Why Pardew's Newcastle cannot afford to feel sorry for themselves

Alan Pardew's Newcastle are in an alarming run of form

Around this time last year, I wrote a blog post arguing it was time to start taking Alan Pardew's Newcastle side seriously.

They were flying high in third place in the Premier League - similarly to West Brom this season - yet they were not getting the credit they deserved.

The general consensus was that they would eventually fall away and finish in mid-table, but they defied their critics to maintain their form and ultimately finish in a brilliant fifth.

This season, though, the tables have been turned.

Newcastle's form has slipped so alarmingly that they are currently 14th in the Premier League, but, similarly to last year, the feeling is they are in a false position. To believe that, though, would be dangerous and wrong.

Pardew's side are exactly where they deserve to be based on their performances. In fact, it could be argued they should be one or two places lower.

But for the majority of the derby game at Sunderland and a couple of Europa League wins, Newcastle have not had one fully satisfying and convincing performance yet this season, so they cannot claim to deserve to be any higher than they are.

They have now lost their last three Premier League games, and all three fixtures seemed eminently winnable.

Home games against West Ham United and Swansea City, followed by an away match at Southampton, should be fixtures to relish for any aspiring side.

For Newcastle to get no points from the nine available is more than alarming. It's embarrassing.

If they are not careful, they will be dragged into a relegation battle. They are certainly playing poorly enough to be sucked in.

There is zero depth to Pardew's squad and the club is now paying for its penny-pinching policy.

In the absence of key players like Yohan Cabaye and Hatem Ben Arfa, youngsters like Shane Ferguson and Sammy Ameobi are being relied upon far too much.

Ameobi has looked good in patches, but is not yet good enough to be a first-team regular

Ferguson and Ameobi undoubtedly have talent and have shown it in glimpses, but they are not yet ready to be regular starters in the Premier League.

Newcastle have an excellent crop of eight players who would be good enough to play in most teams in the country, but beyond that there is very little.

When two or more of those eight are unavailable, the team is simply not good enough.

With youngster Haris Vuckic injured, Cabaye is the only creative midfielder at the club, and when he is also unavailable, Newcastle are predictable and easy to stop.

Pardew has persisted with a 4-4-2 formation throughout the season, with Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse up-front, but it is painfully obvious the Senegalese pair cannot play together effectively.

They did play well together during the second half of last season, but Cisse was in the form of his life during that period and Ba was pushed out to the left.

An obvious option for Pardew should be to drop Cisse, who has looked a shadow of the player of last season, play Ba up-front on his own and have a three-man central midfield. That would stop Newcastle being over-run in that area and allow the wide players more freedom to roam.

However, Pardew's only central midfield options at this time are defensive, while his wide players are hardly consistent.

He would surely like to play Ben Arfa behind Ba, with two out-and-out wingers, but at this time that would mean playing Jonas Gutierrez - who is a defensive winger - and a player like Gabriel Obertan or Sammy Ameobi on the flanks, and Pardew would have virtually zero confidence in a ploy like that working.

So for now, he is persisting with the Ba-Cisse partnership, and Newcastle are limping their way through the campaign.

Their squad is simply not big enough for the rigours of the Europa League, and the club has missed a huge opportunity to build on last year's success.

Four or five players needed to be added to the squad just to beef up the options available to Pardew, but funds were not forthcoming and Newcastle are now paying for it.

There is no doubt the Magpies have been incredibly unlucky with injuries and suspensions, with fringe players like Vuckic, Dan Gosling and Ryan Taylor out long-term, Cabaye missing, Cheick Tiote and Fabricio Coloccini missing games after red cards and Ben Arfa now ruled out for at least two weeks.

However, those injuries should not be used as an excuse for Newcastle's poor form.

Yesterday's pitiful performance and defeat at Southampton came when Pardew had just three first-team regulars missing, so there is more to Newcastle's recent slump than bad luck.

Even when the likes of Coloccini, Ben Arfa and Cabaye have been in the team, Newcastle have still not been good enough this season.

They have only won three times in 13 league games, and two of those - against Tottenham and West Brom - were barely deserved.

Ben Arfa has been Newcastle's best player so far, along with the free-scoring Ba, but Cabaye has looked off-the-pace for the most part and even Ben Arfa has not performed on a consistent basis.

Ben Arfa is a magician at times, and his absence over the next two weeks will be keenly felt

There is no doubt he has been the team's biggest threat, but he has also at times been wasteful and defenders have dealt with him effectively.

