Time for a bit of stability at Newcastle

Make no mistake - Premier League side Newcastle United have had a poor season. Thirty-seven points from 35 games, a goal difference of — 23, 17th and just five points above the relegation zone — the facts and figures are dreadful reading. However, whilst boss Alan Pardew has plenty to answer for at the end of the season, those calling for his head need to show some faith, now more than ever before, to ride the storm. As Newcastle head into the last three games of the Premier League season, the harsh reality is finally sinking in. There’s no doubt that reaching the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League has papered over failings on the domestic front. The season has been blighted by injuries and tactical errors. The key players have consistently under-performed  and failed to turn up for the big games. Three weeks ago, getting battered at home by Sunderland summed up the entire campaign. The players were looked clueless, lacking in unity, leadership, or cohesion on the pitch. At times like these, when a Newcastle fan like myself turns to the loyal community on social media websites — I'm not surprised to find that a large section of fans blame Pardew. The question is, why shouldn’t they? The man who won Premier League and LMA Manager of the Year awards last summer has made some awful decisions over the last nine months. In the first half of season, Pardew struggled to cope with the small squad, but since the acquisition of five new players in January, that excuse is wearing thin. The football has been dire, and the gaffer has a habit of making negative substitutions. The #PardewOut bridage has been out in full force on Twitter over the last month or so, with fans calling for Pardew to be sacked at the end of the season. This, for me, is totally unacceptable. Yes, he has made mistakes, yes, it has been a poor season and yes, he had plenty to answer for — but Pardew isn’t the only person responsible for this mess. The club failed to strengthen significantly in the summer, and the impact of injuries on a small squad, during a tough season with Europa League, has been there for all to see. Last season we were able to field a consistent side week-in, week-out. This season, the key players have gone missing time and time again. When Newcastle United handed Pardew, his coaching team, and chief scout Graham Carr eight-year deals last year, we were all excited about it. When Pardew's team finished fifth, we were over the moon. Now, barely nine months later fans are calling for the gaffers head? The only way to look at this season for any Newcastle fan is to consider it a blip. The Magpies have a good structure in place, but there will always be ups and downs. No manager can succeed without being given time. Look at Everton’s David Moyes. He guided the Toffees to seventh in 2002-03, before ending up 17th the season after. The board showed some faith and since then Moyes’ team has finished fourth, 11th, sixth, fifth, fifth, eighth  seventh and seventh. At Newcastle, we have the structure, squad, stadium and fan base to replicate that, if not go one better. I'm sick of the #PardewOut bridage and the fickle fans screaming "sack" at the first sign of trouble. That sack after sack has got us nowhere, and if Pardew leaves in the summer, we would be starting all over again. At the end of the season (and I'm praying we stay up), there needs to be a thorough review of what went wrong, and then the club needs to build again with Pardew in-charge for the 2013/14 campaign. The views expressed by the author do not necessarily represent or reflect the editorial policy of Arabstoday.