Speaking at his first press conference since the transfer window closed with only loan signing Loic Remy have been added to his squad by director of football Joe Kinnear, Pardew acknowledged that the summer, and in particular the weeks leading up to the transfer deadline, had been testing.
Alan Pardew: "You don't take it in your stride. I'm not saying it's an easy job, Newcastle manager.
"We haven't got the finances of a big team and therefore, it makes it difficult and a lot of the time, people cling to bad news when there is a lot of good news.
"Hopefully there will be some more good news coming out of it shortly.
"It's important sometimes to understand that we have a very good team. We invested 30-odd million in the last window, we have brought Remy in.
"We have brought a lot of young players here who I think will, hopefully, blossom. That's why they were brought here. The likes of Sammy Ameobi and Paul Dummett, part of my management is to develop players.
"Having said that, our fans wanted a marquee signing, probably, and that's what we were looking at, somebody that would really threaten the first team.
"But we couldn't get it over the line in terms of what we wanted and unfortunately that's the position we are in.
"But having said all of that, I still think we have got a very, very strong side."
Just to put the record straight ...
"We invested 30-odd million in the last window" ....
I don't think so - it was £18 .7 million
4 January 2013 DF Mathieu Debuchy Lille £5.5 million
22 January 2013 DF Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa Montpellier £6.7 million
23 January 2013 FW Yoan Gouffran Bordeaux £1.4 million
24 January 2013 DF Massadio Haïdara Nancy £2 million
24 January 2013 MF Moussa Sissoko Toulouse £2.1 million
31 January 2013 DF Kevin Mbabu Servette £1 million
TOTAL: £18 .7 million
Saturday September 14
12:45 Man Utd v Crystal Palace
15:00 Aston Villa v Newcastle United
15:00 Fulham v West Brom
15:00 Hull City v Cardiff City
15:00 Stoke City v Manchester City
15:00 Sunderland v Arsenal
15:00 Tottenham v Norwich City
17:30 Everton v Chelsea
Sunday September 15
16:00 Southampton v West Ham United
Monday September 16
20:00 Swansea City v Liverpool
NEWCASTLE UTD RESULTS
PREMIER LEAGUE
NEWCASTLE 1 FULHAM 0 (Ben Arfa)
Krul, Debuchy, Yanga-Mbiwa, Coloccini, Santon, Ben Arfa, Sissoko, Anita 65' (Cabaye), Marveaux 74' (Remy), Shola Ameobi 65' (Gouffran), Cisse
Subs: Gosling, Elliot, Sammy Ameobi, Dummett
NEWCASTLE 0 WEST HAM 0
Krul, Debuchy, Yanga-Mbiwa, Coloccini, Santon, Ben Arfa, Sissoko, Anita, Marveaux 66' (Sammy Ameobi), Shola Ameobi, Cisse 72'
Subs: Gosling, Bigirimana, Elliot, Vuckic, Dummett
MAN CITY 4 NEWCASTLE 0
Krul, Debuchy, Coloccini, S Taylor, Yanga-Mbiwa, Sissoko, Tiote, Gouffran 45+4' (Dummett), Ben Arfa 65' (Sammy Ameobi), Gutierrez 44' (Anita), Cisse
Subs: Elliot, Marveaux, Shola Ameobi, Obertan
LEAGUE CUP
MORECAMBE 0 NEWCASTLE 2 (Shola Ameobi, Sammy Ameobi)
Elliot, Debuchy, Yanga-Mbiwa, Good, Dummett, Bigirimana, Gosling, Marveaux 88' (Sissoko), Vuckic 46' (Shola Ameobi), Sammy Ameobi, Gouffran 71' (Ben Arfa)
Subs: Santon, Anita, Alnwick, Streete
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VILLA PARK - ASTON VILLA
How To Get There By Car & Where To Park
The ground can be seen from the M6, if you are coming from the North side of Birmingham. Leave the M6 at Junction 6 and take the slip road sign posted Birmingham (NE). Turn right at the island (the fourth exit), the ground is well signposted from here. However to be on the safe side, turn right at the second set of traffic lights (there is the King Edward VII pub on the corner) on to Aston Hall Road. This road will take you down to the ground. Mostly street parking (don't be surprised though if you are approached by kids wanting to 'mind your car'), although this is not as plentiful as it once was due to a local residents only parking scheme now in place in the streets around the Witton roundabout area. Roland Archer a visiting Southampton fan adds; 'If you arrive early enough then in-between the Witton Arms and Witton Station there is a small pay and display car park which cost only £1.60 for six hours.'
