Pardew Would Love To Take November Off The Calendar

Last updated : 28 December 2012 By Footy Mad - Editor

The last 12 months has proved a thrilling adventure for the 51-year-old, who guided the club to a top-five Premier League finish at the end of last season and back into European football for the first time in five years.

Pardew, who takes the Magpies to Arsenal on Saturday, was relatively happy with his lot until November came around.

Man Utd 4 - 3 Newcastle
Newcastle 1 - 0 QPR
Newcastle 1 - 3 Man City
Fulham 2 - 1 Newcastle
Newcastle 3 - 0 Wigan 
Stoke City 2 - 1 Newcastle
Southampto 2 - 0 Newcastle
Newcastle 1 - 2 Swansea 
Newcastle 0 - 1 West Ham

In the space of 17 days, the Magpies lost to West Ham and Swansea at home and Southampton and Stoke on the road, and they reached the season's halfway point on Boxing Day with an agonising 4-3 Boxing Day defeat at Manchester United, meaning they have lost seven of their last nine league games.

Alan Pardew: "You take November out of the calendar year and you have to say what a bloody great year we had.

"But unfortunately November soured it and it's put us in a tricky position for this first half of the season.

"If we had picked up six points and been sitting on 26 with fourth place at 33, we would have been all right.

"We are really six points short of actually doing very well with the squad we have had.

"But we mustn't take our eye off it and think it's been okay or it's acceptable. It isn't and we have got to do better."