Whilst the principle of adopting the approach that other clubs have used to some effect is theoretically sound, I’ve always preferred us to find our own way of doing things in the long term. We are starting to do that now in my opinion, but it will be a long road. However, that road could potentially lead us back to Europe says Alan Pardew.
“We have got a tight budget here for a Premier League team in terms of trying to compete for Europe. But we can do it here,” Pardew told The Chronicle.
“I’ve done it before at West Ham when our wage budget was lower and we managed to get into Europe. We almost did it by position in 2006 and were two places behind Newcastle, but we got there through the FA Cup by getting to the final.”
Times move on Mr. Pardew and a lot has changed since 2006. I’m not saying that Europe won’t be on the cards for us at some point in the future, but I’d prefer it if we were looking at qualifying through the league and not through a cup final appearance, although of course I would be delighted with a Wembley appearance.
Again it all comes back to the £35 million question and just how wisely it will be invested. If the club are clever with it in the transfer market and tie down certain players to new contracts then it could make things a hell of a lot easier next season and make the squad stronger as a whole. Europe may be a bit of a stretch again next season though as the club looks to consolidate itself in the Premier League and ensure that it doesn’t follow in the footsteps of clubs like Reading, West Brom, Ipswich and Bradford.
All of those teams have survived in the Premier League in the first season only to be relegated in the second. It’s called second season season syndrome, and it’s something that Pardew is keen to avoid.
The manager continued: “Once that adrenalin fades away from year one after promotion it’s a different challenge. When you get promoted you just want to prove everybody wrong. It isn’t the same in the second year.”
“You have to be good enough from start to finish. Therefore we have to make sure we have a strong team.”
This is another reason why it is important to strengthen the squad. In a way, even though I detest how they play, Stoke City Rugby Football Club are a recent example of this. They stayed up, strengthened, stayed up again, and now nobody even mentions them for relegation.
They have signed some talented players, like Tuncay, only to have let them go again, presumably as they play football and have talent, and I’d like Newcastle to do the same only we must keep the talent and not bin it off because they can’t get on the end of a 60-yard throw in.
Europe would be great in the future, and the club is most definitely capable of achieving it, but first and foremost we have to secure Premier League football this season, and next season. Just because we have achieved safety once, it doesn’t make it a given that we will do it again.
If we can though, maybe we can really, truly, start to look up!
at the end of the day the only loyal thing in footy now is the fans,sad but true imo
icedog(Quote)
batty…I’ve bought a Liverpool top wi Carroll on the back so I’ll be poor but at least I’ll look good 😉 😆
richietoon(Quote)
toonsy
Posted March 10, 2011 at 4:59 PM
Part retiring – Toyota must pay well… If they have any money left after all the recalls…
Stuart79(Quote)
Batty – How did Liverpool show ambition? They sold a player who wanted out and another that was not rated by them and bought two for the same price on cheaper wages.
As I said before, they made zero investment in the team.
toonsy(Quote)
toonsy 73 aye ya right they spent nowt and got 2 decent players and got rid of 1 that most prob has his best form behind him ,and what have we ended up with ❓ suppose we will have too wait and see 😉
batty(Quote)
Stuart – May department does well out of recall’s 😉
And yes, I do get paid well. Now I can give up the commute to work and the travelling around the country and enjoy a much easier life five minutes from my front door.
toonsy(Quote)
toonsy 78 so are you saying they havent improved there team ❓
batty(Quote)
Batty – Do you really think Torres has his best years behind him? He’s only four years older than Carroll 😆
toonsy(Quote)
Zero investment? Really?
Income :
Torres – £50m
Expenditure:
Carroll – £35m
Suarez -£22m
That’s a £7m outlay isn’t it?
No wonder you’re only part retired if you add up like that… 😮
Stuart79(Quote)
toonsy 80 ive guessed your job >>> lollie pop man 😆
batty(Quote)
Toonsy
They only had the cash to buy the big lump because Babel and Torres had seen what a crock of **** their club and city was, They have a decaying stadium, An average side bar a couple of decent 30 odd year olds and a keeper whos off in the summer.
A manager whos like a butlins red coat playing in five asides and play fighting with players, according to Stuart Pearce and we have given them a club we were so close to jumping in the league a huge leg up it really boils me ****…
CC(Quote)
Batty @ 81 – Did I say that? No….. I said they made ZERO INVESTMENT in the team…..
All they have done is what we need to do. They got a shitload of money for one player and spent it on two. We need to do the same.
The difference? Well apparently they did good business, but now we are apparently trying to strengthen the squad in much the same way as Liverpool did it is bad business?
toonsy(Quote)
toonsy 82 yes m8 i cant see him matching that season when he scored 30 plus goals
batty(Quote)
Stuart – What about Ryan Babel? 😉
Enjoy the rat race 😆
toonsy(Quote)
Stuart
They sold babel for ten
CC(Quote)
CC – It was £6 million I think that Babel went for?
toonsy(Quote)
toonsy 86 (apparently ) i know m8 and thats the word that bothers me
batty(Quote)
So £1m net spend then – Not zero is it?
Rat race?
I work less than you now – if that’s possible. Obviously a lot more productive though. 😉
Stuart79(Quote)
Stuart – If £1 million quid is investment the you may aswell stop dithering over the ten year deal 😆
If the cost of less than 1 James Perch counts then fair enough 😉
You get my drift though? It’s hardly the serious investment that people are making out is it? I also dare say that Carroll and Suarez aren’t on the combined wages that Torres and Babel are on.
That makes it a SAVING.
Investment 😆
toonsy(Quote)
Toonsy
my bad, But If you include selling mascherano, benayoun and riera in the summer they actually brought in £87m and spent only £82m… 😯
CC(Quote)
CC – Good stats my friend. Good stats 😉
toonsy(Quote)
Reet, off out for a bit. Catch you soon 🙂
toonsy(Quote)
toonsy ive never sed they have invested all ive sed is there showing ambition by improving the team 😉
batty(Quote)
CC 95 diffrent owners and if you start going back ,try going back too milner onwards
batty(Quote)