Newcastle: Think Pardew Is Targeting Champions League? Think Again

If the biggest message from the Newcastle Fans Forum this week was that the club's minimum target this season is 10th place in the Premier League, the strangest talk since then has been from Alan Pardew in regard to challenging Champions League teams. For the more optimistic of fans (or those who like to think the club will say anything to get good press), that looks like a statement of intent to get into the top four. Big talk for a side languishing in the bottom three, but as we're continually told good times are ahead. But, look a little closer, and that's not what Pardew is saying at all when he talks about challenging Champions League teams:

€œIt is always difficult to challenge Champions League teams but we try to do that. Obviously we are a long way from that at the moment and are thinking of nothing more than the next game. I know that is a cliché but that is where we are at the moment."

That isn't a statement of intent for league performance, that's advanced excuse-making for teams who should be challenging for the top 4 or 5 places in the league. It doesn't matter that Spurs are currently in ninth to the manager; because their objective are European competition, they will be classed as a Champions League team to dampen expectations of any victory against them. Consider the way Pardew has spoken about this fixture in the past. Take last year:

€œIt€™s difficult €“ it€™s a tough game. I envisage it to be as tough a game as we€™ve had all year.€

Expectation dampening at its finest - it's creating the worst possible scenario (the potential for the worst possible result of the year) and making the excuse for it ahead of time. And it hasn't always been down to just league position, form and season objectives - Pardew's excuses about Spurs specifically has gone well into the realms of silliness as it did 2 years ago:

€œIt€™s a difficult game for us with Harry winning the court case, which would have been a celebration.€

Pardew is on a mission of reinforced negativity: while it might seem that mention of Champions League is designed to emphasise HIS team's ability and potential, in reality it is no more than the latest in a string of examples where he's sought negativity to cover potential losses. After all, how can anyone complain about losing against a Champions League team? As Pardew says, it's extremely difficult to do that, so don't bother getting your hopes up.