Perhaps Pardew's Newcastle have simply been worked out, perhaps the team have become too comfortable, perhaps Pardew has made tactical mistakes and perhaps injuries and suspensions have scuppered their chances.

However, now is not the time for them to feel sorry for themselves.

Pardew has the security of his unprecedented eight-year deal, so shouldn't be too concerned about his future.

You wouldn't find too many Newcastle fans who would want to see Pardew leave given the miracles he performed last season, and it is likely they will stand by him for the foreseeable future.

There is only so long that will be the case, though, so Newcastle need to have an upturn in their fortunes soon.

It could be argued Pardew himself is too comfortable with his eight-year deal and should be managing with the pressures of any other top-flight boss, but to question his future at this stage would be harsh in the extreme.

It is only six months since he was named manager of the season, so to call for his head now would be folly.

When Graeme Souness was Newcastle manager, he used to say the club was only ever two consecutive defeats away from a crisis, but Pardew is not quite in that situation left.

He will be given plenty of time to turn things around, starting with their trip to Stoke on Wednesday.

That will be another extremely difficult task, and could very well lead to a fourth straight league defeat for Newcastle.

They would then go into the Wigan home game badly in need of three points to stop themselves being dragged ever nearer to the bottom three, so Newcastle need their excellent fans fully behind them now.

The fans will need to be patient, as the lack of depth to Pardew's squad is painfully obvious and they don't look like a team on the brink of a good run of form.

This season is now a dangerous one for Newcastle and if they're not careful, a long, hard campaign will lie ahead.

They still have plenty of time to turn it around and now is not the time to panic, but they badly need a positive result soon.

Last season's success seems a long time ago and Newcastle cannot afford to be thinking back to that.

This campaign is a fresh one and the challenges for them are different, but a top-eight finish would still be a success if they could somehow achieve it.

At the moment, even the top-half is a long way away but Newcastle are only a win or two from forcing their way in there.

In contrast, a defeat or two could plunge them into the relegation zone, so now is a crucial time in Newcastle's season.

Get the next few fixtures right, and the heights of last season may not seem so unreachable. Get them wrong, though, and the rot could begin to set in.

It is time for Pardew to earn his dough. He needs to again prove why he has been given an eight-year contract and work a few more miracles on Tyneside. It's not going to be easy.

Why Di Matteo's sacking shows everything that's wrong at Chelsea

Gone: Roberto Di Matteo has parted company with Chelsea

It always seemed like the impossible job for Roberto Di Matteo when he became permanent Chelsea manager in the summer.

Just how was the Italian supposed to follow a three-month spell as caretaker in which he won the club their first Champions League and an FA Cup?

Perhaps he shouldn't have even taken the job. He must have known he was no more than a stop-gap appointment from Roman Abramovich, who was extremely reluctant to give Di Matteo the job permanently despite his success.

The Russian recognised Chelsea's Champions League win was fortunate and the style of play they used to triumph did not sit well with him, and only appointed Di Matteo after Pep Guardiola rejected an offer.

However, Abramovich simply had to give the job to Di Matteo. He had delivered the elusive trophy Abramovich had been chasing for nine years, and at the very least deserved the chance to follow up that success.

A fantastic start to this year's Premier League campaign, coupled with the new expansive style of Chelsea, seemed to prove that Di Matteo was ready to build on what he had achieved.

Last night's 3-0 defeat to Juventus was a humbling one, and left the Blues on the brink of Champions League elimination, but despite a run of just two wins in eight matches in all competitions Chelsea are still just four points from the Premier League summit.

Champions League survival may seem unlikely, but a Shakhtar Donetsk victory over Juve in their final group game would more than likely see Chelsea qualify for the last 16.

Similarly, a Premier League victory over Manchester City on Sunday would see Chelsea right in the title mix, so Di Matteo was doing an excellent job at Stamford Bridge.

When you look at the challenges he has overcome in his 262-day spell, it becomes clear he deserved more time.

Di Matteo took over from Andre Villas-Boas in March with Chelsea in crisis, out of the Champions League qualifying places and on the brink of elimination from Europe's premier club competition at the hands of Napoli.

The Italian not only turned that 3-1 deficit around, he then led them to victories over Benfica, Barcelona and Bayern Munich to make Chelsea champions of Europe.

This season, Di Matteo has had to manage against a backdrop of controversy and threats, and has largely dealt with it brilliantly.

