Newcastle Legend Rob Lee Defends Alan Pardew

Former midfielder latest to say calls for the sack aren't well-considered.

Former Newcastle midfielder Rob Lee has joined the list of former players and media personalities who think Alan Pardew is hard done by. Already martyred by a portion of the press and presented as a hang-dog trying to push water up a hill with dignity and grace, the manager has now been basically called a victim by Lee on Talksport. He was very keen to stress how bad it must be to work under Mike Ashley, who never spends any money (despite £35m being made available this summer), and who sells all the best players (Carroll's departure was right, Ba was unavoidable and Cabaye and Debuchy insisted on moves). Yes, the owner has his problems, but he's not an impossible boss, despite what Lee suggests:
"I think the problem is, if you change who are you going to change him for? With Mike Ashley running the ship and... pulling the purse strings, what manager is going to work with him under the circumstances?"
Lee also went on to qualify that Pardew has been a manager in the Premier League for a long time, and should know that he needs Premier league goal-scorers, suggesting he lays blame at the transfer team for failing to address known issues. That clearly has more legs, though this summer we were told to expect more involvement in deals from Pardew, so he can't be let off the hook entirely, especially as he consciously swerved the opportunity to mention the need for a Premier League quality striker. While it is tempting to suggest that the opinions of former players - particularly beloved ones like Lee - should be classed as somehow better than those of us mere mortals, his is no more than a removed observer's thoughts. The landscape at Newcastle has changed dramatically since the times of Lee, Shearer and Sir Bobby Robson, and though he is quick to criticise the transfer policy of buying younger, cheaper players, it was some of his team-mates who proved exactly why it was necessary in the longer term. To be fair to Lee, he did admit that something seismic will have to change at Newcastle, as there are issues with the owner, the manager and indeed the players.
 
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