Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has insisted that his side are desperate to give their fans reason to cheer in the final match of the campaign against Arsenal this Sunday.
The Magpies secured survival last weekend by beating Queens Park Rangers, with Pardew joking after the win that he did not care if the Gunners won 4-0 at St James' Park this weekend.
Pardew is adamant that Newcastle will give their all to beat Arsene Wenger's side after conceding nine goals in their last two home matches in 3-0 and 6-0 defeats respectively.
He told the club's official website: "I know people will have picked up on my comments about not caring about the result against Arsenal, which were, of course, a joke.
"It is definitely not the case that I would be happy for us to lose 4-0 against Arsenal on Sunday. I simply want our players and fans to be able to enjoy the game without looking over their shoulders. Even though we are now safe, we will be putting in the same effort that we would for any other Premier League game.
"Our last two results at St James' Park, against Sunderland and Liverpool, have been nowhere near good enough, and Sunday gives us the chance to put that right. We want to end the season on a positive, to finish in as high a position as possible and to give the fans something to cheer about on the final day of what has been a frustrating season. Arsenal will be doing everything they can to try and achieve a Champions League spot and we won't make it easy for them, make no mistake about that."
The Magpies sit 13th in the Premier League but could climb to 10th if results go their way on the final day.
Liam Power
