Is it just Pardew? Or time for a change?

Alan Pardew has been given a 7 game ban and fined for headbutting David Meyler. Seems fair, but it also opens the discussion on how we can prevent another incident like this happening.

Should the benches be so close together? Should the fourth official have to act as a policeman to keep managers and substitutes apart? Should we follow the lead of other sports? Or should we write all this off as another Pardew moment?

The tradition of teams coming out of the tunnel together, opposing managers shaking hands and settling in before kick-off for been around a while, but what does it actually achieve? Managers, coaches, substitutes and pretty much anyone on the staff are sat within earshot (and touching distance) of each other and are then forced down a narrow tunnel at half-time and full-time with tempers flaring and passion boiling over.

These 40 men (22 players, 14 subs, managers, physios etc.) are usually separated by a fourth official, who frankly has the worst job in sports. He gets the injury time wrong (depending on who you ask), gets abused for decisions he didn't make and is forced to act as a policeman for grown men who just want to shout abuse at opposition players/coaches and managers.

Football is not rugby and we don't have the respect and common decency that we need, but maybe the governing bodies also need to look at the situation. Keep the benches further apart, let an official upstairs do the injury time, don't allow TV replays on the bench, and limit the staff to just substitutes, a physio and the manager.

Stadiums are not set-up like American football or baseball to have teams on the opposite sides of the pitch, but maybe they need to look at bigger distances between the technical areas, and punishments for infringements.

Pardew may not get a $100,000 fine for assaulting someone on the street, but he may have faced some jail time if it wasn't on a football field. Things that seem to pass on the soccer field trickle down to amateur football and are simply unacceptable. Passion is one thing, but violent assaults are another. How to you tell a fan not to do something so stupid if your manager is doing it?

Players and managers have to set a better example, but maybe it's time the governing bodies stepped in to take some proactive action, rather than wait for another (maybe worse) Pardew-type incident.

Please explain Laudrup's sacking to me...

Ok, so Swansea have lost 6 of the last 8 in the League and are only two points above the relegation places, but how do you sack the guy that won you the League Cup last year and got you to the last 32 of the Europa League?

He won you your first major trophy and less than a season later he's been sacked.

Good luck to the new manager who has to come in and change things, even though he can't buy any players until the summer. Michu may return from injury to help them do that, but how are Swansea going to persuade their best players to stay now that Laudrup has been fired? I'm not saying another manager can't get good players in, but Laudrup's acquisitions from Spain are going to want out.

It's a strange one. The Danish manager was a bright spark in the League, playing attractive football and charming his way through interviews. And he could manage too. He may have struggled to juggle the competitions this year, but Swansea are a decent side. League results haven't been as good as last year, but they dumped Manchester United out of the FA Cup and generally play good football.

Swansea play Cardiff this Saturday and also face Everton, Liverpool and Napoli (twice) in February. The management obviously thinks an outsider is going to better with this squad than Michael Laudrup could. I'd be surprised - especially if newly appointed coach Garry Monk gets the job, because he has zero experience at any level.

So another Premier League sacking. Alan Pardew will be off soon if results at Newcastle continue, and then Arsene Wenger will be the only one left who has spent more than 3 years in charge of one team.

Taylor's red card had nothing on this

Steven Taylor has been sent off for Newcastle against Man City - his team were getting thumped anyway, but the sending off seemed pretty soft.

He raises his arms, but Sergio Aguero runs into him, then goes down like he's been shot.

It's not a red card, and with City already 2-0 up at the time (now 4 and counting after Yaya Toure's fantastic free kick and Nasri's tidy finish), Newcastle are just trying to save face on the opening day. Can't wait for Alan Pardew's assessment of the decision.

Meanwhile, here's a proper red card to keep you entertained!