Pardew: Premier League needs a strong Newcastle

The St James' Park outfit recorded a shock 2-0 victory over Chelsea last Saturday, leaving them ninth in the top flight by the end of the weekend.

And Pardew feels his squad's ability to cause the occasional upset can make for a more entertaining competition.

"It's important that we are a strong Premiership side for the Premier League," he said. "It's important that Newcastle are tipping over some of the big guns."

The 52-year-old is now eyeing the scalp of Tottenham, with a trip to White Hart Lane on Sunday, and is hopeful his players can build on their unexpected victory over Jose Mourinho's men.

"It would be nice to take through to Spurs, that confidence, but it's going to be a tough game," he continued.

"Two years ago (5-0 defeat), we really got caught in the headlights there.

"It's an early start for us (midday kick-off), so we'll have to get up early, go for a walk, get the cobwebs out and get some porridge down us to make sure we're ready."