Post by SaintTim on Jan 12, 2010 6:02:28 GMT
Pardew: Saints are the team they fear
ALAN Pardew believes the rest of Saints’ promotion rivals are praying that his side fail to make the top six this season.
The Saints boss is still stopping short of making any bold predictions on where his team will end the campaign.
But after the weekend’s game with Huddersfield was called off he has had a little time for reflection.
He has been able to see exactly how far Saints have come and thinks that with the quality they now have in their squad – boosted further by the signing of Jose Fonte – the rest of the division will be fearing them in the play-offs.
He said: “We are going to need a lot of luck in the second half of the season because we have got a lot to do.
“Where we are, I think all those top teams barring no-one will be desperately hoping we don’t get in to the play-offs because we are going to be such a threat if we get in there.
“That is now our focus.
“Before that, I was talking mid table.
“We are now focused very much on the play-offs and we will try and do everything we can to get in there.”
Padrew admits that his side still have a way to go before they can consider themselves in the same bracket as League One leaders Leeds.
But he is happy with the way things have turned around after a rocky start to the season.
Saints failed to win any of their first seven League One outings, losing two and drawing five.
That came after Pardew had inherited a squad minus the likes of Andrew Surman and David McGoldrick who had been sold when Saints were seeking new owners.
“They (the fans) might have to wait a while for us to be promoted because we are coming from what I consider as being right at the bottom,” said the Saints boss.
“We lost four or five of our best players when we were in administration.
“We were nowhere near ready and, although we have got ourselves going, we are a long way off what I think is good enough to be as good as Leeds, for example, and to win this league – so we are having to close the gap.
“The administration and leadership of this club from above me has been first class.
“Any manager in the country – well, I would suspect 90 per cent of the managers – would be very envious of my position.”
ALAN Pardew believes the rest of Saints’ promotion rivals are praying that his side fail to make the top six this season.
The Saints boss is still stopping short of making any bold predictions on where his team will end the campaign.
But after the weekend’s game with Huddersfield was called off he has had a little time for reflection.
He has been able to see exactly how far Saints have come and thinks that with the quality they now have in their squad – boosted further by the signing of Jose Fonte – the rest of the division will be fearing them in the play-offs.
He said: “We are going to need a lot of luck in the second half of the season because we have got a lot to do.
“Where we are, I think all those top teams barring no-one will be desperately hoping we don’t get in to the play-offs because we are going to be such a threat if we get in there.
“That is now our focus.
“Before that, I was talking mid table.
“We are now focused very much on the play-offs and we will try and do everything we can to get in there.”
Padrew admits that his side still have a way to go before they can consider themselves in the same bracket as League One leaders Leeds.
But he is happy with the way things have turned around after a rocky start to the season.
Saints failed to win any of their first seven League One outings, losing two and drawing five.
That came after Pardew had inherited a squad minus the likes of Andrew Surman and David McGoldrick who had been sold when Saints were seeking new owners.
“They (the fans) might have to wait a while for us to be promoted because we are coming from what I consider as being right at the bottom,” said the Saints boss.
“We lost four or five of our best players when we were in administration.
“We were nowhere near ready and, although we have got ourselves going, we are a long way off what I think is good enough to be as good as Leeds, for example, and to win this league – so we are having to close the gap.
“The administration and leadership of this club from above me has been first class.
“Any manager in the country – well, I would suspect 90 per cent of the managers – would be very envious of my position.”