Pardew out: Newcastle manager to Crystal Palace

Alan Pardew has left Newcastle United to become the newest manager of Crystal Palace, according to multiple reports. His buyout, according to Luke Edwards of The Telegraph, will be £2.5 million.

Pardew was, of course, a player for Crystal Palace in the late 80s and early 90s, as evidenced by this gem:

Pardew's time at the helm of Newcastle was marked by inconsistency. In his first full season, the Toon reached fifth place, their highest finish since returning to the Premier League, before falling to 16th the very next year. His time was marked by streaks of all types - a six-match winning streak here, a seven-match losing streak there.

By the end of his tenure, the majority of the Toon Army wanted him out, despite his now-famous Manager of the Year trophy win in 2011-12. The poor results to start 2014 were certainly a factor, but the negative tactics, odd team selections, head-scratching loyalty to unproductive players, poor record on set pieces, eccentric affinity with left backs, public feuds with popular players, pitiful excuses after poor performances and results, over-reliance on talismanic players, insistence on playing injured players against medical advice, mismanagement of youth assets, and a series of boneheaded incidents on the pitch resulting in suspension all played a part as well.

Fifth place was nice. That was a fun year. It was a fun year that happened because Demba Ba and Papiss Cissé each went on other-worldly scoring runs that happened to run back to back. Fifth place was likely never going to happen again under Alan Pardew.

Part of that is down to Mike Ashley. Any manager under Ashley's reign is going to have to accomplish some pretty amazing things with one hand tied behind his back to earn the trust of the Geordie faithful. There may not be a manager alive that can overcome Ashley's influence. However, to suggest that Pardew is and was the man for the job is utterly quixotic.

He is to be thanked for his service. It is now time to move on, for today is a good day for Newcastle United fans.