Nobody can blame Alan Pardew for leaving Newcastle. It is a miracle that he lasted so long and has walked away on his own terms. Nor can anyone blame him for going to Crystal Palace, although there is a general feeling that he is taking a step down – that Newcastle are a bigger club than Palace. They should be, if history and a sold-out St James’ Park mean anything, but do the ambitions of the two clubs really differ?
Sure, the Premier League is competitive. Just look at the results: Burnley can come from two down to draw at Manchester City, money hasn’t distorted the competition at all. Or has it? How many teams can realistically start a season as title-contenders? For that matter, how many can aim for a Champions League spot with any credibility? Chelsea and the Manchester clubs have divvied out the title for the last decade. Arsenal have always contrived to finish in the top four. Who’s to say the status quo won’t prevail again this year?
The tragedy, last year, of Steven Gerrard’s slip against Chelsea, followed by Liverpool’s collective slip at Palace, was the sense that it was his last chance to win the Premier League. Every time I see Stevie G’s furrowed brow, I’m reminded of it, and perhaps it was Liverpool’s last chance, too. The comparison with post-Bale Spurs is an obvious one, but no less true, and Liverpool without Suarez are back with Spurs as outsiders for Champions League qualification.
What of the rest? What of Newcastle? Sure, they can beat Chelsea a few weeks ago – Pardew even took them to a fifth-placed finish a couple of years ago – but where are they going? What are their ambitions? Mid-table, and trouser the cash. Hard to get excited about that. And forget about the romance of the cup. We’re playing the reserves, not wanting to jeopardise our chances of finishing 10th again. Likewise, we don’t want the hassle that Europa League qualification would bring. Not only is there no chance of winning anything, there’s no chance of keeping the likes of Yohan Cabaye, of building a team, when the asset-strippers hover like vultures. It’s amazing that St James’ Park sells out every game.
Newcastle have come to personify all that is wrong with the Premier League. Perhaps it’s because Newcastle make no pretences – helped by Mike Ashley’s image – that football as a game has been supplanted by football as a business. It makes economic sense to accept that without mega-rich owners, a global sponsorship reach, a cash-cow of a stadium, it is impossible to become a consistent Champions League club. So why not settle for the very lucrative life of a consistent Premier League club? But where’s the romance in that? And when do we start getting bored? Newcastle are not alone in this position of managed stasis. Southampton, for all the excellent work being done in youth development and the fact they currently sit fourth, are just as much of a selling club. As are Swansea, for all that they play decent football, and Everton, for all that they always find a way of punching above their weight.
What about Palace? Where are they going? What are their ambitions? The same as Newcastle: treading water. That ambition might have been more easily achieved at Newcastle, but it will be less of a ball-ache at Palace. Pardew will be treading water at his local pool, fans won’t be trying to drown him, and the owner won’t be selling armbands at Sports Direct.
Who would want the Newcastle job is less clear. Who is desperate enough to want to work with his hands tied, and who is cheap enough for Ashley?