Alan Pardew Handed 2-match Ban and £20,000 Fine For Spurs Ref Push

Alan Pardew will miss the matches against Everton and Chris Hughton's return to St. James' Park with Norwich City through this verdict. Pardew did not challenge the charge when it was brought by the FA (I mean... how could he? He put his hands on the 4th official no matter how you slice it.) but had requested a personal hearing with regard to the misconduct charge. I don't know that there's any way to tell whether this ended up being helpful or hurtful as 2 matches was about what I expected. 1 would have seemed light and 3 excessive for me. The match-day reigns will be turned over to John Carver, although I'm quite certain that Pardew will still be pulling the strings as the "touchline ban" merely means he cannot stand on the sideline for the aforementioned matches. He is allowed contact with the club at halftime and is allowed to be in contact with the coaching staff on the bench from the stands.