and pundits alike, because he had just replaced Chris Hughton, who was doing quite well at the time and was unjustly sacked. Pardew wasn’t given the rousing fanfare that Keegan, Gullit or Dalglish were given and to top that, Mike Ashley’s reluctance to fund big name signings was considered a nail in the coffin for Pardew even before he had started this season. Many expected the Londoner to be dispatched from the ‘Toon’ hot seat sooner rather than later and yes it’s one of the hottest managerial seats in the league with plenty comings and goings, albeit sackings too.

The lack of expectations sometimes works wonders. It takes the pressure off one’s shoulders and as Pardew and his team were already in the bins of mid table obscurity by pundit predictions, he had nothing to worry about other than doing enough to keep his job. And now he’s the talk of the town over a cup of tea or a mug of beer on Tyne side.

Alan Pardew wasn’t a local, so he’s considered a cockney by most. What would he understand of the passion, the history and lore of the Magpies? True but his being illiterate in terms of local knowledge led to an open-minded approach to team affairs. Unlike Keegan, Shearer and several other predecessors he was able to manage dispassionately with his head.

Yohan Cabaye – He adds both flair and grit in equal amounts.

Big money is not always a solution to building a great unit – a Team in it’s real meaning. Money can be a double-edged sword, because once you have the big names on your roster, you also have to deal with tremendous expectation, keep all players happy and not have a Carlos Tevez situation. The departure of Andy Carroll and Joey Barton lost the team some of its star gloss and potential but also got rid of the dressing room and off the pitch shenanigans, that never make for good headlines. In came Yohan Cabaye, a Frenchman who was doing decently in Ligue 1 of France, Demba Ba a small cost replacement for Andy Carroll, and Gabriel Obertan another poor man’s winger wasting himself on the sidelines at Manchester United. Pardew was able to build a team spirit with focus on the collective than the individual and with all the unnecessary noises turned off, the voice of the manager was heard.

Demba Ba – Big returns on small investments.

So now Newcastle have a solid backline that doesn’t fold under the best of bombardment comprising of the strong center backs Coloccini and Steven Taylor, with Ryan Taylor and Danny Simpson doing a great job in the full back positions. The Toons currently have the best defensive record in the league. Also the case of some French flair added by Yohan Cabaye and Gabriel Obertan, with the additional class from Hatem Ben Arfa if he can stay fit. In Jonas Guttierez, Pardew has a winger who also doesn’t shy away from some tough tackling defensive work. Demba Ba who has 8 goals and two hat-tricks to his name already is testimony to Pardew’s success in the transfer market and his cut price allows him to solve the Euro debt problem.

‘Silver Fox’ as Alan Pardew is nicknamed due to his glossy silver white hair, has added a lot to his managerial CV with brilliant work at Newcastle so far. He is still not in the class of Arsene Wenger or Sir Alex, but his team is definitely showing some grit, balance, French and Argentine flair in keeping their place in the league thus far and surpassing expectations. He’s the architect and this is his Newcastle United.