Premier League Safety Assured. What Next?

With only a Steve Harper-themed celebration separating Newcastle from the summer break, it's time to look ahead to next season. The task facing the club is simple: figure out how and why this particular team underachieved so drastically, and prevent it from happening again. To that end, there are plenty of decisions to be made, starting this week. In order, here's what the board needs to address:

Alan Pardew's future

His legion of detractors can't be happy to hear the news, but it's looking more and more likely that staying in the Premier League was good enough to keep Pardew employed at the club. Whether that turns out to be the case or not, Newcastle needs to figure out the manager situation in a hurry. The big issue with replacing Pardew would be finding someone demonstrably better. Obviously, someone like Rafa Benítez is a level up, but most of the other names mentioned have similarly shaky track records. Any new manager must also be willing to give up some control over his transfers, a constraint many top-tier bosses would balk at.

If the board does decide to stick with Pardew, he needs to answer for this season. "A plan detailing how he intends to solve Newcastle United's problems" would be a good start. That plan should also include the tactics he expects will get the best out of the club's key players, and a discussion with Graham Carr about who to bring in over the summer. Those types of plans seemed to be sorely missing this season, as Newcastle failed to establish any pattern to its play whatsoever. Sunday's win was a perfect example. The goals that kept the club up came via mistakes by José Bosingwa, not as part of any attacking strategy.

Transfer priorities: front line first

The biggest question the manager needs to sort out with Carr is what sort of player to bring in up front. To use two often-rumored players as archetypes: does Newcastle need an Andy Carroll or a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang? A big, physical player would help fix the weakness from crosses and corners, while a speedy winger/striker would work well in a fluid front three. (Though as we've previously discussed, Aubameyang himself thrives in a longball-oriented style right now.)

Euro 2012 hamstrung Newcastle's pursuit of Mathieu Debuchy, as Lille hoped to profit from the right back's performance, but there is no showcase event this time around. Whoever the club identifies on its striker shortlist should be pursued with gusto, in hopes of bringing him in before the preseason starts. I'll be doing my part to help with that shortlist later this week, by offering two slightly cheaper Aubameyang types for the club to consider if it fails to sign the Saint-Etienne star.

Outgoing transfers: question marks galore

If Mike Ashley had planned on selling any of his stars for a profit this summer, poor performances may have put those ideas on hold. Rival clubs won't be bidding high on the likes of Yohan Cabaye or Cheick Tioté after the seasons they've had, and Hatem Ben Arfa's injuries will cap his value as well. 

But the biggest questions on the outgoing front will be around Fabricio Coloccini. After weeks of being written off by fans who downplayed his importance (including yours truly), Coloccini may have saved his best two performances of the season for the last two weeks, marshaling a back four that looked lost without him. 

With a coherent plan from Pardew, one more addition up front, and Coloccini deciding to stay with the club, next season could be a promising one indeed. But after having lived through the last few months, it's hard not to expect that come August, the manager will still be flailing tactically, Papiss Cissé will continue to be a mismatched piece, and Steven Taylor and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa will keep playing like two guys who met each other 10 minutes before kickoff. It's shaping up to be a summer where things could go very right...or shockingly wrong.

Comments

[greg]

Could Alan Pardew turn things around again for Newcastle? I don't see how or even agree that he turned the fortunes of the toon for the better since he came here, he has however turned them for the worse. We were playing well under Hughton before he came. Hughton's style of football was far more entertaining to watch than the boring long ball defensive crap we are now served up with. The success Pardew had was partly handed to him by Hughton who was also responsible for bring Carr to the club. What has changed in the club to make us so poor? the manager.
We did over achieve last season but we did not play attractive football relying heavily on long balls and Demba Ba's ability to control them. We don't have anyone capable of receiving a long high ball except for Shola Ba has left but we are still trying to play to him. How many goals have we scored from corners since Pardew came, have we scored any?

Hughton has not had a great season but he has not got a massive club like Newcastle behind him however the football Norwich play is at least watchable unlike ours.

The first thing we need is a MANAGER! we will not improve under Pardew.

[Mathew]

I've gone back and forth this season wit Pardew, if he should stay or go. One thing that has come to mind in the recent week is how close the bottom half of the league actually is! Look, we could still, mathematically finish 10th!! From relegation bound to 10th in 2 weeks, really?!?
Southampton, Fulham, Villa, Sunderland and Wigan are all still in peril (IF wigan win today) And Hughton also had a brush with a relegation scare this season too!

I think for Newcastle if we'd had a couple more wins earlier in the season and not been part of the last month's drama, 'sack Pardew' wouldn't be on anyone lips.

