Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article 0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterSubscribe to our newsletterFormer Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew still feels he was a bit hard done by during his spell at St James' Park.Pardew came in as the successor to the highly-popular Chris Hughton in December 2010, just a few months after Hughton he had led Newcastle to promotion back out of the Championship.A fifth-place finish in Pardew's first full season in charge only briefly quelled the doubters, with Newcastle finishing 16th and 10th before Pardew was finally dismissed in December 2014."Im convinced Mike Ashley would have given me the money to compete in the Champions League"Pardew believes things were against him from the very beginning, reflecting to FourFourTwo: "My welcome wasnt particularly warm."Rumours started that Mike Ashley had only appointed me because Id run up huge gambling debts in his casinos. You may like "Jermain Defoe and David James made it clear they didnt want to be there - so I recruited hungry youngsters instead" Alan Pardew reflects on three finals in three years at West Ham Jonjo Shelvey rates recent Newcastle United managers from Rafa Benitez to Steve Bruce Tim Krul shares his regret over how his Newcastle United career ended "There wasnt a grain of truth in the stories. Maybe I should have addressed them rather than let them run."On day one at training, within five minutes, Joey Barton came up to me and said how much the players had loved Chris Hughton and no-one wanted me there. Charming!Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over."Fortunately, we started out by beating Liverpool 3-1 and our first goal was something wed been practising on the training ground the previous day so that helped."After the game, Joey piped up, thanking me for that routine Id introduced. That was a great moment."However, Pardew acknowledges that he didn't win over everybody on on Tyneside. What to read next "Sir Alex Ferguson crossed a line, and therein lies the difference between me and him, thats how he won 13 league titles and I won none" Kevin Keegan on Newcastle United's 1995/96 Premier League challenge 30 years on from the 'Love it' rant Alan Shearer reacts to 'strange' Newcastle United decision following Eddie Howe exit This is the real reason Eddie Howe has left Newcastle, not embarrassing pre-season friendly defeat Pardew said: "I had a difficult relationship with some of the North East media."Two or three had an agenda I couldnt quite understand and at times, it led to a toxic atmosphere."We came desperately close to qualifying for the Champions League only to lose our last game at Everton. We still finished fifth and I was named both LMA and Premier League Manager of the Year that season the last British boss to win those awards."Had we come fourth, Im convinced Mike would have given me the money to compete in the Champions League."TOPICSAlan PardewNewcastle UnitedSteven ChickenSocial Links NavigationSteven Chicken has been working as a football writer since 2009, taking in stints with Football365 and the Huddersfield Examiner. Steven still covers Huddersfield Town home and away for his own publication,WeAreTerriers.com. Steven is a two-time nominee for Regional Journalist of the Year at the prestigious British Sports Journalism Awards, making the shortlist in 2020 and 2023.With contributions fromIan Murtagh
