Former Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has recalled a blunt welcome from Joey Barton after replacing Chris Hughton in December 2010.
In an interview published by FourFourTwo on Tuesday, Pardew said the midfielder made the squad’s attachment to his predecessor clear within minutes of their first training session.
Alan Pardew recalls Newcastle warning
Pardew told FourFourTwo:
“Joey Barton came up to me and said how much the players had loved Chris Hughton and no-one wanted me there.”
Hughton had led Newcastle back into the Premier League, leaving his successor with considerable work to do to earn acceptance.
Liverpool victory helped change the mood
Pardew’s opening match brought a 3-1 victory over Liverpool at St James’ Park.
He recalled that Newcastle’s first goal came from a routine rehearsed the previous day. Barton subsequently thanked him for introducing it, providing an early moment of encouragement.
Pardew has also been reflecting on the wider consequences of his Newcastle tenure.
Read Newcastle recently covered his comments about the financial impact of missing Champions League qualification, following the club’s fifth-place finish in 2011/12.
The Barton anecdote offers a glimpse of the immediate challenge that preceded that European push: gaining the confidence of players loyal to Hughton.
