The Eagles’ defeat against Sunderland means that Pardew’s men have picked up just four points from a possible 15; they have stalled after a strong start, but still sit in the top half just two points outside the top six.
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“There’s no panic. We’re not panicking and I think that’s where experience will tell”.
“There are 24 games to go – I’d be more anxious if there was only 14 left”.
“It’s tough right now but hopefully someone like Chungy (Lee Chung-yong) can come in and step up to the plate and that’s the reason why we have such a good squad”.
Beaten 3-0 at home by Leicester City last weekend, Newcastle’s defence was torn apart again as Pardew, who left St James’ Park in January, sent his old club back into the Premier League relegation zone. “At the present moment we’ve not got that”. You’re going to do that on the training field, within the group, and within the work, and we’ve got to come through together. “They all enjoyed it there, they were successful and enjoyed working with the players”.
He readily accepted Newcastle’s board could easily lose patience with him, while Colback did not hold back in his assessment of the game.
Newcastle captain Fabricio Coloccini said: “I’d like to say sorry and we will try our best in the next game like we always do”.
“You’ve got too many Monday to Friday players; good in training, but don’t want to perform on a Saturday”.
“We had a real belief about our game on Saturday and it was great to see us take our chances and it worked tremendously”. Things don’t get any easier for McClaren though as Newcastle face Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton in the upcoming month.
Newcastle owner Mike Ashley is also an admirer of Rodgers and the billionaire is said to have identified the former Swans’ boss as the ideal replacement for the under fire McClaren.
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However, the Magpies’ advantage lasted just four minutes before James McArthur equalised, and with Palace’s leveller sparking a wholesale collapse, McClaren admits his side are incapable of dealing with adversity at the moment.
