The Magpies head for relegation-threatened Blackpool on Saturday having reached 40 points for the campaign with a hard-fought draw against Manchester United on Tuesday evening to edge themselves closer to Premier League safety. Victory at Bloomfield Road would surely end any lingering fears of being sucked into the relegation fight and allow the club to start planning for the new season. Pardew's scouts have already scattered far and wide in anticipation of a busy summer with the club intending to invest a large proportion of the £35million they received from Liverpool for Andy Carroll in January on new recruits. However, they will first need to thrash out the way forward with the likes of full-back Jose Enrique, who has been strongly tipped to follow Carroll to Anfield, Joey Barton and skipper Kevin Nolan, whose contracts are running down, linked with exits. Enrique and Barton have put talks on hold with the latter indicating that his decision will depend on how much ambition the club's hierarchy shows this summer. But Pardew insists the remaining five games also give those players an opportunity to prove that they are worth a new deal. He said: "We are not really going to do anything in terms of the players we have here until the end of the season. "That's right and proper because we have got the keep the players hungry and fighting to the end to earn that new contract. That's important." All three have proved key figures this season and in an ideal world, the manager would love to retain their services. Nolan, in particular, has continued where he left off in the Championship, leading by example and chipping in with 12 goals. Pardew has admitted he did not realise just how good a player the former Bolton man, who will return from suspension at Blackpool, was until he saw him at close hand. Asked if he has been surprised by Nolan's influence, he replied: "A little bit, and not just by his character and the leadership qualities he has, but as a player. "He's a much more accomplished player than I expected him to be - but when you actually look at what he has done, it makes more sense. "For a midfield player, his finishing is outstanding - as good as any striker I have worked with - and he does all the other stuff you need to do as a central midfield player. "He's a very, very important player." Newcastle head for Blackpool determined to gain revenge for their 2-0 home defeat in September, and while Pardew will have no qualms about increasing Ian Holloway's woes, he knows his opposite number will not stop fighting. The Magpies boss said: "People think he is just a two-season wonder, but I have been coming up against Ian for a long time and he is a capable manager. "He knows exactly what is right for his team, better than the media or any other manager. He knows what he's got there and believe you me, if anybody can get it out of a team, it's him. "He's an outstanding manager and somebody I really like. I like his flamboyant nature and what he does and what he represents. "He represents good things in the game and you have to admire that in him. "His team deserved all the plaudits they got earlier in the season. "Now, it's a different agenda. They are taking a little bit of criticism and it's something else they have to deal with. "That's the Premier League - it gives you different challenges. The challenge in front of them now, of course, is to stay in the division, and I think there's enough fight in that team to do it."
