However, this season has proved a lot more difficult talk and United sit 14th after last night's 2-1 defeat at Fulham.

"I'm worried in so much as we are not picking up enough points, that is pretty evident," Pardew said.

"Although the performances against Stoke, Wigan and against Fulham have improved, it is a worry we don't have enough points on the board."

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Newcastle have now lost five of their previous six league games but could have easily altered that statistic last night.

After Steve Sidwell broke the deadlock, Hatem Ben Arfa's leveller put Newcastle in the ascendancy until Hugo Rodallega headed home what proved to be the winner.

"Second half we had the game by the scruff of the neck really, the goal was a soft goal," Pardew said.

"We gave away a cheap free-kick and then we didn't defend that situation well at all and have come away losing a game we should've got something out of.

"We just didn't defend it well it I'm honest, we are going to have to be better - we can't concede soft goals at this level. To win that game we needed to score three at Fulham and it is really difficult to do that.

"Of course it is very, very disappointing because I believe we have an honest set of players and we work on situations and really for us it is a poor goal, I can't so no more than that really."

Things look far rosier for Martin Jol, whose Fulham side ended a seven-match winless streak on a cold night by the Thames.

"We had that spell (of poor results) that started against Sunderland with the red card and two big injuries for us," the Cottagers boss said.

"That was very disappointing for us and then after that we couldn't play Bryan Ruiz - he was out for four weeks for us.

"I was happy that Dimitar Berbatov, after talking to him, could fill in that role (behind the striker).

"It was vital, he didn't score so that was disappointing, but on the other hand he linked us up and kept the team together - I was very happy with him."