Pardew: I Want Sunderland To Stay Up.....But I Want This Win

Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has told The Chronicle ahead of today's game at the Stadium of Light that he wants to see Sunderland stay in the Premier League because that's whats best for North East football. Pardew is however keen to avoid a repeat of the defeat back in January and will be hoping Gus Poyet can turn their rivals around after today's game.

He said;

“If Sunderland are in the same position in 10 games’ time, then it would disappoint me. But it wouldn’t disappoint me on Sunday, because I want to win so badly, not just for the team but for our fans, who we know we owe from the last game.

But in ten games’ time, I would like to think Sunderland’s position will improve. Hopefully it will. Last time we faced Sunderland, circumstances worked against us, with us playing a Europa League quarter-final against Benfica on the Thursday.

Gus is a good manager and I like the way he does things. He likes to bring a passing game and he will install that. Whether he can do that for Sunday, I’m not sure.

But that’s what he will be working towards. I think that’s good for Sunderland and the North East. Fans love to see the game played that way.

I want Sunderland to stay up. It’s important for everyone involved, the media, the fans and both clubs. We want to be strong up here.

If you have two Premier League clubs, it encourages kids to play and we want more kids coming through.”

MATCH PREVIEW/STATS/THREAD: SUNDERLAND V NEWCASTLE HERE