Pardew: The major criticism was that we didn’t look bothered

Posted on May 5th, 2011 | 14 Comments |

Pardew says the team must answer its critics.
Pardew: It's important to finish top 10
Pardew says Newcastle United must answer its critics and aim for a top 10 finish.

This season has been a bit erratic and our success on the pitch has often depended upon which team has turned up on a given day.

In some ways that’s to be expected of a team rebuilding itself and finding its feet in the Premier League again after a season in the Championship.

Referring to criticism that the team didn’t look bothered during the Liverpool game, Pardew denies that was the case but still feels the team needs to answer some questions:

“We lost to Liverpool who are an up-and-coming team – and a team in form.

“The major criticism of us in the fall-out from that game was that we didn’t look bothered.

“I don’t think that was the case, but we certainly were not on the same level as we were against Manchester United.

“We now have to answer the questions that have been put to us.

“The aim is to put in a committed display for the fans and those fans who travelled in great numbers to Liverpool.“

On the prospect of doing the double over Birmingham, Pardew says:

“We haven’t done that too many times this season, so to get another double would be a good target for us.

“It’s more important to finish in the top 10.

“We’ve got two home games and a very difficult away game at Chelsea.

“But we see this as a chance to improve our home record against Birmingham and West Brom.”

I would like to think another 4-6 points is within our grasp this season, although I’d expect those points to be taken against Birmingham and West Brom rather than Chelsea who have recently found the necessary form to mount a challenge against Man Utd’s league title aspirations.

Basically we’re safe from relegation now but it would be nice to finish the season strongly and another 6 points might just see us squeeze in a top 10 finish.

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.

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14 Responses

  1. Mike william son out for the rest of the season. Bring on sol campbell

  2. And why didn’t the lads look bothered? Because he’d announce our safety instead of keeping the pressure on a move up the table – thus realising the benefits of the Prem’s payment of £800k per placing rather than dropping places and thus £800k per place dropped!

    Whether we would have got a result at Liverpool or not, the fact is the players had their minds on their hols or whatever and in my opinion, that does not reflect well on the motivational power of Pardew!

  3. perhaps being guided by a useless manager who is v lucky to have a premiership team is why we dont look up for it..

  4. Can I just say that giving 3 points to Chelsea would be fine if it went toward preventing to parasite from Cheshire gaining a Premiership medal

  5. It`s true, there appears to be a cavelier approach from the side these last few games, very reminiscent of the same period under Shearer.
    It`s essential we pick up a few more points to ensure we miss the drop, but from all appearances the team look as if they are ready for vacation, that it`s all over.
    I suspect all is not well in the dressing room, perhaps the same unrest and uncertainty experienced during Shearers short stint.
    Hopefully something can be worked out with Ireland, seems another case of pencilling a player in before he was 100%, be a shame to lose someone of his ability.
    A bit of uncertainty concerning contracts, whether some of our top players are taking a wait and see attitude as to who will be brought in.
    Will it be the Gervinhos or the Snodgrasses, in other words players of quality or second tier cheapo`s and free agents, got nowt against free agents, but no 1#seems to be Brums. Larsson, ok backup but not my idea of real quality.
    As for the rumor of getting Whickham, dont believe the kids ready and buying him would be IMO an attempt at acquiring another AC to be sold on in the future.
    Believe Enrique is hedging his bets, probably no real bid in yet and could be leveraging a substantial raise, but who knows, could be a done deal.
    Joey concerns me, as there are a number of sides who would be willing to sign him.
    Guess this window will be the proof of the pudding so to speak, it will be apparent by what happens, exactly what Ashley`s intentions are and there are I believe also a number of players besides fans awaiting those decisions, before extending their contracts.
    We live in interesting times !

  6. Sounds like there’ll always be someone unhappy! If we get Wickham for £10 million we’ll be called irresponsible and if someone else gets him we’ll be called unambitious, selling club, cheapskates, he’ll be the greatest thing etc.! Ditto for any other buys. Ah well.

  7. lesh says:
    May 5, 2011 at 2:05 pm

    “that does not reflect well on the motivational power of Pardew!”

    But that’s supposed to be his thing Lesh, and why he’s sometimes referred to as ‘Mr. Motivator’. He’s a great fan of speecehes by Winston Churchill and Martin Luther King, and uses techniques he reads in the latest self help books to motivate the players.

  8. Oh! Oh! Williamson out.
    A blessing IMO guy`s no better than a back up, Titus Bramble was twice the player that Williamson will ever be and we know what happened to him.
    Thats an area besides up front that needs help.

  9. magpie6699 says:
    May 5, 2011 at 3:38 pm

    “Sounds like there’ll always be someone unhappy! If we get Wickham for £10 million we’ll be called irresponsible and if someone else gets him we’ll be called unambitious, selling club, cheapskates, he’ll be the greatest thing etc.! Ditto for any other buys. Ah well.”

    I’m not sure about “always” magpie. I can’t really remember many people complaining about the likes of Ben Arfa and Tiote when they were brought in.

  10. Magpie9966
    Guess thats directed to me as i seem to have been the only one who mentioned Whickham.
    I dont think i stated i would be unhappy, nor mentioned irresponsible or unambitious, concerning Whickham.
    What i said was that it would fit in with what has been commonly suspected as Ashleys business plan, buying youngsters cheap and selling them on at a profit.
    Kinda like retailing !

  11. ”basically we are safe from relegation”

    i dont see it that way,though i wish i did

    cant see us getting anything from chelsea or west brom

    can hardly see us scoring at all

    brum are fighting for their lives,we look like we have gone on holiday even though we can still go down

    really worried that we will be crapping ourselves on final day

  12. Chuck to be fair to Shearer though the team was already in free fall before he took them over 8 games is too short to judge anybody.

  13. LUALUA
    To be fair, Shearer had no clue, tactically naive and instead of encouraging and motivating the side he got into confrontations with players.
    It`s just plain naive to expect any player , no matter how good to take over a side in chaos and especially one with absolutely no experience in a managerial role.
    What were they thinking ?

  14. Fine Worky, Churchill’s technique is very highly regared and referred to in linguistic circles. As is Mr Hitler’s! However, an interest doesn’t always make a master orator – effectiveness is the result of the language plus the style of delivery.