Some bookmakers slashed the odds on Pardew's departure last week in the wake of the club's failure to sign the striker he had been pursuing during the transfer window. However, Carver insists the 50-year-old is going nowhere after a positive start to the season despite the loss of Kevin Nolan, Jose Enrique and Joey Barton. He told the Evening Chronicle: "Why is his position in doubt? "This has been a good start for us. We have picked up seven points from three matches and we are into the third round of the Carling Cup. We are going in the right direction. "If you had told people we would have what we have now, they would have snapped your hands off. "How can people question the position of the manager? It's absurd." Having missed out on the striker he desperately wanted, Pardew was on his travels again this week running the rule over potential targets. Carver added: "Just because the window is shut, it doesn't mean that the work stops. "The manager is away looking at games this week and out of the country. We work with what we have now until January and then go from there."
