Although Newcastle reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League, where they were a little unfortunate to lose to Benfica, a poor Premier League season was compounded by early exits in both the League and FA Cups.
That had led to mounting criticism of the Newcastle boss, but Ashley and managing director Derek Llambias are willing to listen to his reasons for failing to build on last season’s highly impressive fifth-place finish.
It has been a tough few months for everyone associated with the club, but having given the 51-year-old an eight-year contract last September, there is a willingness to give him a chance to prove he can still establish Newcastle as a consistent top-eight Premier League side. However, a final decision on Pardew’s future will not be made until after those discussions have taken place.
Pardew has already hinted he would like to bring more Premier League experience to the club rather than just rely on foreign imports. Newcastle spent heavily in the January transfer window to sign five players from France, who have so far adapted to English football with mixed results.
There is also a fear that some of the club’s best players will ask to leave in the summer. Midfielder Yohan Cabaye has been linked with Paris St-Germain, playmaker Hatem Ben Arfa is a transfer target for Liverpool, while captain Fabricio Coloccini has made no secret of his desire to go back home to Argentina for personal reasons.
Meanwhile, Pardew has been forced to explain that his comments on Sunday about 'not caring' if Newcastle lost 4-0 at home to Arsenal in their final game were a joke.
“It is definitely not the case that I would be happy for us to lose 4-0 against Arsenal on Sunday,” he told the club’s official website. “I simply want our players and fans to be able to enjoy the game without looking over their shoulders.
"Even though we are now safe we will be putting in the same effort that we would for any other Premier League game. Our last two results at St James’ Park – against Sunderland and Liverpool – have been nowhere near good enough, and Sunday gives us the chance to put that right.”
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