‘Trust me, nobody wanted Newcastle’ – Alan Pardew says Champions League rivals won’t know what hit them

Newcastle United volition play successful the Champions League this week for the archetypal clip successful much than 20 years.

It’s been a agelong and bumpy roadworthy to get to this constituent for the Magpies, but the excitement levels connected Tyneside are done the extortion arsenic they hole to look AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund.

Newcastle are successful for a fiery reception astatine the San SiroGetty

Kylian Mbappe volition beryllium playing astatine St James’ Park this play successful the glamour radical of the Champions LeagueGetty

And arsenic the archetypal crippled against Milan astatine the San Siro approaches, the past manager to instrumentality Newcastle connected a European journey, Alan Pardew, has been reflecting connected the Toon’s upcoming Champions League campaign.

Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT.com, helium said: “They were ne'er going to get an casual radical due to the fact that they were successful cookware four.

“These games are going to beryllium precise precocious illustration against teams that are a batch much established and person a batch much acquisition than Newcastle.

“But Newcastle were the 1 squad successful cookware 4 that cipher wanted, spot me.

“The powerfulness of the caller ownership, Eddie Howe’s enactment and a large squad is simply a almighty combination.

“I deliberation the fans volition transportation them, peculiarly the location games.

“They request to get 1 gully distant because, astatine home, those different teams are going to find it an experience.”

Pardew spent conscionable implicit 4 years connected Tyneside and saw the champion of St James’ Park connected those fewer European nights.

It has been a portion since Newcastle fans person had a sensation of European football, with the Europa League quarter-finalists the past radical to spell connected circuit with themGetty

And helium shares the exhilaration of Newcastle supporters up and down the state arsenic the Magpies rejoin Europe’s elite.

“I americium truthful excited for them, and I deliberation they volition suffice [for the knockout stage].

“They’ve had a fewer defeats, but I don’t deliberation it reflects connected the prime of the team.”

The ex-West Ham brag led the Magpies to 5th during the 2011/12 season, which saw the Toon suffice for the Europa League.

Newcastle made it to the quarter-finals lone to beryllium knocked retired by Benfica aft a brave display, portion successful the league, they finished 16th, with the squad stretched to its limit.

But those nights were special.

Papiss Cisse’s precocious victor against Anzi Makhachkala made an unthinkable noiseGetty

“It was a large experience, and each the dynamics of travelling and playing games each fewer days were each caller to us.

“I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I cognize the players did.

“The fans embraced it.

“There was immoderate animosity towards the ownership erstwhile I was there, truthful that was a spot different, but you didn’t consciousness that, peculiarly against Anzi Makhachalaka erstwhile Papiss Cisse scored a 90th-minute victor – that was a fantastic night, and past Benfica was a fabulous night, but we couldn’t get that 2nd goal.

Pardew enjoyed the thrust and can’t hold for the Champions League radical signifier to beginGetty

The erstwhile manager knows the operation of the squad being carried by a passionate enactment volition beryllium hard to contend with adjacent for the biggest teams successful EuropeGetty

“But they were large nights for the shot club.”

Those evenings are the lone sensation of European enactment that immoderate Newcastle fans person ever experienced.

However, the club’s Premier League signifier suffered owed to the accrued matches, and Pardew has a informing for existent brag Howe.

“He’s going to acquisition it, and he’s going to person to larn quickly, and unfortunately, aft that European game, usually you are getting a batch of atrocious news.

“The accrued games make each of these dilemmas of whether to play radical astatine the weekend, and you knew that if they played and got injured, you would beryllium kicking yourself.

“You are nether unit to play your champion squad successful the Premier League and Europe, which is precise difficult.

“You don’t get a batch of clip connected the grooming ground, which is frustrating due to the fact that you can’t bash the enactment that you would like.”

Pardew has immoderate words of informing for HoweGetty

Newcastle caput into their Champions League run disconnected the backmost of a 1-0 triumph implicit Brentford, but it hasn’t been the top commencement to the season.

And Pardew has immoderate words of proposal for his chap Englishman.

“When we finished fifth, a mates of elder managers rang to pass maine it was going to beryllium precise hard to replicate.

“And I deliberation that’s precise akin to wherever Eddie sits due to the fact that determination tin beryllium unit from extracurricular sources.

“But I don’t deliberation his occupation is nether menace by immoderate agelong of the imagination.”

But contempt a slowish commencement and imaginable pressure, Pardew inactive anticipates a superb play for Newcastle.

“I inactive deliberation they are a top-four club, adjacent with those defeats.”

Pardew’s clip connected Tyneside had its ups and downs, but helium provided immoderate of the top moments of the Mike Ashley era, and he’s intelligibly excited to spot the Magpies backmost among Europe’s elite.