Newcastle boss Alan Pardew firmly believes qualifying for the Champions League this season would eclipse even Sir Bobby Robson's feat. Robson dragged the Magpies from 11th place at the end of the 2000/01 campaign into fourth place 12 months later and, having safely negotiated a way past Bosnian outfit FK Zeljeznicar in the qualifiers, guided them into the second group stage of the competition. That proved to be the club's last flirtation with Europe's elite after they lost on penalties to Partizan Belgrade in the final qualifying round the following season, having finished third. However, with five games remaining this time around, Pardew's unlikely lads are level on points with fourth-placed Tottenham and could yet rub shoulders with the big boys once again. Robson, of course, was able to call upon the likes of Alan Shearer, Shay Given, Rob Lee and Gary Speed as he strode towards the Champions League. It is a measure of how far the Magpies have come in recent times that two years ago this week, they were celebrating lifting the Championship title having earlier secured their return to the top flight following a hugely embarrassing relegation. For that reason, Pardew, whose side face Stoke on Saturday, is confident a top-four repeat 11 years on would be even more remarkable. He said: "You are going from a different set of circumstances there, with all due respect to Sir Bobby Robson. He had some fantastic players and players who were Premier League icons. "We've got a lot of new players who are making a little niche for themselves. It's a different kind of scenario. I am not under-estimating that achievement but if we get in there, it would be astonishing." Pardew has been handed a series of fitness boosts ahead of the clash. Defender James Perch (thigh) and midfielders Cheick Tiote (hamstring), Danny Guthrie (calf) and Gabriel Obertan (ankle) are all back in training, as are striker Leon Best (knee) and midfielder Sylvain Marveaux (groin). Pardew has only Steven Taylor (Achilles) and Sammy Ameobi (knee) still on the sidelines for a potentially thrilling run-in.
Stoke boss Tony Pulis insists he has no regrets about not signing Demba Ba. Ba had been set to join the Potters from German side Hoffenheim in January 2011 but failed a medical and the deal fell through. He subsequently secured a transfer to West Ham later that month and while he could not prevent the Hammers from being relegated, the Senegal forward made quite an impression, scoring seven goals in 12 Barclays Premier League appearances. A move to Newcastle followed in the summer and Ba has continued to demonstrate his potency by netting 16 times - including a hat-trick in a 3-1 win at Stoke in October - for the Magpies this term. Although the goals have dried up of late for the 26-year-old, with his international colleague, January recruit Papiss Cisse, emerging as the Tyneside outfit's new star striker, overall it seems Ba was a gamble worth taking. But asked if he had any regrets about failing to capture the frontman, Pulis said: "No, not at all. "We have a medical team here who made a decision and they are fantastic - you only have to see the number of times we get various people on the pitch and what we get out of our players. They don't need any backing up. They thought there was a problem there - fine, we'll get on with it." Winger Jermaine Pennant is a doubt as he has been suffering with a virus and will be assessed ahead of the trip. Defender Andy Wilkinson is available again having recovered from a groin injury, while midfielder Salif Diao and forward Mamady Sidibe (both knee) remain sidelined.
Source: PA
