Newcastle United are in with a shout to finish in the top half of the table or even qualify for the Europa league after the spectacular run of form for the last few months. The team are incredibly just one point behind Manchester United, who are one of the biggest clubs in the world. Right now, only the fifth placed team will take the Europa league spot, but that could change depending on the winners of the League cup and the FA Cup. Newcastle have certainly improved attacking wise following the signing of Loic Remy on a loan deal from QPR.

Manager Alan Pardew said that he is right now satisfied with the attacking prowess of the team. This has come about after tweaking the formation. The upcoming games against Norwich and Stoke provided Newcastle with a great opportunity to strengthen their push for the top six positions. Newcastle have previously finished in the top five two years ago. They missed out narrowly on the Champions league places, but Pardew is determined to make amendments for it. It has been several years since Newcastle were last seen in the Champions league.

The club has scored just over a goal per game, which is the ratio Pardew will be keen to improve in the forthcoming weeks.

“Our statistician told me we had 12 shots in the first half. In the Premier League that is a lot. We could have had more than that really. I don’t think we could have played any better in the first half. We were really good. Thirty six points is a fantastic total for us and we look forward to the second half of the season,” said Pardew.

Incredibly, the last time they had 36 points after 22 matches was when they finished fifth in 2012.

Newcastle United have had a turbulent few months in which a lot has changed at the club. The arrival of former manager Joe Kinnear as the director of football has created a lot of controversy at the club. This has translated into almost no significant arrivals so far this transfer window. Newcastle barely managed to avoid relegation last season, which was a shock to many considering that they finished in fifth place the previous season. Manager Alan Pardew said after the end of last season that the club needed new faces in order to cope with the fixture schedule.

However, players have been consistently linked with a move away from St James’s Park rather than the other way around. This will change in the coming weeks according to Pardew, who has put his faith in Kinnear. He expects the former Newcastle manager to bring in good players over the next few weeks. Newcastle have been in discussions with French club Lyon for the transfer of striker Bafetimbi Gomis. It is believed that they recently increased their offer to around £ 7 million.

French striker Loic Remy has also been linked with a move to the club. He is with relegated QPR, who are looking to get him off the wage bill. Remy could come on a season-long loan deal.

“Myself and Graham Carr have given Joe the targets, but they’re difficult to get over the line. And I’m sure Joe’s trying to be very patient in trying to get the right player for us. There’s been no problem (with Kinnear). Joe’s job is to make sure that I get the support I need and he’s trying to do everything he can to do that. It’s obvious at the moment that we need a player or two and hopefully he can do that,” said Pardew.