Source: PA
Pardew seeks fresh blood
Alan Pardew admitted he wants to sign two players in the transfer window after apologising for his Newcastle side's humiliating defeat by League Two Stevenage in the FA Cup third round.
Newcastle, who fielded their strongest available team, were swept aside 3-1 as they struggled to penetrate without injured strikers Andy Carroll and Shola Ameobi.
Pardew put the defeat down to the effort his side had put into the recent upsurge in their Premier League form and admitted the FA Cup exit has made him even keener to reinforce.
"I certainly need one (player) but we are working on the idea that we can get two in," Pardew said.
"We had no Andy Carroll, no Shola Ameobi, our two top strikers, and we didn't retain the ball up top at all well. That was a problem for us. Fingers crossed that at least one of those, if not both of those, are back next week and that we add to the squad too.
"This competition was important to us. I have tried to focus on that with the players and get them to understand what this was about. They had a grasp of it but we just didn't have the energy to deal with it. That's the truth of it."
