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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has never been one to hold his opinions back when it comes to the transfer market, unafraid to stray from the pack and think on his own, but his latest idea that clubs should be limited in the future during January to no more than two signings per side is so far outside of the box it literally beggars belief and leads to the question, just when did he become so out of touch?

It’s become increasingly clear that the 63-year-old has some kind of aversion to spending money these days, with the club’s £8million move for Nacho Monreal on deadline day in the wake of Kieran Gibbs’ hamstring injury causing many supporters to hail the move for a player they didn’t really need as some sort of masterstroke, coming as a major surprise to most that the club had signed anyone at all. You see, Wenger is on a crusade when it comes to Financial Fair Play (FFP) in such a zealot-like fashion, that even a modicum of movement is hailed as the dawning of a new era.

Wenger took particular umbrage at the volume of Newcastle’s dealings this month, telling reporters: “I think it should be all completely cut out or limited to two players. It is unfair for the league that some teams who have played for example now Newcastle twice already have an advantage on teams who play Newcastle now they have bought six or seven players. You do not face exactly the same team so I believe the number of players you could buy should be limited.”

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The world according to Wenger is a very interesting place to be and unless you conduct your business by the values that he’s come to adopt in recent years then you are both reckless and irresponsible. Nevertheless, with just 14 Premier League games to go now in the campaign, just how much of an influence does he expect January acquisitions to have on the fate certain sides and the overall feel of the league table? How does it even directly effect him? To call the competition of the market place ‘unfair’ just shows how detached from reality he has become. Would it even be legal to limit freedom of movement in such a fashion?

Of course, this is not the first time that Wenger has gone off at the deep end over finances this month, when faced with questions on Theo Walcott’s future on January 5th at a press conference when discussing the topic of the club’s wage structure: “We pay well. We pay very well. I’ve spent all my life making sure people who work for us are paid well and I believe if you can do it, you do it, to pay something that makes sense and is defendable in front of every single player.

“We make exceptions sometimes but they are not maybe so high. If you want to keep making profit you have to respect that. We have no players on £200,000 a week and I think other clubs will come down to us with financial fair play. We have a more socialist model.”

Only at Arsenal, currently a club with the fourth-highest wage bill in the entire country, the most expensive average ticket price for fans, and where Walcott earned a £40k-a-week wage hike for dragging his heels, would Wenger call their wage structure a ‘socialist model’. It’s like a Peter Sellers movie; the deluded man at the helm spiralling out of control due to his own insistence that his is the right course of action. This stubborn stance in the face of an undeniable reality and an acceptance of where the game is at, is what has seen the club in irreversible decline under his stewardship in recent years. The real draining force on the Premier League is wages, not transfer fees.

His close alignment with the board has caused problems in the past and it will continue to do so in the future. The club are gambling on their future but in a completely different way to some of the richer clubs in Europe. However, you could argue that it’s just as reckless, by placing all of their eggs in one basket regarding FFP being enforced strictly by Uefa. Many see it as simply the latest step to ensure the status quo is kept at the top, with ambitious smaller clubs prevented from joining the cabal of the elite and spending their way to the top, while the sheer volume of ways at getting around the rules is sure to cause problems further down the line.

Try telling QPR, Fulham, West Ham or Reading fans that what their club have done this month constitutes being ‘unfair’. The January transfer window offers the last chance for many to ensure their top flight status for another year and putting a limit on comings and goings would rob them of the chance to be competitive and address the gaps in their squads. The poorer teams in the division simply wouldn’t stand a chance of turning their fortunes around, punished for not quite getting it right first time around in the summer. Now that would be unfair.

It’s notable that many of the teams above Arsenal in the league did very little in January despite possessing the budgets to adjust their apparent failings. Manchester City signed one youngster, Manchester United clinched a deal for Wilfried Zaha and then immediately loaned him back to Crystal Palace in the Championship for the rest of the season, Chelsea signed just one player, Demba Ba, while Tottenham signed two players for a grand total of £4.5m, with Everton bringing in Barnsley youngster John Stones for £3m. Ironically, Arsenal were the only club to spend upwards of £8m on any one player set to have an impact in the top six for the rest of the season, should we put a limit on how much a club can spend now too?

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The bean counters have been in control at Arsenal for quite some time now, which has just so happened to have coincided with the club falling from the pinnacle of the English game and struggling to make the top four. Arsene Wenger is a man with a wealth of experience in the game but his recent memory is tainted by seeing star players leave for bigger clubs in the pursuit of silverware year after year and his idea is merely a sign of a man trying to make sense of his lack of control and the chaos around him.

