Pardew earns Ferguson praise

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson believes Alan Pardew has been central in the success of Premier League surprise packets Newcastle.

Pardew’s Newcastle side have performed above expectations this term and sit fourth in the Premier League standings.

They suffered their only defeat of the domestic campaign thus far at leaders Manchester City last weekend and will face another stern test at Old Trafford against Ferguson’s men on Saturday.

“I’ve always respected Alan Pardew, I’ve always rated him,” Ferguson told his club’s official website.

“I think he was unfairly treated at West Ham and at Southampton, it was ridiculous actually. He took West Ham to the FA Cup final and was one minute away from winning the cup. He was so unlucky.”

Pardew was sacked from his job at Upton Park in 2006 after losing on penalties in the FA Cup final, and then went on to win the Football League Trophy with Southampton in 2009/10 before being ousted shortly afterwards.

The 50-year-old took the reins at Newcastle after the departure of Chris Hughton in December last year.

“Alan’s done a great job at Newcastle,” Ferguson continued. “He’s galvanised them and got them fighting for each other.”

“I watched their recent 2-2 draw at home to Tottenham and it was a great game, end to end, with both teams trying to win. There was a really good attitude among both sets of players. They were fighting for every ball.”

“When you’ve got a Newcastle team doing that, with their great support behind them, you know you’re going to get a difficult game.”

Despite his admiration for Pardew, the Scottish manager will be hoping for a repeat of the last time the two coaches went head-to-head, in which Pardew’s Charlton side lost 2-0 to United in February 2007.