Pardew frustrated by FA (From The Northern Echo)

Pardew frustrated by FA

8:00am Wednesday 1st February 2012 in Newcastle United News By Paul Fraser, Chief Football Writer

AFTER a relatively quiet deadline day at Newcastle United, manager Alan Pardew was keen to turn the focus on the Football Association last night after trial by television left key-man Yohan Cabaye in hot water.

The Magpies have asked for their appeal against the French midfielder's charge of violent conduct - after replays allegedly showed he stamped on Adam El-Abd during Saturday's FA Cup at Brighton - to be fast-tracked.

It means Cabaye will find out this morning whether a three-match ban will kick in straight away, meaning he would miss tonight's Premier League fixture at Blackburn.

The situation has frustrated Pardew and has been told by Brighton that El-Abd, who initially felt the incident deserved a dismissal, has since written to the FA to defend Cabaye's actions.

Pardew feels the situation was not helped by the attention it received on broadcaster ESPN, when presenter Ray Stubbs, a former Tranmere player, talked things over with Steve Harper and John Barnes at full-time.

The Newcastle manager said: "When you think about it - and I said this to Ray Stubbs on Monday night when I spoke to him - here I am as a football manager, your job is as a presenter. You present and ask questions.

"When both professionals who are on that show both say 'it wasn't a foul in my mind' I don't see why the debate has to carry on. Why does he pursue it? He's not the expert is he?"

He added: "What the slow motion pictures highlight is absolutely not a fair reflection. I feel the unfortunate part of it is that Yohan caught him in the face because I think the player understood that he was trying to push him away as he went on him."

What has infuriated Pardew the most is that Newcastle, who travel to Ewood Park today, are not even in a position to attend the appeal hearing because of the fast-track system.

"We get the result in the morning. So he would be banned immediately," said Pardew last night. "How can I even prepare my team? Am I going to have Cabaye in or out? It just can't be right. "To have this fast-track where we play Saturday night, so we've got Monday, Tuesday and then a game on Wednesday. To only find out on Wednesday morning, it can't be right.

"Either he plays at Blackburn and we appeal on Thursday and that gives me the chance to prepare my team and then OK, can we defend him? In our rules, no, but I think those rules are wrong. That rule should be looked at."

Stubbs has apologised to Pardew, who remains "livid" at the way events have transpired. His feelings would be even stronger if the three-match ban was extended rather than rescinded.

While he awaits a favourable outcome this morning, he is more than happy with the events of the last month on the transfer front.

An ideal turn of events would have been to bolster his defensive options by finally persuading Watford to sell Adrian Mariappa, who played for the Hornets last night.

Despite one last move to tempt the Hornets, Newcastle were unable to strike a deal and James Perch, Mike Williamson and Davide Santon will provide the back-up to Fabricio Coloccini for the rest of the season.

Newcastle, whose highest offer was thought to be around the £2m mark, were not prepared to match Wigan's £2.5m offer.

Even though the 25-year-old rejected the chance to move to the Latics, the centre-back will now see out the season knowing there is also interest from Tottenham and Arsenal.

Pardew said: "There were one or two around that I could have taken, but I'm kind of thinking should I hold fire and wait for the summer and get a better deal and a better player maybe? But I do feel buoyed by Perch's performances."

Newcastle are likely to step up interest in Ajax's Jan Vertonghen and FC Twente's Douglas come June, while Montpellier's Mapu Yanga-Mbiwa is also a realistic alternative.

But any disappointment Pardew might have felt has been far out-weighed by Newcastle's success in keeping his best players. Twelve months after losing Andy Carroll on deadline day, Pardew knows he will have Tim Krul, Coloccini, Cheik Tiote and Demba Ba for the rest of the season.

"It goes down as a success for me," said Pardew, who also spent £9m on striker Papiss Cisse. "If someone had offered me it at the start of the season, I'd have taken it."

Cisse and Ba have not returned from Africa Cup of Nations duty in time to face Blackburn. They are expected back tomorrow and will come in to contention for Sunday's date with Aston Villa.

* Right-back James Tavernier, meanwhile, has joined Alan Smith at League One side MK Dons for the rest of the season.

* Leon Best remains with Newcastle after Celtic's offer late last night was rejected.