"I think that's the ideal situation for the manager, the player and more importantly for our fans who are suffering. He's not been involved [against West Ham]. He's on our books so he should be, in my opinion."
It is not a distraction Pardew needs at the start of a season, particularly as his main concern with a week remaining in the transfer window should be players coming in to strengthen a forward line which betrayed its weaknesses against West Ham.
Newcastle did not play badly, but they rarely looked like scoring against a disciplined West Ham defence in which Winston Reid was superb at centre-back.
More than two months have passed since Joe Kinnear arrived as Newcastle's director of football in charge of player recruitment, yet the only deal he has managed to do is the loan signing of Loic Remy, a player the Magpies had been on the verge of signing in January before he went to Queens Park Rangers.
Remy is injured and in his absence, Newcastle lacked imagination and application in the final third Had West Ham showed a touch more composure in front of goal themselves, they also had the openings to secure a precious away win.
It was Newcastle's former captain, Kevin Nolan, who missed the visitor's best chance, a free header from a Stewart Downing cross he put wide from six yards, although Modibo Maiga also missed a similar opportunity in the first half.
After the win against Cardiff it's been a pretty decent start for us," said West Ham new boy Stewart Downing. "The away form has been a huge thing for the manager. Last season we lost 12 times and only won two or three, so he's been stressing that massively. We need to pick up more points away from home. That's the way to get us higher up the league." Newcastle exerted more pressure on the Hammers in the second period and should have won the match in injury time when substitute Yoan Gouffran missed from two yards after Sammy Ameobi's cross had hit the post.
"In the offensive areas of the pitch you could see we needed a little bit more," added Pardew. "We need more options."
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