Post Code for SAT NAV: B6 6HE
By Train
Take the short train journey from Birmingham New Street (around 10-15 minutes) to either Aston or Witton station. Witton station is nearer to the away section and is only a few minutes walk from the ground. Turn left out of the station exit and continue down to a roundabout. Turn left at the roundabout into Witton Lane and the entrance to the away section is down this road on the right. Aston station is about a ten minute walk away from Villa Park. Extra trains are laid on to the ground on matchdays.
Remember if travelling by train then you can save on the cost of fares by booking in advance. Visit the thetrainline website to see how much you can save.
What Is It Like For Away Supporters?
Away supporters are located on one side of the Doug Ellis Stand, towards the North end of the stadium. Up to 3,000 fans can be accommodated in this area, split between both the upper and lower tiers of the stand. The concourse at the back of the upper tier is particularly tight and easily becomes crowded, whereas there is more space behind the lower section. There is a fair selection of food available and it is the first football ground that I have visited that offers meat products that are Halal. There are a selection of pies (all £3.10), Burgers (£3.10), Fish & Chips (£3.50), Southern Fried Chicken and Chips (£3.50), Vegetable Samosas (£2) and Chips & Curry Sauce (£2.50). There are wide screen televisions on the concourse, showing past encounters between the teams before kick off. There is also betting facilities available in the form of a Ladbrokes outlet. Entrance to the stand is gained by entering your match ticket into an electronic reader.
A visit to Villa Park is normally an enjoyable experience, with the stewards normally taking a relaxed and friendly attitude. One concern though, is that there is very little separating the home and away fans and this could lead to possible future crowd problems.
Where To Drink?
There are a number of pubs in the vicinity of Villa Park, but most of them on match days are either members only or have bouncers on the door. However, Dave Cooper recommends the following for away fans; 'The Witton Arms (formerly the Cap and Gown), is not a bad pub, to which half the pub is given to away fans (there is even a separate entrance for visiting fans). It is only two minutes walk from the away entrance, right on Witton Island, however it does charge £2 per person to gain entry'. Alex Alexander a visiting Norwich City fan adds; 'We found a pub approximately 15 minutes walk from the ground where away fans were made welcome. It is called the Yew Tree. Although they don’t serve real ale, they had a good range of beers and Magner’s on draught. It is on the same road as the Witton Arms, but with this pub on your left carry straight on up the road, passing Witton Railway Station on your right. After about half a mile you will see the pub on the right hand side'.
If you arrive a bit earlier then you may wish to visit the historic Bartons Arms, located about a 15 minute walk away on High Street Aston (A34). This Grade II listed building, is one of Birmingham's finest pubs, with superb Victorian decor, serving Oakham ales and Thai food is also on offer. It is a regular entry in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.
Darren Williams a visiting Manchester City fan adds; 'We have always park at an entertainment complex called StarCity. It is just off Junction 6 of the M6, going towards Villa Park. Huge free car park, plus plenty of food and drink outlets. It is then about a mile and half walk to the ground'. Please note that alcohol is not available to away fans inside the stadium.
White Lion Pub Four Oaks. Located 15 minutes drive from Junction 9 of the M42 the White Lion pub is located in the leafy suburbs of Four Oaks, the pub is the perfect stop off point for fans on their way to Villa Park. A Thwaites pub it is popular with drinkers and those who enjoy watching sports with a number of large screens showing the early kick off. The pub is friendly and the landlord Andy Thompson has had plenty of experience of entertaining large groups of visiting fans in the pub trade. The large car park has ample space for coaches, food is available too and breakfasts can be arranged on request. Villa Park is then a 20 minute drive away. Alternatively fans can leave their car at the pub and catch a train direct to Aston from Butlers Lane Station which is around a five minute walk away, with the railway journey to Aston taking 15 minutes. Give Andy a call on 0121 308 2313 or email him to discuss your requirements.
The post code of the pub is B75 5HL.
NEWCASTLE UTD FIXTURES
Saturday September 14
15:00 Premier League
Aston Villa v Newcastle United
Saturday September 21
15:00 Premier League
Newcastle United v Hull City
Wednesday September 25
19:45 League Cup - 3rd Rnd
Newcastle United v Leeds United
Monday September 30
20:00 Premier League
Everton v Newcastle United
Saturday October 5
15:00 Premier League
Cardiff City v Newcastle United
Saturday October 19
12:45 Premier League
Newcastle United v Liverpool
Sunday October 27
13:30 Premier League
Sunderland v Newcastle United