Danny Guthrie is convinced manager Alan Pardew's love for the FA Cup will see Newcastle mount a genuine challenge for glory this season.
The Magpies head for a potentially difficult fourth-round tie at npower Championship Brighton on Saturday evening having come from behind to see off Barclays Premier League rivals Blackburn in the previous round.
Guthrie said: "The manager really likes the competition, he has always put strong teams out. He took West Ham to the final and nearly won it, so he does like that competition."
Pardew himself admits the FA Cup gives him a real buzz and a different challenge to the one presented weekly by the Barclays Premier League.
He said: "It does. The passion that comes around a cup game - they are those one-off occasions when anything can happen.
"There are no points to play for, it is just purely being in the hat for the next game, and that's the most important thing for us in this particular fixture, to be in the hat for the next round."
Brighton, of course, won their place in the fourth round with a penalty shoot-out victory over non-league Wrexham, a game which left Guthrie with mixed feelings.
He said: "I don't know which one is better looking at Wrexham's pitch, but Brighton are very good at home.
"I have seen them a couple of times and they are a good passing side."
Comment 1 - 7 of 7
cheers al. plonker
bloody told yous all ,useless strike and defence.
ive said this on other pages but there must be some really sad mackems about, most of the ones that comment on newcastle news seem to want newcastle to lose more than they want sunderland to win.
And comment 1, its been 39 years since you won anything- not much difference.
i dont see why you cant just admit sometimes that newcaslte are playing well or have some good players; im a geordie and im happy to admit that sunderland have some good players and if i was to chose who won the premier league, after newcastle sunderland wouldnt be far behind as my choice- id rather a team from the north won than a southern one (and the proper north not liverpool or manchester 'cos they arent the north!!!).
A lot of people on here seem to busy having a go at newcastle to bother supporting their own team
Easy Brighton win 3-0
what do you expect with 2 up front wouldnt get a game in the sunday morning league and williamson and simpson at the back who wouldnt get a game for under 11s sat morning league.fact
ere cannybiz123, de yee knaa noot aboot footie, brighton canny 4 rock, but footie, don't flipping think so. stick to playing on the beach hinny.
bye bye the toon .nowt again.43 bloody years.
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