The big thing is selling the 'stars' at Newcastle we're a serious club that will invest in next season, unlike this one. Either lock up Colo to an extension, more money and an all expenses paid trip home to see family OR sell him and replace him. Along with that ship off Danny Simpson and use the money to get a big, strong, scary central defender! Second, go out and find a strike partner for Cisse! Someone who can hold it up, pass it and also win the ball in the air. Take the pressure of Cisse up front and let him get his lose confidence back.
As for Pardew, I agree his tactics and choice of words this season have been baffling. But a top 10 finish and a good game this weekend will make all the difference.

[Matt]

I don't know how my co-bloggers feel, but I'm with you, Mathew - firmly on the fence on Pardew. Right now, I'm just accepting he'll be here next season and trying to figure out what he and the team can do to improve.

As far as incomings - definitely a CB if Coloccini leaves, though I'm now really hoping he'll stay. I don't think anyone can question his captaincy after his performances the last two weeks. As I said in this post, I already have two other winger-type forwards in mind for NUFC, assuming someone else gets Aubameyang. But if Pardew changes his mind and wants to play two up top, that means getting a different sort of player.

And for this team to finish 10th after the season it's had is a pretty big indictment of the bottom half of the Premier League, as Tom tweeted over the weekend. It's a sign that a scare like this really should not happen as long as this club has a plan on and off the field.

[Mathew]

I think more than anything, the club this season suffered from NOT doing an American tour. Fact is we finished 5th last year and happened to be after a US visit... just saying.

[Matt]

Apparently a US tour is something being considered, though why NUFC is always so opaque about its preseason plans is really curious. Unlike Bob and Tom, I couldn't make it to any of the dates in 2011, so I'm really hoping the rumors turn out to be true!

[Dave from Newcastle]

To foist most of the blame on Pardew for this season is so incredibly myopic that I would have to disregard everything else the poster would have to say. The blame game pie chart would be spread all over the organization, although I will certainly admit that the largest slice rests with the manager. That said, how does someone go from Manager of the Year to complete clod over the Summer? My guess is Pardew is a 8th-10th place Manager. It's the same with Cisse- is he the guy who defied physics last year or the guy who defied every rule of scoring this year? In reality, he's probably in the middle.

The players, the owner, the front office, the training staff, the injuries, the schedule, they all would earn slices of the pie for the performance this season- although I see the schedule as more of an excuse than a reason. The schedule should not have been a surprise- we all knew the team would have to play 8 extra Thursday games in the fall and yet the decision was made to add 2 players who saw the field in those games- despite the fact they had a grumpy striker and a team that stayed relatively healthy the prior season.

But going back to Pards- I am totally on the fence as well and my comments should not be taken as defending or making excuses for him. Out of 38 league games this year how many did some of us comment "what the heck is our plan today?" At least half, right? Inexcusable. I've said on this site before that his best move all year was throwing the FA Cup Match. Again, that was his BEST move all year.
I've also said that if you are going to make the move then you must have someone better lined up otherwise you look like idiots. The fact that Rafa and Mancini are avail and reportedly want to stay in the PL...well, that would be enough for me to make the move.

[rob]

I feel Cisse would partner better with a big, physical striker rather than a small, faster one. Guys who can control balls in the air and lay them off for Papiss help him to get the ball in places towards the middle of the field. Cisse gets into trouble when he goes off the sides to try and get the ball and having a large striker up top with him to help get him service I feel would really benefit him.

[Jaeger]

agree with rob on the big striker coming in... and then we'd have someone to target besides willo on corners....

im ok with giving pardew the start of next season to work with all the french players in the summer to make a more cohesive group... he can strategize all he wants but he cant make the players do that and its not like the situation may always present itself. players out of form can make tactics look like crap too.

hope we can regroup and would think we can crack the top 8 next year.

[Mathew]

I'm leaning more and more towards keeping Pards. I think it's been proven that stability often wins out, as long you don't get relegated. However the difference between top 4 and the rest is money. Real investment, smart scouting and good youth programs.

While Newcastle has to build their squad up - Pardew and his staff need to work on having them play as a team. That was clearly lacking in the Derby the Liverpool game and second half against QPR!

I'm just glad we're still in the Premier league and can enjoy the summer!

[Peter]

Your constant negativity is getting tiresome - imagine what it must be like for the people who live with you and have to put up with your negativity in everyday matters not just football - poor guys.

[Rob M]

How about making a move to bring in Wayne Rooney? I am sure he would get along fine with the French lads.

[Mathew]

Negativity?

[Newcastle]

Wayne Rooney move can be a possibility and he is just the kind of a 5 star player we need to build our pr and bring a couple of more good players..