Source: PA
Pardew relaxed over Hughton tributes
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew had no problem with his players dedicating his first victory to predecessor Chris Hughton as the Magpies beat Liverpool 3-1 at St James' Park.
Joey Barton, who had earlier been involved in a spat with Reds striker Fernando Torres, set up the win with a goal 10 minutes from time and later paid his own tribute to Hughton, who was sacked on Monday.
The Liverpool-born midfielder told ESPN: "The king is dead, long live the king. It was a tough week. We were all disappointed to lose Chris. He was a great man and everyone has said how dignified he was and how much of a gentleman he was.
"He's one of the nice guys of football and it's a shame. It's a cruel game."
The men Hughton left behind provided the perfect tribute to him as fans voiced their anger at the decision, and Pardew insisted Barton's comments were understandable. He said: "One hundred per cent, and we talked about it afterwards. I have worked with Chris and he can feel very, very unfortunate that he is not sitting here now. But we all know this game is not easy and can be cruel at times. I had a very similar issue at Southampton.
"I was conscious that when I left Southampton, they lost three games, so I really wanted to focus the team. It was very, very important, whoever the manager was, that they represented themselves and the club in the right manner, and they did that and more."
