Source: Northern_Echo
Pardew admits Ranger is not the finished article
ALAN Pardew has admitted he regards Nile Ranger as an impact substitute rather than a first-team regular despite the striker's impressive contribution against Liverpool.[LNB] Ranger caught the eye as a second-half replacement in this month's 3-1 victory over the Reds, and had been due to start last weekend's game at Birmingham before a postponement robbed him of a maiden Premier League start.[LNB] He is expected to be back on the substitutes' bench on Boxing Day, with Pardew poised to name Andy Carroll as a lone striker against Manchester City, with Kevin Nolan playing in the attacking midfield hole.[LNB] The relatively untried 19-year-old undoubtedly possesses ability, but hinting at a lack of maturity and discipline, his manager has admitted he remains some way short of being the finished article.[LNB] I had heard about Nile prior to coming here and knew he was a talent, said Pardew. But I still think he has a lot to do to be a regular starter here.[LNB] At the moment, he's probably still at the stage of being an impact player to a degree. When I see a bit more of him in training, and see him on time and being disciplined, that's when I'll feel willing to put him in the first team.[LNB] He has potential, but he needs to get certain other things right to be a consistent performer. You need a real quality to your work in training. If you're a senior player, maybe you can afford an odd off day in training. But all the best players train very well and are focused on their performance.[LNB] Sunday's game pits Newcastle against the club that are expected to be the biggest spenders for the third transfer window in succession next month as they chase a first Premier League title.[LNB] An influx of Arabian wealth has transformed City from mid-table also-rans into the richest club in the world, and consequently made it all the more difficult for a club like Newcastle to compete at the top end of the league.[LNB] Pardew accepts the goalposts have moved, but with a successful youth development policy and a keen eye for a transfer bargain, sees no reason why the Magpies cannot be competing in the top six or seven places in a few seasons' time.[LNB] When you have a club spending more money than Chelsea and Manchester United combined over the last couple of years, that's going to make it harder for the rest of the league to compete, he said. So if we're not going to be in that financial bracket, we have to go about things a different way.[LNB] We have to be more calculated in terms of making sure our young players here are developed and guarantee we make no mistakes in the transfer market.[LNB] If you do that, then hopefully one or two of your players come out of the woodwork and become greats. Andy Carroll has the potential to do that.[LNB] As Everton proved a few years ago, you can get there (the top four). That's where my focus is. One day here, I'd like to be competing with that top group of teams. But at the moment we can't because we haven't got a squad with anything like the depth that they have.[LNB]
