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Newcastle have had a storming start to the season and, along with leaders Man City, are the only unbeaten team in the Premier League. And the Life’s A Pitch panel thinks the credit for this has to go to manager Alan Pardew.

“They’ve done absolutely brilliantly,” says David Walker of the Sunday Mirror of Newcastle’s season so far. ”Alan Pardew deserves immense credit. In fact, if we were handing out awards at this stage of the season, you’d probably say he’s the manager of the season so far. To get that group to where they are, unbeaten, is phenomenal. I take my hat off to Pardew, I think he’s done a brilliant job.”

Having a reputation for being a bit flash was just one of the reasons that Pardew was not most Newcastle fans’ first choice when he was appointed manager last December. But Dave Kidd of The People feels that his humble attitude since his arrival and managerial skill has helped improve his popularity at St James’ Park. ”He’s always been a good coach and a decent man-manager,” Dave explains. “And I think he’s slightly more humble [at Newcastle] than he might have been at times at West Ham. And he’s doing an outstanding job.”

Ian Ridley of the Express feels that not only has having a settled team helped Pardew, but also that controversial owner Mike Ashley has made no public comment. ”They do seem very settled,” he says. “And seeing as they’ve lost a left-back like José Enrique, they seem to have replaced very well. And [Fabricio] Colocinni has turned out to be David Luiz who can defend.

“One noticeable thing is that the owner has kept his mouth quiet. He’s not said anything over the last couple of months.”

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