The 49-year-old arrived at St James' Park in December last year in the wake of Chris Hughton's controversial departure and announced himself in style with a 3-1 home victory over Liverpool, the side the Magpies face on Sunday at Anfield. During the intervening period, they have eased themselves to the brink of mathematical safety, and Pardew is now planning for a new campaign and the task of transforming the club from top-flight survivors into something more. Having spent his entire managerial career in the south of England, life on Tyneside had provided him with a new experience, but it is one he is thoroughly enjoying. Pardew got a taste of how things could be earlier this month when his players battled their way to a 0-0 draw with leaders Manchester United in front of a passionate crowd of 49,025, although he insisted his appetite was whetted long before that. He said: "It was whetted way before then, but the more and more I take games in and get to know the place and understand how it works, the more familiar I am becoming with it and the more natural the surroundings are becoming to me. "I am obviously very proud to be the Newcastle manager and I enjoy it immensely." Pardew's time at St James' Park has not been without its challenges, with Andy Carroll's £35million exit for Liverpool in January after weeks of insisting he was going nowhere and an injury list which has robbed him of key players taking their toll. The manager, who on Wednesday lost loan signing Stephen Ireland for the rest of the campaign with an ankle injury after the midfielder had managed just two appearances as a substitute, acknowledges his squad needs to be strengthened significantly during the summer, and his scouting team has been clocking up the air miles as they assess prospective targets at home and abroad. That process, however, cannot get under way in earnest until the club's Premier League status is formally guaranteed, although preparations for a summer recruitment drive are being stepped up with that point close to being reached. Pardew said: "Of course, it helps that. You can start talking to people and they can look at us and realistically think we are going to be in the Premier League, which helps, obviously."
