Newcastle United manager, Alan Pardew has called upon his side to secure the third spot in the league table, as a fourth place finish may not be good enough to earn them Champions League football next season.
The Magpies, who were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2008/2009 season, have since made a remarkable return to the top division. They finished the last season on the 12th place and currently occupy the fourth spot in the league
table.
However, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Alan-c4244 Pardew’s side can only guarantee a position in the Champions League by finishing third in the table. A win for Chelsea against Bayern Munich in this year’s final will earn them an automatic qualification for the next season, at the expense
of the team which ends up at the fourth place.
At the moment Newcastle, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Chelsea are all fighting-out to grab the third and the fourth positions in the league table.
“We are just trying to win every game. We know we have got a difficult run - on paper, you could say more difficult than the other contenders.” Pardew told the reporters.
Talking about the Blues Champions League final against Munich, the 50-year old Englishman revealed that he would have backed the English team in the showpiece event, if it did not affect their chances of making it into the elite competition next year.
“I am kind of split because obviously you want English teams to do well, and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786 winning the Champions League would be fantastic.” He added.
“It would be very harsh if we finished fourth and then missed out on the Champions League. It would be a kick in the teeth.”
Newcastle are just three points adrift of the Gunners, but have played a game less then Arsene Wenger’s side.
Pardew urged his side not to leave the matter of their European Cup qualification on fate, and to confirm their place in the tournament by securing the third place in the table.
He remarked, “We have got a possibility of finishing third, so that's what we are going to try to do.”
The Englishman also praised the club owner Mike Ashley for all his financial support, and mentioned that his side will give it their all in order to fulfil his dream of playing European football.
The Magpies will go head to head against an in-form Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium on Saturday, knowing that their opponents are in need of three points as much as they are, to fight out a possible relegation threat. The Latics have achieved a string of
shocking results recently, as they have beaten http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Arsenal-c38429 and Manchester United over the last two months.
Tags: