Toon ‘desperate’ to win
The Magpies are looking to book their place in the group stages of the Europa League tonight when they take on Greek side Atromitos in the second leg of a play-off — the sides drew 1-1 in Athens last week.
However, Pardew acknowledges the gap between his resurgent club and the powerhouses of the English game is huge, and he knows only a return to Champions League action or an end to their 43-year wait for silverware can start to bridge it.
The 51-year-old said: “Anybody who knows me and knows my management will tell you I am desperate to win something, and I think I have got a team that potentially can do that.
“Will we win the Premier League? Well, that’s probably beyond us — the size of squads of Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea at the weekend, it’s going to make it very, very difficult for us to bridge that gap unless we get into the Champions League.
“I still think that’s probably our best route to grow as a football club.
“Having said that, a cup win would certainly raise our fans’ morale and the club’s morale, and that’s something I’m focusing on as much as that Champions League position.”
Pardew has spent the summer attempting to address the chasm between his squad, which has been assembled on prudent financial lines, and the Premier League’s big-spending aristocrats, although with limited success to date.
The £6.7million acquisition of Ajax midfielder Vurnon Anita apart, the Magpies have only managed to sign players for the future in the shape of Curtis Good, Gael Bigirimana and Romain Amalfitano, with the likes of Andy Carroll, Mathieu Debuchy and Douglas remaining tantalisingly out of his grasp. Pardew is also keen to hang on to what he already has.
He said: “We want to keep our best players, and we are trying very hard to make sure we do that.”
One of those, Cheick Tiote, will miss tonight’s game with a calf injury while the Ameobi brothers, Shola and Sammy, will also be spectators.
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