Bent says Pardew did "a brilliant job at Charlton ... even though we were relegated".
Yep ... that's a Mackem for yer!
Darren Bent: “To be fair, he’s a great fit for the Newcastle job.
“He won’t be scared of it – a lot of people would be – but he’s got the character and personality and to do really well in the North East.
“It’s a great part of the world – coming to Sunderland has been brilliant for me and I’ve loved every minute of it. And the people aren’t just passionate about their football, they’re also welcoming.
“I saw him again at the weekend and he’s still full of the same passion and ideas.
“It says a lot about him that only a couple of days after taking the job, he was out and about in the region, mixing with fans and journalists, at an awards dinner.
"He’s not here for a holiday, he’s here to do a good job and make a difference. He’s here for the long-term and it was great to say hello.”
"He took over Charlton in the 2006/07 season.
“Charlton were struggling at the time – we’d won something like one game out of 10 in all competitions – but he came in and was absolutely brilliant.
"He settled all the players down and got us playing as a team again. Results picked up straight away.
“His man-management was superb. He made me captain, so I’ve got a lot to be grateful to him for, but it’s not just that. He was top-drawer.
"He got us relaxed, got us playing football. He told us to try to forget what was going on around the club and just concentrate on what we did best. I’m sure he’ll be doing the same at Newcastle.
“The first day he got to Charlton he called me in to his office and said ‘look, we’ve got to do something about the team and what’s going on’.
"He talked to me about my strengths as a player and said he’d spoken to all the managers in the Premier League and they’d said that they would love to have me in their teams.
“It was his way of building me up and he did it with others, too. He called everyone together, told them I’d be the new captain and said that we had to relax, to enjoy our work. He was full of ideas and innovation.
“He was always honest and always good with the players.
“He’d said to me from the moment he got to Charlton that if a big club came in for me, he wouldn’t stand in my way, as long as I gave 100 per cent.
"He was as good as his word. I tried my heart out for him and he repaid me after Charlton were relegated by working hard to help me go to Spurs. ”