Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew praised his team for the way they have kept their winning run going on despite the numerous injury problems.
The club have one of the largest injury lists in the Premier League with as many as 12 players on the sidelines. One of them is Gabriel Obertan, who was one of the reasons for starting this incredible run of form that has seen Newcastle win the last five matches in the league.
This has propelled them to fifth place in the table, which would have been unthinkable a few weeks ago when they were struggling against the prospect of another relegation.
Pardew completely lost the fans after a very poor start to the season, but this good run of form has seen protests against the former West Ham man subside quite drastically. The latest victory came against relegation threatened QPR. The 1-0 victory was achieved because ofSissoko’s 78th minute goal. The current form shown by Newcastle is something that even table leaders Chelsea cannot match, as they have dropped two points in the last five matches. Pardew says that his team have shown incredible team spirit during this difficult period. The club could equal a club record if they win seven straight matches.
“We had a lot of senior players missing.The depth of the squad gives me great heart.No matter what changes I make, we stay disciplined and we stay strong.And it gives you the foundation to win. It was our best performance at home.There’s definitely more depth to the squad.I felt we were a striker light, I did.Perez has come to the fore for us. That’s been a real bonus,” said Pardew after the win over QPR. The team are travelling to Upton Park to face Pardew’s former team West Ham during the weekend.