Swansea City vs Newcastle preview - Monk critical of Pardew coverage

Posted Friday, October 03, 2014 by PA

Swansea manager Garry Monk has accused television of adding to Alan Pardew's misery at Stoke on Monday night, claiming there was an agenda against the under-fire Newcastle boss.

Pardew will be in the spotlight at Swansea again on Saturday with Newcastle one place off the bottom of the Barclays Premier League and his job said to be still very much in the balance.

The Newcastle manager's job prospects looked bleak after Monday's 1-0 defeat to the Potters, but Pardew remains in charge for the trip to south Wales and Swansea counterpart Monk admitted he felt sympathy for him while watching the game on television at home.

"I don't like seeing the agenda in the televised game at Stoke the other night," Monk said.

"Every time there was a bad mistake or some sort of attack against Newcastle they'd pan to the manager and the chairman.

"It was a bit of a farce for me and I thought there was an agenda behind it.

"But Alan's an experienced manager, he's in a difficult moment and he's been through the mill but he's a very good manager.

"I know it's the first time he's been through this sort of thing but I think they'll be fine.

"He's got a very talented squad of players and it's a case of pulling together as quickly as possible and move on.

"You have sympathy with all managers in those situations but with the players they have they'll fight and scrap for every point and I think they'll do well this season."

Swansea's confidence levels are at the opposite end to Newcastle as they lie fifth in the league table following last weekend's goalless draw at Sunderland.

But Monk insists they can do even better after what has been an impressive start to the season.

"I know what the players can do and we've been working very hard putting stuff into place," Monk said.

"Where we are now is at a good level but we can show more."

Jazz Richards could make his first Barclays Premier League start for nearly three years with Swansea having problems at right-back.

Angel Rangel serves a one-match suspension after his red card at Sunderland last weekend and Dutch understudy Dwight Tiendalli is nursing a groin injury which has sidelined him since the end of August, so Richards stands by for his first top-flight start since Swansea's 1-1 draw with Tottenham in December 2011.

Wilfried Bony should return to lead the line with Bafetimbi Gomis dropping out from the goalless draw at Sunderland, but Jordi Amat (ankle) and Leon Britton (knee) are still absent.

Meanwhile, Pardew is even more determined to turn things around at Newcastle after finding his family and friends caught in the crossfire amid a furious debate over his future.

Pardew has had to endure vitriolic calls for his head from sections of his own club's support in recent weeks and while he admits that has been tough, he is unhappy that others have been affected too.

He said: 'It's not something that I'm used to, in the past two or three weeks. I'm going about my business as I normally do.

"My family and friends worry me a little bit, because it's started going past football media a little bit at times. That's not nice.

"But that makes me more determined and that's just the make-up that I have. I don't shy away from it. I've been out and about all week. I've been out in town and I will continue to do that."

Pardew, who revealed he has had fans express their hope that he will fight his way through as well as some who have been less supportive, heads for Swansea knowing another defeat would further fuel the fires of his increasingly vocal critics.

However, he is refusing to walk away from a job he insists he treasures.

He said: "You have to understand that this is my business. I love this football club.

"The players are feeling a little bit of the stress and the heat that is upon them. They are a young group and I need to help them. I will do that until such point where it comes that I can't help them anymore."

Pardew will assess striker Papiss Cisse's match fitness ahead of the trip.

The Senegal international has been used as a substitute in each of the club's last two league games following his return from a fractured kneecap, but with goals at a premium, his manager would dearly love to have him at his disposal from the start.

Pardew otherwise has no fresh injury problems and while Ryan Taylor (cruciate ligament) played in a behind-closed-doors friendly in midweek, he, fellow defender Davide Santon (knee) and midfielders Siem de Jong (thigh) and Rolando Aarons (hamstring) remain on the comeback trail.