Punishing smaller clubs in the name of fairness is not a logical or rational plan by any stretch of the imagination and the self-proclaimed Socialist manager couldn’t have got it more wrong this time around.

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After turning 23 on Monday, Hector Bellerin still has a few years left before he’s truly entered his prime – the period of his career where the utmost consistency is expected and there will be inevitable discussions over whether he belongs in the bracket of world-class.

But by that point, the Spaniard should be something close to the total package, only adding extra experience to the qualities he’s already acquired, and while Bellerin remains an incredibly promising player, there are still clear weaknesses to his game.

The most significant of those are undoubtedly defensively, a typical consequence of former wingers who are converted into full-backs. Going forward, Bellerin’s natural talent is obvious – not only in terms of the speed in which he can join the attack to overlap, but also through the high level of technical quality you’d expect from a La Masia product. Sure, his output can be improved upon, finding two goals and one assist in the Premier League this season, but that will come with time. His confidence isn’t exactly at a career high either, such has been the humbling effect of another disappointing campaign for the north London club.

But for Bellerin to move into the realms of truly world-class over the next few years, his development must follow a similar path to Ashley Cole’s. It’s often forgotten that the former England man was once a forward in Arsenal’s academy setup, and while he earned praise during his first season in the first team for the dynamism, penetration and threat he offered going forward, it was only when he managed to combine it with an increasing consistency in defence he really became comparable with the likes of Paolo Maldini and Roberto Carlos.

At his peak, Cole was a full-back who could do it all going forwards and backwards, and that’s exactly what Bellerin should be aiming for as well.

Just a few weeks ago though, Lee Dixon dispelled one of the biggest myths behind the Invincibles and the end of Arsene Wenger’s most successful era at Arsenal. During the club’s AGM meeting, he told supporters that Le Prof wasn’t responsible for making Cole a world-class defender; that honour truly belonged to Tony Adams.

Of course, most Gunners fans wouldn’t be particularly surprised by this. Wenger inherited an iconic defence when he first arrived at Arsenal and the other most successful defender of his tenure was snatched from Tottenham Hotspur in Sol Campbell.

When you look the rest of Wenger’s record with both signing defenders and developing them, there aren’t a huge amount of success stories. Kolo Toure and Laurent Koscielny perhaps fall into that bracket, but neither have quite reached the level of world-class. After that, you’re left with the likes of Shkodran Mustafi, Thomas Vermaelen, Philippe Senderos, Johan Djourou and Calum Chambers – they all impressed after joining the club at relatively young age, but never really progressed from that point.

Admittedly, we’re mostly talking about centre-halves rather than full-backs, and Wenger does boast a much better track record there. Gael Clichy and Bacary Sagna both earned moves to Manchester City after consistently impressing for Arsenal, Lauren was a key part of the Invincibles side and Kieran Gibbs was always a decent option for the north Londoners when not blighted by injury.

But the question remains; how many of them were really world-class? If any of them were, perhaps excepting Sagna, it wasn’t because they could defend as well as they could attack.

Make no mistake, this isn’t another stick to beat Wenger with amid a period in which the majority of public opinion appears to be against him. He’s hardly the only manager in world football to focus more on attacking verve than defensive structure, and if anything his vision of full-backs becoming ultimately offensive-minded players has only become truer since he selected a former midfielder, Lauren, and forward, Cole, on either defensive flank of his Invincibles side.

But the problem now is the lack of role models Bellerin has to learn from. Cole had Adams, one of the toughest and most tactically astute defenders of his era, as well as a seasoned Martin Keown. Bellerin, at best, has Koscielny to lean on. The Frenchman, for all his qualities, just isn’t the same calibre of out-and-out, anticipatory, battling defender, and one high-profile figure behind the scenes at Arsenal recently lamented that he ‘isn’t reliable as he should be’.

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Even if Wenger’s approach of letting the art of defending be passed down from player-to-player rather than coach-to-player is an acceptable one, the level of nous has declined with practically every defence he’s constructed over the last 20 years.

Which all begs the question of where Bellerin – who Transfermarkt value at £31.5million – could receive that kind of education to balance out his game, and earlier this week the right-back was fittingly linked with a move to Manchester United. While there is a worrying lack of positivity around Old Trafford at the minute, and while their squad also lacks those stalwart type figures to impart defensive wisdom onto him, Jose Mourinho is the perfect manager to address those deficiencies in his game.

