Sunday 5 October 2014 07:55, UK
Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew praised his side's character after their 2-2 draw at Swansea.
Two goals from Papiss Cisse rescued Newcastle from defeat in South Wales and helped to ease the pressure on Pardew, who has been under scrutiny for the majority of this season.
With the Magpies still seeking their first Premier League win of the campaign, Pardew hopes that Saturday’s result will boost his side’s confidence.
"It’s a tough place to come. To go behind - not once but twice - shows real character from the team," he told Sky Sports.
"They were great goals from Papiss – he’s going to be important for us this year. I’m pleased with the point.
"I think anyone who watched today will see that the players are giving everything. OK, we’d like to have a bit more confidence and play with a bit more belief – and I would as well," he added.
"There’s a lot of pressure on us and it’s difficult to play. We had periods in the game where we looked edgy and nervous which is understandable. The only way to get over that is to keep fighting, and we certainly did that today.”
Despite a number of Newcastle fans calling for Pardew to be sacked, the former West Ham boss insists he is the man to drive the club away from the relegation zone.
"I just want the team to win. I’m trying to find solutions for the players. It’s my job to help them improve and get better results and all the players contributed today – even the ones that didn’t play," he said.
"We had one really poor game this season (4-0 defeat at Southampton) and we know that we need to threaten the goal a bit more. We carried a bit more of a threat today which is encouraging.
"There’s a long way to go this season and we have to keep fighting. Hopefully, if we get a couple of wins we’ll get our confidence back and show that we’re a better side."
