Crouch ups pressure on Pardew

Premier League Stoke City 1 Newcastle United 0

The pressure on Newcastle manager Alan Pardew cranked up last night as his side were beaten 1-0 by Stoke at a rain-drenched Britannia Stadium.

Ahead of the match Magpies owner Mike Ashley — who the club insist was joking with the comment — said Pardew would be “finished” if it ended in defeat. And, certainly, it will be interesting to see what the future now holds for Pardew after a performance from the Tyneside outfit that hardly supported the case for him to keep his job.