It would therefore only seem natural for Pardew and Mike Ashley to take advantage of Remy’s reported relegation release clause of £8m, right? Absolutely not.
As Newcastle’s unfortunate streak of injuries continued, Pardew was left with no other option than to switch from his trusted 4-3-3 to a relatively unknown 3-5-2, which helped to unlock the true potential of Davide Santon.
Many Newcastle fans have blasted Pardew’s long ball approach seeing it as aimless and highly unproductive. It seems though that Pardew was attempting to play the tactic which was essentially created for Cabaye, without him.