Alan Pardew has ‘a lot of admiration’ for Andre Villas-Boas

Alan Pardew has revealed his admiration for Tottenham Hotspur boss Andre Villas-Boas ahead of Newcastle’s trip to White Hart Lane on Saturday.

The Magpies boss, whose side were thrashed 5-0 in north London last season, believes the Portuguese manager is a “very thorough coach” and also claims that Gareth Bale is one of the top players in the world at the moment.

“He’s done a good job there,” said Pardew. “He’s gone quietly about his business, as he does.

“He’s a very thorough coach and I’ve got a lot of admiration for him. And I think they’ve got some fantastic players.

“Gareth Bale is definitely in that top five or six players in the world right now so we’ve got some difficult players to contain.”

Newcastle are currently in 15th place in the Premier League table, six points above the relegation zone.