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Tim Krul and Alan Pardew have been named Barclays Premier League Player and Manager of the Month, respectively, for November. Pardew received recognition for Newcastle's four game win streak, which just so happened to coincide with the beginning and end of a calendar month, and Krul beat out fellow nominees Loic Remy and Yoan Gouffran thanks in large part to his 14-save performance at White Hart Lane against Tottenham Hotspur. He kept another clean sheet on the month as well.
The awards were announced a few hours ago, and already the Newcastle corners of the internet are expressing dismay at two of their representatives being honored so soon after a loss, even if it happened in December. I just can't get there. For one thing, there's not an award that means less than the Player/Manager of the Month. How should we honor the players that have a run of good form that starts in the middle of one month and ends in the middle of the next? And since when did one month a season make?
No, the winning streak was not indicative of a new era for Newcastle, but it happened, so what's wrong with a little recognition? Pardew gets a bullet point for his CV and bragging rights whenever he and Joe Kinnear sit down for tea. And no, this doesn't save his job, because despite what the extreme fringe of the #PardewOut crowd might think, he's not on the verge of being sacked. Similarly, Tim Krul, who had a less than stellar game against Swansea, stood on his head and gave this club three points they otherwise did not earn.
Awards like this can be good for confidence. As Krul himself said after being informed of the award:
It's nice that we have been recognised and appreciated with this award. It's definitely going to take pride of place in my house. Spurs was a major highlight - the best moment of my career - and it was so good to get that clean sheet in the end.
[via nufc.co.uk]
I find it hard to argue with that.
