Has Pardew Become Mad, Ambitious, Or Has A Badger Pinched His Skin?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20183213

To me, that's ludicrous... Nobody I've talked to so far has suggested we'll trouble the top 5/6, never-mind the Champions League places. 4th place should be an objective if we can keep this group together in the long-run, but it's not looking realistic right now after a barely decent start to the campaign... Combine that with the extra commitment of the Europa and a lack of real investment in the last window, and I fail to see how doing one better is even possible, given the transfers teams below and around us last season have pulled off...

This just seems like a stick to beat us with if Liverpool win on Sunday (and we all know how it does at Anfield), and would have been better advised after the game if we had added 3pts to the kitty (although I realise this interview will be on Football Focus tomorrow). I'm sure somewhere there'll be a "deluded devious Geordies" thread about what he's said .

So, has Pardew gone mental? Has he set his sights too high? Is this just a goal to motivate the squad? Some weird badger mind-game at freaking out Rodgers into thinking we're a big club? What is a big club? Is it a giant chocolate biscuit? A Slightly larger club than Boro?

 

if the question is do i think its possible then the answer is yes, Based on current form (unfair) then no

 

Probably went to Amsterdam for a 'shmoke' whilst checking out a couple of players on the shortlist, and during his high times he had this epifany setting the goal to the top 4

 

Despite playing turd all season we're only 4pts off 4th right now. There's still a lot of games to play and the teams above us will all drop points (and so will we). It is possible, maybe unlikely but still possible.

I'm not completely convinced by Pardew's ability yet, but I'm glad we have an ambitious manager rather than some knob who's just happy to be in the PL.

 

4th place is a possibility IMO. We've shown that we can score goals and we're clinical when it matters, even when we're playing poorly, where as the likes of Spurs and Arsenal, are not.

We need to start performing though.

A couple of wins and we can be in the top 5/6, it's that close right now.

 

The thing is, we'll always be able to score with the strikers we've got. So yes, 4th is a possibility

 

There's also the point of attracting new players in Jan. Nobody will want to come to us if we don't have ambitions for top 4 football, especially after last season's success.

 

Who knows its still early days but you'd have to think based on what we've seen so far, top four is unrealistic. Bar having a comedy centre half Chelsea have improved immeasurably. Oscar, Mata, Hazard, Ramires are fantastic talents. They'll be top 3 with the two Manchester clubs. Arsenal are a bit of an unknown but usually do enough. Spurs, Everton look good sides. West Brom will be made or broken by injuries as their first choice team is talented. Its not going to be easy and will largely depends on whether Pardew can eek out the required improvement and fluidity in our play.

 

going on last home game we might finish 4th if west brom finish 3rd

 

Have I become PrivateAndrewMalone overnight, or are you lot way more optimistic than you were at the start of the year (/passing some new drug between you)?

Either way, it's good to see! Hope we smash the small time club tomorrow and get our title campaign back on course

 

but what do you expect him to say we have no chance? thats going to perk the players up no end

 

He said that we had no chance last season, when we were 5th and like 1pt off 4th... So to say it when we're 10th and playing fairly poorly just seems odd

 

Ba is injured, Cisse maybe but Ameobi ffs! I'd rather we will see the other Ameobi who has good dribbling skills than Shola

 

HEY! You NEVER question Shola on a JPF thread!

Your punishment, you must forfeit rep to me, and make at least one post during the Liverpool game declaring Ameobi king of the universe

 

Its a bad sign he's got his fingers up his own arse
Like at west ham. His weird tactics and subs are hopefully
Going to pay off or he must have a rethink.