For my mind, there isn't a lot between 60/70% of the PL teams and it basically comes down to the quality of players and organisation. Despite some disappointing performances we rarely look disorganised, but we have looked bereft of creativity. This is something most of us hope will be addressed with Bentenke (or other) plus one or two others. Clearly Pardew knows this hence his comments and the Bentenke bid. Personally I think he is good at man management and organising a team, but I think perhaps he needs a number two with a few ideas to mix things up when needed.

Newcastle are a mess and it may well take a few years before they can change that. The Championship is a different game to the PL. It requires grit and team effort, which is what Newcastle have lacked in recent years. I'm not convinced Benitez is the right man for that job as he is a great tactician but perhaps not the motivator that is often needed in the second tier. Ironically, I think Pardew is more suited to that role

Listen to it and do what? I don't understand what course of action a small portion of Palace fans on a forum are meant to do in reaction to this sage advice. I'm not casting my opinion either way as to whether the Newcastle fans are correct or not. I'm not blind, we've had some pretty poor form this year. However, you seem to be implying that we ought to read the words from these Newcastle fans and then DO something. But you haven't yet said what your plan is. I am listening.

Sure thing lil buddy.

Edited by TheFish (17 Aug 2016 9.48am)

There is a difference between Newcastle and palace. Newcastle is a huge wealthy club with massive expectations that rarely delivers. We are a club that spent decades in decay. We watched the football world explode as we sat on the side lines slowly rotting away.

At Newcastle pardew did ok. Yes he was hampered by the management. Yes there were probably those who could have done better. But he did ok and they would still be in this league had he stayed, no doubt bumping up and down the table.

Here he is hampered by our history. We continue to play catch up despite 3 years earning the money. Our infrastructure has received a boost from US investment but that remains cash in bank until we can get passed the myriad of issues required for developing in London. I think we are still chained to our fears about going bust, having experienced administration twice, and this feeds into our business dealings, hence the prolonged saga of benteke and the new ground.

In short we are a small club punching above its weight. We progress in small steps, fearful of biting more than we can chew. In a few years we will be Stoke, then Southampton and perhaps if we play the game with skill we will be spurs.

The trouble with such a sensible policy is it has to be done with the mouse click generation on your back. They want instant gratification and they want it NOW! You only have to read some of the dumb ass comments on this site about sacking pardew, giving Liverpool whatever they want for benteke and other simple minded ruinous suggestions.

For my part, he is not the best manager available but he is a good fit with us for now. We will bump along in this division as we continue to get established and the club will build and develop to the point where he is too small for us.

That time is not now.

Do you honestly think we don't know that Ashley is the underlying problem? Of course it's his fault, we all know it's his fault. He didn't invest 7 years ago and we went down, he brought in his cronies who knew nothing, he brought in yes men, he brought in Pardew when Hughton was doing a grand job, he daubed our amazing stadium with tacky shop adverts, he agreed to a legal loan shark's sponsorship of our shirts, he's agreed to sales of our best players and failed to replace them, he's based a transfer policy on his tat-mongering empire.

However, none of us have the money to buy him out, he doesn't want to sell and unless both of those things change there's very little we can do. We've protested, we've boycotted, we've walked out and nothing phases the fat Spurs fan. Until we pull together his inflated valuation of the club he's not moving.

And there are arguments that he's learnt his lesson. We've spent money on players that should allow a very good manager to get us back into the Premier League. That manager has been given cast-iron assurances that if and when we return his control won't be lessened.

But you crack on with your cliches, if it helps?

What utter tripe. I hope that the Toon fans contributing (rather sensibly) to this debate realise that not all Palace fans spout such claptrap