Let's Hope Pardew's New Found 'Resilience' Lasts!

Hatem Ben Arfa has a chance of featuring against Fulham at Craven Cottage, but the Toon boss has given him a warning (allegedly). The midfielder has spent the last three weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring problem. Newcastle ended a four-game losing run in the Premier League a week ago, although I was not as convinced as some that the 3-0 victory over Wigan Athletic at St James’s Park was a turning point. We played against a ten-man team for 82 mins, who had their own injury problems and were without eight first team players . AND they gifted us an early penalty to ease the nerves. But obviously Alan Pardew sees it in a different light, and he says the “resilience” on show that night is here to stay. Alan Pardew: “We’ve put a new resilience in the team. “I don’t care if Hatem’s fit or not, he needs to come in and understand there’s a different look to the team. “The team’s got a little bit more drive in it, a little bit more energy. “He needs to bring that in if he comes in against Fulham, or Manchester City (on Saturday). We’re not far away from being a good side. “They’ve been hot and cold. “We’ve had Hatem, and their outstanding player is Berbatov. He’s been terrific, and we’re going to need to make sure he doesn’t have a big influence on the game. “They’ve got good pros. I’ve been to see Fulham a lot. They were on my doorstep when I was working in London. “They’re very difficult at home. They’ve got a nice rhythm, and their fans don’t give them too much of a hard time. “They can play poorly, and the fans will stay with them. You have to concentrate for 90 minutes at their place.” Source: Newcastle United Mad

Source: FOOTYMAD