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Leicester City have not won in 12 Premier League games and now appear doomed to be dropping back into the Championship next season.

The Foxes started their campaign promisingly, with draws against Everton and Arsenal, before wins against Stoke and Manchester United. However unexpected wins against sides like the Red Devils are not what relegation survival is built on – this comes by beating the sides around you.

The Foxes had a chance to demonstrate that they could do this during their recent run of fixtures, yet instead have shown nothing of the sort. Problems have mounted across defence and attack and developing into bigger issues, including a distrust between Nigel Pearson and the fans.

Leicester have now not won in over three calendar months, gaining just two draws, with the results against their rivals suggesting there is no hope left.

This horrific run has included surrendering a 2-0 lead to draw at home to Burnley, who at that point were winless, with this result coming just after losing 2-0 at Crystal Palace. Leicester have also lost at West Brom, Aston Villa and Queens Park Rangers, results that are wholly unacceptable if you wish to stay up.  Moreover the Foxes have shown a total lack of mental fortitude, taking the lead at both Villa and QPR before ultimately surrendering.

The Foxes’ terrible recent run has highlighted huge problems at both ends of the pitch. In defence excellent goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has received an embarrassingly poor level of protection. Moreover, Schmeichel is now out for a month due to injury – surely even the most optimistic fans would admit all hope is gone.

Paul Konchesky embodies their defensive problems, as theoretically he has Premier league and international experiences to offer. However he’s had frequent discipline problems and has been caught out of position countless times, caught pushing forward when defensive solidity is desperately needed. The Foxes have kept just two clean sheets all season, and things are not exactly improving – they have conceded 11 in their last five.

In attack things are little better – at one stage the Foxes fired blanks in six games from seven this. These were against Crystal Palace, Newcastle, Swansea, West Brom, Southampton, Sunderland. Not exactly the Premier League giants, instead the sort of teams against which Leicester need results to survive. However, their goal threat is almost solely dependent on £8million summer signing Leonardo Ulloa, who is scoreless in three months after a promising start. However, even if he regains his previous form, this alone will be far from enough.

Leicester are also doomed because of an inherent disunity between the manager and the fans, who widely appear to believe that Pearson is no longer the right man for the job. The Leicester boss was called arrogant by the chairman of a supporters group, after refusing to apologise for abusing a fan after a 3-1 loss to Liverpool. This led to a £10,000 fine and a one-game touchline ban, while his relationship with the fans appears beyond recovery.

Leicester compare particularly unfavourably when examined alongside the two other promoted teams, QPR and Burnley. The Foxes romped to the Championship title last season with 102 points, giving them significantly more time to plan for next season than either of their rivals. However, while Leicester have faded drastically after a promising start, the other two are gradually improving and adopting the Premier league life. Burnley have gained 11pts from their last seven games, while QPR have 16 from their last 10, both significantly above relegation form after slow starts.

Some say it is too early to condemn the Foxes season because two wins will take them outside of the drop zone. However given their problems in management, defence, attack, an inability to beat relegation rivals and being winless in three months, can you honestly see them actually winning two games anytime soon? Thought so.

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The Foxes currently sit rock bottom with just 10 points from 17 games – at this rate they would gain just 22 points this season, an embarrassingly low figure. History shows that you need about 36 to have a realistic chance of survival. To reach this the Foxes would need to average 1.23 points per game from now on, nearly double their current average of 0.59. This appears a wholly unrealistic target given their current plight.

Though fans will inevitably call for mass and wild spending January transfer window in desperate hope of change, a pragmatic approach should be considered to protect the long-term health of the club. This involves accepting their impending fate and deciding whether Nigel Pearson is the right manager to bring an instant return to the Premier league. Whoever the manager will be, they must be given time, and parachute payments, to help the Foxes build towards a more promising future.

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The managers of both these football clubs entered the doors of sides with rich football heritage following success with newly promoted teams the season before.

They also share common ground in that they have found the expectations difficult to handle with both sides yet to truly hit top gear.

Liverpool have encouragement though to believe that Rodgers’s ideas may be finally getting across with their side looking to win their third match on the bounce on Saturday.

Aston Villa have cause for optimism too, having reached the League cup semi-final midweek and they are starting to collect points to lift them away from the drop zone, slowly but surely.

A trip to Anfield is not exactly a fixture they would have been looking for right now though in their mini revival.

