At some point last season, Alan Pardew hiked up his coat collar, pulled down his cap and headed for a few pre-match beers on Newcastle’s Quayside.

Not quite a man in disguise, Pardew preferred to keep a low profile on his first – and only – visit back to St James’ Park as a supporter of the club he managed for four rollercoaster years.

“I kept it quiet, to be honest. I didn’t want to make a big deal about it – I was there for a business reason but I just wanted to experience it from a different perspective,” he says, sounding every inch like a man who is being sincere when he says he only has “positive memories” of four polarising years at Newcastle.

“It was really nice, to be honest. I was in a box upstairs, we had a stroll around the city, a few beers. And Newcastle won as well – so i

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