Newcastle vs Wolves preview - Survival the priority for Pardew

Posted Saturday, April 02, 2011 by PA

Alan Pardew is excited by Newcastle's summer recruitment plans - but will put them on ice until their Barclays Premier League status is assured.

The Magpies boss has instructed his scouting team to scour the world for new talent as he attempts to build a squad capable of establishing the club in the upper reaches of the division.

However, he knows he must first ensure they remain in the top flight by making a strong final push, starting with Saturday's visit of Wolves to St James' Park.

Pardew said: "That focus is something that excites me, but it is very much secondary in my mind at the minute because the job in hand is to make sure that we are a Premier League side.

"The way the league is congested and how tight it is - 36 points at this time with eight games to go, we should have a fair bit of breathing space, but we haven't, of course, because the team at the top of the relegation area has 32.

"It's a period when you have to concentrate and give everything in every game, and as long as I am manager, that's what we will do."

Mick McCarthy's men will head for Tyneside sitting inside the relegation zone - seven places, but just four points adrift of Newcastle - and anything but a positive result for the Magpies could see them sucked to the fringes of the mire.

Newcastle have taken just one point from their last three games, two of which were played at home. They have not won on their own turf since January 5, when West Ham were trounced 5-0.

That run of four games includes creditable draws with north London duo Tottenham and, in spectacular style, Arsenal, but there is little doubt that a significant improvement is required if they are to end the season in comfort rather than scrapping for points.

Pardew and McCarthy know each other of old, and the Newcastle boss is under no illusions as to what to expect from his Wolves counterpart.

He said: "His interviews tell you everything about Mick - it's straight, it's honest and his teams will give everything until the last knockings."

McCarthy will be without striker Kevin Doyle, who suffered knee ligament damage on international duty with the Republic of Ireland last weekend.

But Pardew will be without Doyle's Ireland team-mate Leon Best through injury and key midfielder Cheick Tiote through suspension, while Jose Enrique and Stephen Ireland remain big doubts, and that has simply served to illustrate the club's need for summer recruits.

Wolves manager McCarthy admits the Black Country club will face a battle to keep winger Matt Jarvis if they receive a big-money offer from one of the leading Premier League clubs.

Liverpool are the latest side to be linked with a summer move for Jarvis, who made his senior England debut against Ghana in midweek.

McCarthy has no desire to offload the former Gillingham player, who signed a new five-year contract at the start of the current campaign. But he is a realist and knows it will be difficult to resist a major bid for the 24-year-old.

McCarthy said: "Jarvo has been here and done nearly five years. He has been wonderful for us.

"But if a top-four club comes in, offers unbelievable amounts of money for him, he wants to be a regular in the England team, and he can do whatever he wants with his salary and his career and can progress, it becomes very difficult.

"The other scenario is we go 'no chance, we've stayed up, we are adding to the squad, we are going to do this or that'.

"There is no suggestion of him being for sale or anyone else for that matter but it's football.

"No one is not for sale. That is complete and utter gobbledegook."

McCarthy is backing Sylvan Ebanks-Blake to fill the gap left by injured striker Doyle at Newcastle, with the Irishman possibly out of action for the remainder of the season.

McCarthy said: "Kevin has been terrific but someone else has got to play. Sylvan is coming in, he has got to play.

"If I bemoan the loss of one, it kind of detracts from the ability of the other.

"He has got to play as well as Doyley, simple as that. He has scored goals when involved. I've no worries about that."

McCarthy has taken the unusual step of naming his side 24 hours ahead of the Newcastle game with Ebanks-Blake for Doyle the only change from the side which won at Aston Villa a fortnight ago.

He added: "The rest of the team is the same because they have been different class. Why would I change it?"