John Terry's racism case cast a huge shadow over the club, as did his subsequent four-match ban, the club's refusal to sack him and the injury he picked up against Liverpool last week.

Di Matteo has also had to deal with the idiotic Ashley Cole, who has never been far away from controversy and seems to be running his contract down at Stamford Bridge (similarly to Frank Lampard).

Didier Drogba - the catalyst of Chelsea's Champions League triumph - left the club in the summer, as did Romelu Lukaku, who could have had a key role this season but was sent out on loan to West Bromwich Albion.

The inspirational Drogba was always going to be near-impossible to replace

That meant Di Matteo was forced to rely on Fernando Torres this season, and the Spaniard has looked so uninterested and out-of-form that the manager decided against using a striker against Juventus yesterday, with Torres left to sulk on the bench.

That was Di Matteo's Villas-Boas moment. Villas-Boas dropped Cole and Lampard for the Champions League clash with Napoli and was subsequently soundly beaten, and on the face of it Di Matteo's decision not to play with a striker was equally strange.

However, you can understand his frustration at Torres, who has been simply awful for two-and-a-half years now, and the fact he had no other striker who warranted a place in the team.

Di Matteo is just another Chelsea manager who can lay the blame for his departure partly at Torres' door, with the £50million man yet another of Abramovich's signings who has refused to pull his weight.

At the same time as all this, Di Matteo has had to deal with the spectre of Guardiola, the ex-Barcelona boss on a one-year sabbatical after a trophy-laden spell at the Nou Camp.

Abramovich dreams of having Guardiola in charge at Stamford Bridge, and it seems inevitable he will try to woo him next summer, whatever Di Matteo's successor achieves in the meantime.

Because of the Guardiola dream, Di Matteo was effectively never more than a caretaker manager at Chelsea. The man who showed such great dignity deserved much, much more.

This season, he has been forced to implement a new style of play at Chelsea, something which takes a lot of time to get right.

Di Matteo had to find a way to get Eden Hazard, Oscar, Juan Mata and Torres functioning in the same team without losing defensive stability, something any manager would struggle with.

Young players with next to no experience of Champions League football were brought in by Abramovich, while Di Matteo was expected to deliver success immediately. It was the impossible job.

Villas-Boas found that out, with his reign lasting just 257 days, while Luiz Felipe Scolari lasted 13 days less than that.

Abramovich's hiring and firing is a joke and it is a wonder any manager worth his salt would want to work in such conditions. One bad run of form and you're out, regardless of the circumstances.

Di Matteo deserved to be given until the end of the season at least to get it right, but the reality is he would have been sacked whatever he achieved in this campaign.

Guardiola will be approached again next summer - or perhaps even before - as Abramovich chases the impossible dream: to create a new Barcelona in south London.

Guardiola is reportedly keen on managing in London

It is thought he was dismayed by August's 4-1 Super Cup defeat to Atletico Madrid, as Di Matteo's side were destroyed by hat-trick scorer Radamel Falcao, who has since been consistently linked with a move to Stamford Bridge.

That was the beginning of the end for Di Matteo and Abramovich has been looking for an excuse to get rid of him ever since.

How are Chelsea supposed to move forward with such a trigger-happy owner? And why would Guardiola put his reputation on the line by joining such an unstable club?

These are questions Chelsea fans must surely be asking as their club becomes the talk of football for all the wrong reasons yet again.

Abramovich may get his wish at some point, with Guardiola arriving on a white horse to save Chelsea and lead them to greatness.

But would Guardiola be spared the Abramovich axe if he had a tricky start? It's doubtful.

If managers of the calibre of Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and the man who delivered the club its first Champions League triumph can be sacked so easily, then anyone can.

There is a lot of talk of Rafael Benitez or Avram Grant taking over until the end of the season, but why would any manager want to risk their reputation by becoming caretaker manager of a club already in turmoil?

Benitez may be able to get the best out of Torres - as he did at Liverpool - but a manager with as high a reputation as him would surely not even consider a temporary post. Also, Torres' form and effort have been so dire he simply doesn't deserve the new manager to be appointed merely to suit him.

Di Matteo will always be remembered fondly at Stamford Bridge for his playing days and for delivering the greatest night in the history of the club, but he has now fallen on his sword like so many before him.

He has gone the same way as Villas-Boas, who was also sacked after a defeat at West Brom and a loss in the Champions League to an Italian side.

