Why Alan Pardew and Newcastle's Premier League Revival Might Not Last

After extending their Premier League winning streak to four games with a 2-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion, Newcastle United's fortunes are finally looking up after enduring a torrid 2014.

Alan Pardew's men have looked like a team reborn in recent weeks, but their biggest challenge of the season lies just ahead.

The Magpies' turnaround has been nothing short of exceptional, and the club are deservedly enjoying a renewed sense of optimism both on and off the pitch.

The north-east outfit have been particularly buoyed by the news that popular winger Jonas Gutierrez has been given the all-clear following treatment for testicular cancer.

"It's massive news for the squad because he is a much-loved figure here at the Club," Pardew told Steven Back of nufc.co.uk.

Meanwhile, their summer signings—Ayoze Perez and Daryl Janmaat in particular—are starting to jell with their team-mates, and the exciting crop of young players at the club have played a large part in Newcastle's revival, according to Jack Lusby of Bleacher Report. 

Indeed, the Toon Army are unbeaten since September and have kept four clean sheets in their last five matches.

But their optimism may not be long lived.

Winter is coming to Tyneside, and it's bringing with it a number of challenges, not least of all the fixture list.

While December is a typically fixture-packed month for every team, Newcastle can consider themselves slightly unlucky to be facing, amongst others, away trips to Arsenal and Manchester United and home visits from Chelsea and Sunderland, whom Newcastle have not beaten in their last five derby matches.

Despite the Red Devils' struggles in the Premier League so far this season, the game against Manchester United especially could be a cause of concern for manager Pardew.

The Magpies' trip to Old Trafford is their 10th away game in their last 12 Boxing Day fixtures, and the Toon have only managed four wins in their last 19 matches on 26 December.

Though last year's Boxing Day clash with Stoke City saw the Toon run out 5-1 winners, it's difficult to draw many conclusions from a game in which both Glenn Whelan and Marc Wilson were sent off in the first half.

A further worry for Newcastle heading into the busy Christmas period—they face seven matches in just 26 days—is the question of whether their relatively small squad can cope with the demand of so many games in such a short space of time.

Tribal Football reported that 18-year-old winger Rolando Aarons, a player of growing importance in Pardew's team, has suffered a recurrence of the hamstring injury that saw him out for six weeks earlier this season.

Fellow winger Gabriel Obertan will also be sidelined until next year.

Michael Regan/Getty Images

Captain Fabricio Coloccini's substitution in the second half against West Brom serves as a further warning that keeping their players injury free will be crucial to Newcastle's fortunes in December, particularly in central defence where their only other recognised senior options are Mike Williamson and Steven Taylor.

It's also important to look at the long-term future of Newcastle. Their form of late has been outstanding, but it can't be allowed to simply paper over the cracks in their season.

Or, indeed, their last 18 months.

Former Toon striker Craig Bellamy, a pundit for Sky Sports for the game at West Brom, said:

"

Let's not get too carried away. Fifteen days ago we were talking about relegation, the manager was going to go, it as a nightmare for everyone involved in Newcastle.

"

As noted by Luke Edwards of the Telegraph, the protests from Newcastle fans at Pardew and the Mike Ashley regime are deep-rooted and completely justifiable.

A crippling lack of ambition from the board and a lack of consistency on the pitch under Pardew should breed caution in anyone who expects the Magpies to maintain their form for the remainder of the season.

After all, as much as Pardew deserves credit for the last five results, he has overseen a team that has failed to score in 16 of their 30 league matches in 2014, a team that was nearly relegated in 2013.

Newcastle's revival is certainly a welcome breath of fresh air into a club dogged by a toxic atmosphere, but whether they can keep it up is another matter entirely.