Luis Suarez returns from his one match suspension at West Ham to bolster the Reds. Jose Enrique was taken off in last weekend’s resurgent comeback against the Hammers with a precautionary hamstring injury and should be fit to play, but Downing is expected to start instead. Nuri Sahin could also be set to return to the fold after a spell out. Martin Kelly and Fabio Borini remain away from action for a significant period of time.

Paul Lambert has an ever-growing injury list which will be a concern for the Villa boss. Joe Bennett (knee) missed Tuesday’s Capital One Cup win over Norwich City could feature. Captain Ron Vlaar (calf) and Enda Stevens (ankle) are unlikely to recover after spells on the sidelines.

Darren Bent was forced off at Carrow Road as his manager made the admission that he expect the England international to be out for four weeks.  Dunne and Gardener are still long term absentees.

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If Stewart Downing plays this could be a lucky omen for the Reds with him overdue a goal and his last Premier League goal was in this fixture for Aston Villa against Liverpool.

Prediction: Liverpool 3-0 Aston Villa

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Tottenham Hotspur will look to reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup when they face Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday, and Spurs fans want Lucas Moura to start on the wing to cause their former defender Kyle Naughton a real headache.

The north London outfit will know that the competition is now their only chance of ending their drought of a decade without a major trophy, but they will have to try and reach the final without Harry Kane after he was ruled out until the end of April with an ankle injury.

Meanwhile, January addition Lucas has been a regular in the FA Cup – impressing the fans with his displays – after finding regular minutes in the Premier League hard to come by, but the Wembley faithful want him to get the nod in south Wales with Kane absent, where he could come up against Naughton who has been featuring at left-back for the hosts.

Tottenham supporters have been quick to have their say on Lucas Moura via social media, and while one said “he will make Kyle Naughton look like a cone”, another said “I do want to see Moura get a start Sat”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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With over £150m spent and the most expensive XI in Premier League history fielded, Manchester United should be challenging for the top four this season. But after a kind run of fixtures and followed by the Chelsea and Man City clashes, United are only narrowly ahead of North East disaster zone Newcastle United.

Any chance of making it into the top four this season? We at FFC Towers have our doubts…

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CLICK ON SMALLING TO REVEAL THE THREE REASONS

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No depth at the back

Chris Smalling’s ridiculous double booking forced Michael Carrick on into a centre-back position. And the second half made things even worst for the Red Devils, with Marcos Rojo off injured, on came Paddy McNair. United’s back four: Valencia, McNair, Carrick and Shaw. Two teenagers and two midfielders. ‘Nuff said.

Robin van Persie is past it

Robin van Persie was horribly isolated once Smalling went off injured. It’s fair to say not much could be expected of the Dutchman, but the days in which he could occupy defenders on his own seem to be gone…

Rooney not captain material

Plopped back into the XI by Louis van Gaal, Rooney was expected to come good for United in the derby… after all, he usually does. But the England captain was off the pace, annoying his some of his own fans.

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A wintry Friday evening at Ewood Park greeted Cardiff City and their travelling band of 600 supporters, who were along with the nation watching on TV to see The Bluebirds chalk up a stupendous and rare away win to see-off fellow Championship promotion hopefuls Blackburn Rovers.

Cardiff fielded the three Craig’s Conway, Noone and Bellamy in an attack minded team that signaled Malky Mackay’s intent to take the game to Blackburn and send a message out to the chasing pack that The Bluebirds mean business and are not about to settle for anything less than promotion to the promised land.

It was a slow burning game initially with Craig Conway seemingly all over the pitch, first he produced a tracking run and tidy tackle that prevented Blackburn’s Jordan Rhodes from delivering a cross from the right after he had been allowed to run with the ball out wide, minutes later Andrew Taylor’s throw-in found Conway who was felled as he jinked away from his marker.

Craig Bellamy stepped up to take the resulting free kick, but his effort drifted disappointingly high of the back-post. It was to be Blackburn who had the first real chance  at goal, Mauro Formica wrong-footed Mark Hudson five yards outside the Cardiff area, the City captain lunged in with what can best be described as a clumsy challenge. Earning himself a yellow card from referee SimonHooper, Hudson’s fifth of the season meaning an automatic one match ban. City fans shook their heads in disbelief at the moment of madness from Hudson and pondered why the yellow cards are not wiped for Championship players at the end of November. The Cardiff City wall blocked the initial shot from the free-kick itself, then cleared the follow-up effort.

The match was a scrappy, even affair, until City poured forward on the counter-attack. Whittingham freed Don Cowie wide on the right and his deep cross found Craig Conway wide on the left who picked out Andrew Taylor on the overlap; it took two Rovers defenders to prevent Craig Noone from turning the cross home at the back-post. It served to spur on The Bluebirds.

