Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew will send his young players into tonight’s Europa League clash against Bordeaux, hoping to keep his side’s momentum running in the tournament.
The Magpies are fresh from a Premier League victory against Wigan Athletic after 4 successive league defeats. Newcastle are currently 14th on the league table, with only 3 points keeping them adrift from the relegation zone.
This paints a contrasting picture to the start of the season where Newcastle had been one of the favourites to finish in the top 4, especially after last season’s impressive 5th place finish.
The win at St. James’s Park was a welcome result for manager http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Alan-c4244 Pardew, who had been under considerable pressure lately. He himself had admitted that if his players were unable to pick up their performances, they will face a fight to stay in the English
top flight.
Having finally managed a victory, the Newcastle players now focus their attention towards the Europa League. Goalkeeper Tim Krul has accepted the team’s shortcomings this season, and admitted earlier this week that they should have never put themselves in
this position in the first place. The player is now aiming to secure the top spot in Group D in the Europa League.
Pardew agrees with his player and admits that the Wigan victory was just the thing going into Europe tonight. The manager looked a relieved figure after having won all three points, and is now focusing on getting a result tonight against French outfit Bordeaux.
When asked what the Wigan victory meant, the manager replied:
“It has lifted everyone. I was pleased with the fans’ reaction – they were great on the night. I think it buoyed everyone and lifted all of our spirits. We can go forward now and hopefully not get into that position again.”
“We mounted a lot of pressure on ourselves. I think Tim’s quotes today really sum up what we all feel. We shouldn’t have got ourselves in that situation, and we won’t again.”
The Magpies have extended their stay in Europe regardless of a result tonight, but Pardew still hopes his team can get three points tonight so they can secure top spot in the group and get an easy draw in the next round.
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