5 October 2014 11:38
Alan Pardew has taken heart from the support he has received following a testing few weeks as Newcastle United manager.
Speculation regarding Pardew’s future has been frenzied so far in 2014-15 as a sizeable section of the club’s supporters have vented their frustration at a string of poor results.
A run of one victory in their last 15 Premier League games plus a winless start to the new top-flight season has seen the pressure gradually increase on the former Southampton boss.
But Pardew’s men showed great spirit to twice come from behind in Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Swansea City, although the 53-year-old knows he needs to secure that elusive first league win.
“We’ve got to get our season going,” stressed Pardew.
“I’ve had lots of messages of support from within the game.
“We know the tension isn’t going to go away but I think we’ve got a bit of confidence to lean on going into our next home game [against Leicester City after the international break].
“Hopefully we can win that.
“I have to just focus on the team and improve the team as best as I can.
“We need to make sure we grind out a win and get some confidence.
“The team gave it everything [at Swansea]. We’re a better team than we’re showing at the moment.”