THE pressure on Alan Pardew intensified in the wake of Newcastle’s four-goal humiliation at the hands of Southampton on Saturday, although Mike Ashley has decided not to dismiss his embattled manager yet. Chief Sports Writer Scott Wilson assesses the arguments for and against.

REASONS TO SACK PARDEW

The complete breakdown of his relationship with the fans

Normally, when a manager loses the support of his fanbase, it is possible to imagine a couple of positive results turning things around. That is not the case here, with Pardew’s relationship with Newcastle’s supporters having suffered irreparable damage.

The Northern Echo:

The discontent that was evident in the closing stages of last season, forcing Pardew to remain in the dug-out for the final home game against Cardiff, abated slightly over the summer. Four games into the new campaign, however, and it has returned with a vengeance.

The atmosphere at St James’ Park on Saturday will be poisonous, and even if Newcastle beat Hull, the anti-Pardew chants and banners will return as soon as results begin to dip again. How can such a caustic mood be of benefit to anyone?

A dreadful record over the calendar year

We might only be four games into a new Premier League season, but Newcastle’s struggles can hardly be said to be a recent occurrence. This has been going on since at least the turn of the year.

The Magpies have won five league matches in 2014, picking up 18 points from a possible 69. In nine of the 23 games they have played, they have conceded three or more goals. Clearly, over the course of a whole campaign, that form would see Newcastle relegated.

The Northern Echo:

Most of the excuses Pardew was trotting out at the end of last season do not exist anymore, but the winless run continues and, if anything, the Magpies looked more hapless than ever at the weekend. Pardew has had time to arrest the slide – but has failed.

A failure to get the best out of his players

One of the main criticisms levelled at Pardew is that he has failed to develop or improve a large number of the players under his control. Given that he was presented with seven new players to work with this summer, that is clearly a concern.

Hatem Ben Arfa and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa are the most obvious examples of players that have been tossed aside under Pardew, but there are plenty more who have either stagnated or failed to progress as expected since moving to St James’ Park.

The Northern Echo: Hatem Ben Arfa

The likes of Papiss Cisse, Moussa Sissoko, Yoan Gouffran, Sylvain Marveaux and Gabriel Obertan all arrived with lofty reputations, but it is impossible to say that any have lived up to their billing under Pardew.

A new face would re-energise the squad

If you’re thinking of changing your manager, the first question to ask is, ‘Would a different boss get more out of the current squad?’ To which the only answer in terms of Newcastle would be, ‘They couldn’t do any worse’.

The Northern Echo:

For all that their recent performances have been dreadful, this is not an abject Newcastle squad. It is certainly no worse than the vast majority of teams in the bottom half of the table, and arguably just as good as the Aston Villa side currently sitting in second.

A change in tactics and mood could be just what is required to draw a line under previous failings and create the environment for a new beginning. But that will not happen if Pardew remains in charge.

REASONS TO KEEP PARDEW

It was always going to take time for a new team to gel

For all that the second half of last season was desperate, it could be argued that it is unfair to lump that on top of the current struggles and conclude that Pardew needs to go.

The arrival of seven new faces this summer – nine if you include Jamaal Lascelles and Karl Darlow, who were loaned back to Nottingham Forest – was always going to create a state of flux, especially when a large number of the signings were coming from overseas.

Might it not be fairer to judge Pardew’s performance once the likes of Remy Cabella, Daryl Janmaat and Emmanuel Riviere have had longer to get used to the demands of the Premier League? Is four matches a long enough spell in which to judge a new team’s performance?

The Northern Echo:

His dismissal wouldn’t address the wider problems at the club

He might be the public face of Newcastle United, but it is hard to claim that Pardew is the figure wielding meaningful power at St James’ Park. He doesn’t dictate transfer policy, has no say at all over budgets and is not the one banning journalists and media organisations seemingly at will.

So many of Newcastle’s current problems are a throwback to the decision not to make a single permanent signing in successive transfer windows, and while supporters are clearly furious at Pardew, they are equally unhappy with Mike Ashley and Lee Charnley.

The Northern Echo:

Getting rid of Pardew wouldn’t suddenly make Newcastle big net spenders in the transfer market or improve the club’s treatment of its fans. Only a change at the very top would do that, and Ashley has already stressed he will not be selling until the end of next season at the earliest.

A lack of credible alternatives

If Newcastle were to dismiss Pardew, the next job would be to appoint his successor. As a weight of previous evidence proves though, Ashley wouldn’t necessarily appoint the best man for the job, rather the person most willing to carry out his bidding.

Steve Bruce, Tony Pulis and David Moyes were mentioned as potential options over the weekend, but all are figures who like to have a major say over transfer matters and who would not take kindly to being dictated to from above.

The Northern Echo:

That would effectively rule them out of the running, and while some might argue anyone would be better than Pardew, others might conclude it is ‘better the devil you know’. What price a return for Joe Kinnear or Dennis Wise?

At least Pardew knows how to deal with the St James’ Park politics

While Pardew has overseen a marked decline in results over the last couple of seasons, at least he has held Newcastle together and avoided a complete collapse. That might seem like a minor triumph, but it is still an achievement of sorts.

The Northern Echo:

So much is wrong at Newcastle at the moment that limping along from one week to the next is perhaps the best that can be expected under the current regime.

That might seem like a ridiculous thing to say of a club that continues to attract more than 50,000 supporters to a majority of home games, but is it the reality of life in the St James’ Park circus?