Newcastle ended the Barclays Premier League campaign with a 2-1 defeat at Liverpool, a seventh reverse in the final eight fixtures, with some fans once again making their feelings plain.
However, Pardew will head into his annual end-of-season debrief with owner Mike Ashley this week with his job under no immediate threat.
That may dismay his most ardent critics, but the fact remains that a 10th-place finish met Ashley's minimum requirement for a season during which the goalposts were moved significantly by the January sale of Yohan Cabaye to Paris St Germain.
Whether or not he can persuade an increasingly rebellious fanbase to give him another chance, however, remains to be seen.
He came in for more stick at Anfield, eVen though his Newcastle side put in a superb first half performance.
But, at the end of the day it was yet another defeat and Pardew's record since Boxing Day has been frightening.
The mood at St James' Park has turned ugly in recent weeks as a season which got off to a more than promising start - the club sat in sixth place on Boxing Day and looked poised for an assault on the big guns above - imploded.
However, he freely accepts his share of the blame for what followed as a collective negativity saw Newcastle slide alarmingly into the back-waters of mid-table with barely a whimper to invite charges of a lack of ambition.
Asked what the summer would hold for him ahead of Sunday's trip to Anfield, Pardew replied simply: "Work". What happens over the next three months seems likely to determine exactly how much longer he remains in post.
His main task will be to rebuild a squad which has given him limited options, and there will be departures as well as arrivals.
The likes of Hatem Ben Arfa, Sylvain Marveaux and Gabriel Obertan appear to have little future on Tyneside - the former has become something of a talisman for disaffected fans, although his contribution this season has been minimal - while Shola Ameobi is out of contract and his younger brother Sammy faces an anxious wait to see if he will have a part to play.
But recruitment will be key after two transfer windows during which the club did not make a single permanent signing, and Pardew has hinted he would like to shop in a different market this time around.
Pit has been suggested Ben Arfa could go for as little as £3m, which is a joke considering how good he is.
But Pardew wants him awayit and it seems the Frenchman islosing the battle in the 'you or me to go, stakes.