Pardew urges European challenge.

toonsy
Alan Pardew

Alan Pardew
Pardew rallies his troops.
Alan Pardew has challenged his Newcastle squad to keep up the level of their recent performances until the end of the season and ensure that all the hard work that has been put in does not go to waste.

To be fair, he does have a point. We are all but safe now and that could be a signal to the players to take their collective foot off the pedal. It’s happened before when a team has nothing in particular to play for, but that is not the case at the moment.

Back-to-back home games against Bolton this weekend and Everton the weekend after give the team a chance of really pushing on up the table and and leave with us an outside chance of qualifying for Europe this season. If that was to happen it would be a truly stunning return to the Premier League that would have surpassed the expectations of many a fan.

The word ‘Europe’ tends to send shivers of delusion down my spine, but it isn’t me who is thinking of it, not this time anyway. Step forward Alan Pardew, who believes that Europe could be on the cards if the lads can stay focussed against Bolton on Saturday.

“Bolton is a big, big game even though many will view it is as a game between two mid-table sides. But they will be in the same mood as us,” Pardew told The Journal. “This game is pivotal in terms of attacking the top ten. If we win this we can attack the top ten – if we don’t win this game then we’ve lost a big opportunity and the opportunity might be Europe.”

“We’re on the verge of something exciting – these two games will decide whether we’ve got something to go for or we’re going to have a season where we’re just seeing things out. I don’t want that to happen. This game is to keep the season alive – and I think we need the help of the fans to do that.”

Well you can’t say that he isn’t ambitious, can you?

In a sense he is absolutely spot on, and this rallying call has come at the right time to remind he players that the hard work is far from over. A win against Bolton could catapult us to 7th in the table if Sunderland fail to beat Everton at Goodison Park, which would give us yet more bragging right over those infernal inbreeds. Massive Sunderland below a newly promoted team? I can hear the fizzing from here!

We have to win our game first though, but given that we have a decent run in when compared to other teams, and if we can get a bit of luck along the way, then who knows? Perhaps a Europa spot could be up for grabs after all?

Am I deluded? You better believe it!

About toonsy

A lifelong Newcastle fan and current webmaster of this very 'blog who has the sole aim of creating a place by Newcastle United fans, for Newcastle United fans.

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216 thoughts on “Pardew urges European challenge.”

  1. Now them jokes would be funny if the body of the jokes weren’t stole from Isn Holloway.

    Plagiarism is for the weak, lazy and stupid.

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  7. Toon Chicken
    Posted February 24, 2011 at 3:18 PM
    Somebody who spells Ian “Isn” calling other people stupid – now that’s funny!!!

    Wht’s even funnier is you wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t corrected it!

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  12. batty
    Posted February 24, 2011 at 3:22 PM
    quick wheres me yawn smiley for 82

    You just concentrate on finding your dealer – Seems like you’ve been missng him recently.

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  23. Some quality first team additions and maybe a backup or two in the summer and a relatively injury free pre-season and some more development on our younger players-don’t see any reason we can’t play kids in the two cups and maybe some in the euro games…who cares if we get knocked out in the first round of europe or anything else? We can adjust accordingly

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  26. toonsy
    Posted February 24, 2011 at 3:28 PM
    Ice – I’m always positive, but when your looking at a career change it can be scary

    Better to regret doing something than regret not doing something. You can never get it back…

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  28. Stuart79
    Posted February 24, 2011 at 3:30 PM

    Better to regret doing something than regret not doing something. You can never get it back…

    Is that what you said to yourself the first time someone smashed your back door in?

    😆

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  33. Toon Chicken
    Posted February 24, 2011 at 3:39 PM

    That’s the most sense one of your comments has ever made!

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  35. Stuart has a point. This is why I agreed to the interview 😕

    It’s been ages since I had one as well 😕

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  40. Toon Chicken
    Posted February 24, 2011 at 3:51 PM
    Ah **** it.

    Not letting me post HTML toonsy.

    That’s heaven for some of us…

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  41. I am still waiting for someone to explain why quaifying for Europe this season will screw us the season after?

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  42. toonsy – aye I know – but it when hit post my comment appears blanker than the expression on Stu’s face when someone asks him what 2 x 3 is.

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  45. moreno leaky will tell you we have a small squad plus 2nd season syndrome 😆 😆 as we spent years in the championship 😉

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  48. ah right, thats for clearing that up batty, I knew there must be an in depth explanation for these ‘facts’ which were being banded about ! 😆

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  49. Moreno do you actually think our current squad would be able to cope?

    I’m not being negative at all, I just don’t think the squad we have at the minute would cope. I said comment 9 maybe next season.

