Sunderland can only dream of playing in Europe, says Newcastle boss Pardew

The Magpies manager, who oversaw a 3-0 loss against the Black Cats at St James' Park, could not resist a dig at the local rivals, but has urged his side to move on from the defeat

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew says rivals Sunderland “can only dream” of playing in the Europa League, unlike his side who enjoyed a good run in the competition before being knocked out by Benfica.


RYAN TAYLOR TO MISS NEXT SEASON
18/1	Newcastle are 18/1 with bet365 to beat West Brom 2-0 on Saturday

The Magpies finished fifth in the Premier League last season to qualify for the competition and beat both Metalist Kharkiv and Anzhi Makhachkala in the knockout stages before bowing out at the quarter-finals.

However, Newcastle have struggled in the league this season and are currently 13th, just two points ahead of rivals Sunderland with fives games left to play, with no chance of European football next season.

While the Black Cats beat Newcastle 3-0 at St James’ Park on Sunday, Pardew says the defeat was largely due to his side's busy schedule, which was a result of their Europa League commitments.

“It was a great day for Sunderland and it was, for us, a tough day,” he told the Shields Gazette.

“But I would rather play and give it a good go in the quarter-final of the Europa League, and they can only dream of that.

“Next year, there’s always another game – and you know, in these games an in a managerial career, you get setbacks that are really not nice that you have to carry.

“For us, it’s done, it’s history, we can’t change it. We have to always carry it, like they have all the defeats we have put on them, so we will move on.”

James Richardson, Les Ferdinand & Goal.com's Peter Staunton run through the biggest transfer talking points of the week.

CLICK THE IMAGE TO SEE THE FIRST EPISODE!