Pards - We must be ruthless

Alan Pardew has urged his Newcastle players to take their chances this weekend when they play at Old Trafford.

Boss says side must take any chances that come their way at OT

Alan Pardew has urged his players to take their chances this weekend as Newcastle attempt to end their 39-year wait for a victory at Old Trafford. The Magpies head into Saturday's trip to Manchester United having not won at the Red Devils since February 1972. With history so overwhelmingly against them, Newcastle could be forgiven for making the trip without any great confidence of returning with a positive result. However, despite last week's reverse to league leaders Man City at the Etihad Stadium, Pardew is confident the home side will not have things all their own way. He said: "If you are going to Old Trafford against the quality of player and the atmosphere that's created, of course you are going to find it very, very difficult. "The odds are that you are not going to get many victories, and 1972 suggests that maybe we are due one. "You need a bit of luck, sometimes the ball to roll your way or fortune to favour you. "But you have got to force that. We have got to force them into a situation where they might make a mistake, or we have a forward running beyond and a player commits himself and they are down to 10 men. "It's crucial when that chance comes along that we take it, because we aren't going to get many chances there."

Respect

Pardew has immense respect for Red Devils counterpart Sir Alex Ferguson and knows he will have his players fired up to make an immediate response from Tuesday night's 2-2 UEFA Champions League draw with Benfica in an attempt to reel in City. The Newcastle boss said with a smile: "He's clocking up all sorts of milestones. It's about time he walked away and gave someone else a chance. He has been brilliant. "I know he will be smarting from Tuesday's draw, so unfortunately, we are on the back of a negative from Manchester United's point of view, so it will be a tough game for us. "When the last game of the season comes around, I expect Manchester United to be playing for the title. "He wouldn't have it any other way, the manager." The game will see both Danny Simpson and Gabriel Obertan return to their former club having failed to win regular football during their time there, although Pardew insists there is no shame in that. He said: "It's a good time for them to go back and show they have grown as players and as individuals, and you can only do that with first-team football. "At Manchester United there are so many world-class players it's difficult to break in."