    Our best starting 11 is class aye but when have we had that this season? I dont think we have. Spurs have found it difficult with the injuries, look at the size of that team man.

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  50. Andrew….

    it’s the Uefa Cup for fck sake man.
    Dont draw comparisons with the champions league.

    How won’t we ‘cope’ ??
    What is there to ‘cope’ with?

    What are the negative aspects of being in the competition?
    People are saying that we can’t fight on 4 different fronts with the squad we have…what like we have been this season? We have been knocked out of both domestic cups in the early stages (as usual)

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  51. And how have spurs found it difficult? They topped their group and are in a champs league Place fight in the league you numptie

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  52. Whats there to cope with?

    Flying across the world for midweek games then playing on the weekend. It wasnt long ago we had a 17 year old on the bench – our squad isnt big enough.

    Im not on about who were playing its the size of our squad, a couple injuries and were in trouble. It’s easy to say well our best starting 11 is class when we havn’t had that luxary all season because of our luck with injuries.

    If we spend this 35 million well in the summer AND hold onto Barton, Tiote and Jose we have every chance of doing it next season.

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  53. First time under Keegan we made it, and went out pretty early doors. It did allow us to build though.

    If we did sneak 7th and if that was good enough then our pre-season would be sorted. The qualifiers would just take the place of any pre-season friendlies.

    Beyond that?

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  54. Eh? What are you on about? I am on about next season, how could we be in Europe this season?

    If you had read my other posts re: investment in new players and keeping hold of key players…. That’s what I have been on about the last hour or so ffs

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  55. Europe will attract a better quality player to the club, and maybe encourage some(Jose) to stay….means nowt if fatboy doesn’t cough up the dosh though 👿

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  56. Toonsy,

    Beyond that? Who knows, depends on the draw and factors of the transfer window, but whatever happens it certainly won’t knack us for the season after as suggested by s few on this thread. It’s a mental way to look at it!

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  57. Out of Jose, Barton and Tiote we need to hold onto 2 of them. If all three go…It’s not even worth thinking about.

    We have the core of a top 8 team, we just need a top class striker to replace Carroll and a top class winger to play instead of Jonas – who offers nothing at all

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  59. batty he’s the weak link in our team by a mile. Every single time he gets in a good position he messes it up, he never scores and doesnt get enough assists.

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  60. andrew well i think he has played decent this season ,players dont know how too handle him so they foul him hence plenty of free kicks for barton 😉

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  61. He gets free kicks – i will agree on that.

    Apart from that he’s shocking, what he did against Birmingham happens once in a blue moon. The sooner Ben Arfa is back and Jonas is on the bench the better for us.

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  62. Andrew do you never notice that the other team normally have 2 players on him and he still runs them ragged, leaving our other players a lot more room,
    I have seen him supply a few assist so I cant see how you say he is shocking and dosn’t offer owt 🙄

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  64. I will agree that when Benny comes back we could replace Jonas with him 😉 then we could play Jonas on the right seeing as that is his natural position then we can fairly judge him when he is playing the position that he is suited to rather than slating him while he is being played out of position 😀

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  66. He runs people ragged 😆

    Dave this season he’s played 27 times, scored once and got 4 assists – 2 came in one game against Birmingham.

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  67. Dave why would you drop Barton who’s found his best form in years playing on the right for Jonas?

    In my opinion our best midfield is:

    Ben Arfa Tiote Nolan Barton

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  68. Dave..why thankyou kind sir, I did mean to type the complete opposte of that but me typing finger is p!ssed 😀

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  69. Andrew…get ya point, no way Joey would/should be dropped but I think Jonas has 5 assists…just one less than Joey 😉

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  71. Andrew I would push Nolan up between a MF of Benny, Tiote, Barton and Jonas and a top quality striker, because imo when Nolan is playing in the center where he has been recently he dosn’t really offer that much because again imo he is too slow.
    But to say that one of our players dosn’t offer nowt before he has been given the chance in the position that he plays in is very unfair 😉
    There is no bigger Joey Fan than me and whilst I know he has played well on the right I think his best and his own fav position is in CM, and playing him there with Jonas on the right would allow young Simpson a lot more chances to come forward as Jonas will always comeback to cover him and he is a bull in the tackle and is never fraid to come back and get stuck in.

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  74. Aye true, Joey did say himself he prefers centre midfield. With a fully fit midfield we have plenty of options which is only a good thing.

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  75. Richie sorry your right mate Ice is the President of the JB fan club 😉
    Andrew that should have said = There is only one bigger Joey Fan than me 😆

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