Ashley and Pardew want to aim high next season … within reason
Posted on May 21st, 2011 | 22 Comments |
Mike Ashley was up in the Toon this week talking to Alan Pardew about our aims as a club and how that translates in terms of summer transfer targets. Pardew seemed to think the meeting went well, saying:
“Mike came and we talked about certain players and values and the strategy and how the summer scouting is going to progress. I felt buoyed by the meeting. As a Premier League manager, I was quite satisfied.”
Pardew then goes on to explain that, although there are limitations we have to expect in terms of competing with the Premier League’s elite, Ashley and him nevertheless plan to aim as high as is realistically possible:
“Now it’s about recruitment and making sure the squads stronger. It’s quite obvious at this time we can’t compete with the likes of Liverpool, Tottenham and the top four.
“We could attract a squad here I know would keep us safe in this division but that’s not what Mike wants and it’s not what I want. We want to try and excel. We have to try and take a few chances with players that will keep us in the division but who might take us on to that next level.
“That of course becomes fraught with difficulties. He wants to push as high as we can but he knows we can’t compete with the top clubs in terms of the players that they can afford and the money they’re talking about. We’re going to be realistic in our aims but we’re going to aim high within the realism of our situation.”
From what Pardew has said there, I assume that means Ashley and him feel that a top 6 finish might be beyond us at the moment but, with some shrewd recruitment, 7th or 8th might be within our grasp. Given that, as the table stands today, just 3 points separate us from 8th place and 6 points separate us from 7th, those positions look like a feasible aim with the right squad improvements.
Yet we still need to temper our ambitions a bit. Many feel that we’ll have ‘second season syndrome’ to cope with in 2011/2012 and of course when we strengthen our squad it’s reasonable to assume the our main competitors for those positions – such as Stoke, Bolton, Fulham, Everton and Villa – will also be improving their own squads.
A lot depends on how our scouting network – and Pardew, assuming he has the final say – perform in terms of finding suitable transfer targets, and also how Pardew’s tactical nous holds up next season.
Pardew went on to explain that he’s having difficulty negotiating a new contract with Jose Enrique, saying:
“We’re finding it difficult to get him to come to the table. We’re safe, which I think was what his people said that they would wait for, it’s now the last game and once we get the last game out of the way we’ll sit down and see where we are with it. We’re very hopeful he stays.”
It seems Enrique is waiting to see which clubs try to tempt him away from Newcastle and I suspect a new left-back will be a priority signing over the summer.
I would describe Pardew’s assessment of his meeting with Ashley as moderately encouraging, although it’s just words at the moment and we’ll have to see where we actually are come August.
NUFCBlog Author: Hugh de Payen
I'm a baby-boomer of the punk rock persuasion, currently exiled in Somerset for crimes committed in a previous life where locals keep trying to poison me with something called 'scrumpy'. Hates sprouts, coat-hangers, Cilla Black, ornaments, Steven Seagull movies and 50 Cent (he's not worth 10).
Hugh de Payen has written 634 articles on this blog.
Pardew will attempt to sign Defoe and Adam Johnson (loan) both need more first team games in the euros season