On the half-hour mark tempers boiled over, several players were involved in a spot of handbagging in the centre-circle resulting in young Blackburn defender Jason Lowe being booked following his petulant reaction to his clash with Craig Bellamy. Cardiff wasted no time working the ball to right, where Noone who picked out Mark Hudson as he darted in-front of his marker Scott Dann and guided a header down and past the hopeless Blackburn ‘keeper Paul Robinson.

Minutes later a similar move very nearly doubled City’s lead. Craig Conway, playing with confidence on the Cardiff left, looked to have lost possession whilst trying to turn away from two defenders, but somehow he not only recovered his feet, but also stole the ball back flashing in across which was tantalisingly just centimetres away from making contact with Heidar Helguson’s head at the back-post.

Cardiff were now in control and running the show, twice they came just inches away from doubling their advantage before the break, Craig Noone was the catalyst on both occasions.

Half-time and Blackburn needing to change it up made a substitution: Colin Kazim-Richards replaced Markus Olsson. It seemed to work at the restart, Joshua King, blazed a decent chance high into the stands, before the on-loan Manchester United striker raced onto a ball in the left of the box before calmly slotting the ball past David Marshall to pull Blackburn level.

The home side invigorated poured on the pressure and Cardiff City could have found themselves behind as Colin Kazim-Richards powerful shot was deflected narrowly wide and Rovers bombarded the City box with a series of corners. Cardiff were staunch in their defence though and rode out the storm.

The Bluebirds retook the lead via local hero Craig Bellamy, who had enjoyed a fine spell as a Blackburn player and who had been greeted very warmly by the Blackburn supporters, but he was to be the catalyst in what followed which was to break many of their hearts.

Bellers picked up the ball on the edge of the area, played a one-two with Heider Helguson and taking the return pass onto his left, he jinked outside a defender, before firing back across Paul Robinson into the back of the net, to mass celebration from City players and supporters alike.

David Marshall then produced a stupendous save he had to readjust in mid-air after Jordan Rhodes’ shot was deflected, Rhodes was alert to the rebound though, he squared the ball to Formica at the back-post who crashed his effort off the bar it was to be his last contribution to the game as he was taken off and replaced by Fabio Nunes, Cardiff City also made a substitution: Kim Bo-Kyung on for Craig Noone,.

Jordan Rhodes who had looked alert all evening sparked a contentious moment midway through the second-half as he and Hudson tangled on the edge of the Cardiff area and Rhodes threw himself to the floor, replays later showed Hudson had made contact, but outside the box and that Rhodes had withstood that contact taken the ball on, but lost control before pulling off a dive that would have been worthy of Tom Daley!

Referee Simon Hooper was less impressed though and quickly waved away all Blackburn protestations much to The Bluebirds relief.

Blackburn continued to look dangerous going forward, and the game looked far from safe for the Bluebirds until Cardiff hit them on the break for a decisive third.

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Joe Mason, fresh and eager, took a Heidar Helguson flick-on , he wrong-footed his marker and to bore down on former England keeper Paul Robinson, one-on-one, the youngster calmly, simply and sweetly slid the ball home.

Just a minute later and the City faithful were delirious. A loose pass in midfield was pounced on by Kim Bo-Kyung who broke away, he played a neat one-two with Helguson on the left, before finishing clinically across Robinson.

Faithful Rovers supporters who had started to leave as the third goal went in started to pour out disgruntled, several launched their scarves angrily onto the pitch. These were elderly gentlemen and young female supporters it as to be noted normally the cornerstone of level-headed support at games, not petulant youths or the remnants of the old firm that still posture at the back of stands reliving their youth. A fact which was shocking and borne out by one man looking for all the world like everyone’s favourite grandfather, who was to be repeatedly shown launching his scarf furiously onto the pitch, well into the wee small hours on the news channels, a damming indictment of the modern game that fans are pushed to the point of breaking thanks to owners meddling with history, tradition and the very fabric of their team.

In the dying minutes of the game Rudy Gestede replaced Heidar Helguson, but all eyes were on the clock the final whistle blew Cardiff City were four points clear at the top going into the Christmas period. It felt great to be a Bluebird!

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Derby County are considering a loan move for Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham, which should free up Matej Vydra to join Leeds United, according to The Telegraph.

What’s the story?

Leeds United have long been linked with the Championship’s top goal scorer from last season, and it seems an £11million move for Vydra is imminent, particularly after he was excluded from Derby’s training camp, according to The Telegraph.