Di Matteo deserved so much more and can leave with his head held high, though, and so the joke of Abramovich's kamikaze ownership style continues.

Nile Ranger helps Newcastle U21s to derby draw

Full-time: Sunderland U21s 2-2 Newcastle U21s

Nile Ranger made his long-awaited return for Newcastle in their U21 Wear-Tyne derby at Sunderland tonight, and marked the occasion with a well-taken goal.

Ranger, who had not made an appearance in the black-and-white of Newcastle for eight months since a reserves outing against Chelsea, played for just over an hour and looked lively throughout.

He particularly impressed early on and did not take long to open the scoring.

The striker gave Newcastle the lead after being played in by Bradden Inman on eight minutes. He coolly slotted the ball past home keeper Jordan Pickford after striding past two defenders.

Ranger almost doubled the lead five minutes later, but his cross-cum-shot went agonisingly over.

Inman later had a decent chance saved by Pickford. Sunderland went down the other end of the pitch and pegged Newcastle back on 19 minutes, with England U21 international Connor Wickham on hand to slide home a cross from Roarie Deacon.

Newcastle skipper Curtis Good could have regained the lead for the visitors after the ball fell to him following a corner, but his powerful shot was straight at Pickford, who parried it away.

In the 36th minute, the Magpies did retake the lead.

The ball fell to the lively Inman just inside the Sunderland box after the home side failed to clear following a Mehdi Abeid effort, and Inman’s subsequent shot deflected into the corner of Pickford’s goal.

Newcastle took their one-goal advantage into half-time, and could have gone further ahead 20 minutes after the restart.

Inman and Ranger combined to set up Marcus Maddison on the inside corner of the box, but he got his left-foot shot horribly wrong and his effort sailed into the stands.

That chance looked set to prove crucial when Wickham was nudged in the box moments later, with referee Gary Beswick pointing to the spot.

However, Adam Reed spurned the opportunity when his subsequent penalty came back off the inside of the post.

Reed's penalty was well struck to the right of keeper Jak Alnwick's goal, and Alnwick dived the wrong way, but the ball bounced away to safety.

Ranger, clearly lacking match sharpness, was withdrawn and replaced by Dennis Knight after 67 minutes, but he will have been pleased with the shift he put in.

Sunderland almost equalised moments later after more good work by Wickham, but Craig Lynch's shot was beaten away by Alnwick to preserve the visitors' lead.

Wickham had a number of efforts, but saw two attempts fly over the bar as the home side pressed for a leveller against Peter Beardsley's men.

It was Newcastle who had the better chances though, and they would have gone 3-1 up but for a great save by Pickford.

Abeid's superb through ball fell perfectly for Jonathan Hooper just inside the box, but Pickford was alert to the danger, closed down the striker and parried the effort away.

Sunderland then withdrew Wickham, who had been their biggest threat but proved largely wasteful in front of goal.

The Black Cats were unable to make any real impact without Wickham, but struck a leveller in stoppage time.

Lynch cut in from the left and struck a left-foot effort into the bottom corner, giving the hosts a deserved point from a hard-fought encounter.

Abeid did have a later chance but he blazed his effort over inside the box to give both sides a point.

Half-time report: Ranger returns with goal for Newcastle U21s

Nile Ranger made his long-awaited return for Newcastle in their U21 Wear-Tyne derby at Sunderland tonight, and marked the occasion with a well-taken goal.

Ranger, who had not made an appearance in the black-and-white of Newcastle for eight months since a reserves outing against Chelsea, impressed early on and did not take long to open the scoring.

The striker gave Newcastle the lead after being played in by Bradden Inman on eight minutes. He coolly slotted the ball past home keeper Jordan Pickford.

Ranger almost doubled the lead five minutes later, but his cross-cum-shot went agonisingly over.

Inman later had a decent chance saved by Pickford. Sunderland went down the other end of the pitch and pegged Newcastle back on 19 minutes, with England U21 international Connor Wickham on hand to slide home a cross from Roarie Deacon.

Newcastle skipper Curtis Good could have regained the lead for the visitors after the ball fell to him following a corner, but his powerful shot was straight at Pickford, who parried it away.

In the 36th minute, the Magpies did retake the lead.

The ball fell to the lively Inman just inside the Sunderland box after the home side failed to clear following a Mehdi Abeid effort, and Inman's subsequent shot deflected into the corner of Pikcford's goal.