Pardew - Not Manager Of The Year?! What?!

If you think Alan Pardew is a shoe-in for LMA Manager Of The Year seeing as he has taken a much maligned NUFC team 'tipped' for relegation troubles, to within touching distance of the Champions League places...apparently you'd be wrong! According to the bookies and pundits anyway.


As it stands Brendan Rodgers of Swansea is the favourite to take the award after a brilliant first season in the Prem, playing quality football to go along with it.


Now I admire Swansea's style as much as the next man, but how can anyone say that a mid table finish for them is a bigger achievement than what Pardew has done with NUFC? In fact, if you look at it, what Swansea are doing in finishing mid-table in their first season back in the big time, is exactly what NUFC and West Brom did last season...so where is the award for Hughton/Pardew or Di Matteo/Hodgson then? Not even a mention. The only thing RDM and Hughton got was the sack!


If Brendan Rodgers walks away with the award ahead of Pard's then it must be down to his character as well as his style of playing the game. Pardew does seem a bit smug and has his run in with fellow managers, whereas Rodgers seems a all round likeable bloke. But this shouldn't matter.


What Pardew has done for NUFC this season in breaking up and cementing a top 6 place in the league by April, with a team that cost ZERO in Net spend at the start of the season (less than Swansea), is nothing short of a footballing miracle. Especially when you consider NUFC were in the Championship (like Swansea) 2 seasons ago.


The odds are 6/4 favourite Rodgers with Pardew second favourite at 7/2...I for one am going to find myself a free bet from a game bookmaker and stick it on Pard's in the hope the LMA Managers Association do the right thing that nobody could argue with.