Who do you think will win the World Cup? Tell us here and win any World Cup shirt of your choice.

However, just in case Leeds fans needed further reassurances that the deal should be going ahead, The Telegraph also reports that new Derby boss Frank Lampard is looking to sign Tammy Abraham on loan from Chelsea as a replacement up top.

Good news for all concerned

Rams fans will have been resigned for some time that their star striker will be leaving this summer, but the news that Tammy Abraham could be joining will be a welcome relief.

The 20-year-old may not have hit the heights with Swansea last season but the speedy front man was on fire in his previous season in the Championship, scoring 23 goals for Bristol City.

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Derby will be replacing like for like with a lethal finisher and if both Championship clubs are successful in signing their targets then it could be an interesting race for the Golden Boot next season.

Jonjo Shelvey has been one of Newcastle’s most pivotal players of late, with the England international partnering Mo Diame in the heart of the United midfield.

Statistics rarely lie, but despite not fashioning a goal or an assist this season, Shelvey’s contribution to the Magpies goes beyond the numbers and the knee injury he picked up against Bournemouth has left a gaping hole in Rafael Benitez’s midfield.

Shelvey’s value is undoubtedly high for the Tyneside club, with the player currently valued at £10m by transfermarkt.com , but would that transfer to other teams who are struggling to stay up in the Premier League – such as West Ham?

The Hammers have their own midfield workhorses who have partnered up more fluently as the season has gone in Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate.

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Kouyate has struggled this season to perform consistently with knee and hamstring injuries causing issues, but Mark Noble is a tried and tested central midfielder with a long pedigree at West Ham.

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Shelvey has been around the block a few times too, with a storied Premier League career that has seen him wear the colours of Liverpool and Swansea as a first-team player, but could he muscle his way into the Hammers midfield?

We’ll let Hammers fans decide – have your say by voting below…

Alan Pardew has reportedly been told he has the next two league games to prove that he is the right man for the job.

Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley has grown impatient in waiting for the Magpies’ form to return to that of the first part of last season, but is now the right time to call time on The Englishman’s reign at St. James’ Park?

Newcastle are still without their first win in the Premier League so far this season and although the only game they’ve lost was versus Manchester City, The Toon failed to take the full points from Hull City and also Crystal Palace – where they took the lead in the 88th minute. Ashley was angered with Pardew’s decision to play five first-team players in the Capital One Cup game against Gillingham days before the Crystal Palace clash, as he felt this was to blame for them conceding a late equaliser.

There’s no doubting that in an ideal world for Pardew his side would have comfortably put The Tigers and The Eagles away, but if his side fail to win either of their next two fixtures, Pardew will have some explaining to do. I certainly understand Mike Ashley’s frustration as he must have been licking his lips when the fixture list was announced. Apart from the opening day clash with City, The Toon don’t have another tie against a top six side (from last season) until late October.

There’s therefore no reason why Ashley shouldn’t have expected that his side would be in the top six themselves come late October. Of course they still could be but they’ve already dropped four winnable points from two games. The owner is well within his rights to expect this level of performance after giving a generous £37m transfer budget for Pardew to use – the eighth largest budget in the Premier League.

The Magpies’ decline has come since the turn of the year and since 2014 began they’ve picked up only 18 points from a possible 66, so this is no rash decision to give an ultimatum to Pardew. I do however wonder why he was allowed to continue through pre-season  and spend the large transfer budget if he was only going to be given a short period of time to get it right again? After all it’s only two years since the ex-West Ham boss signed an eight year contract with the club. Last year’s biggest overachievers Everton actually failed to pick up a victory in any of their opening three Premier League fixtures last year and of all those sides finished inside the bottom four! The Toffees still managed to finish fifth and that opening blip was a distant memory for supporters. Just a little bit of evidence that a disappointing start isn’t season defining.

I think that Mike Ashley really missed his chance to offload Pardew when things were on the downfall when he was involved in the head-butt incident with Hull City’s David Meyler. The owner stuck with him and now he has seemingly decided that he HAS had enough. Ashely doesn’t strike me as an owner who will hesitate to do what he thinks is right but now doesn’t seem the right time to do so. It’s both too late and too early to sack Pardew – the obvious time to end his reign of the Geordies was either post-head-butt or after the season was over, but now that he’s spent all of the club’s budget and after just three league matches, which Everton proved last season isn’t decisive, is a bizarre time to realise you now don’t want him.

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