London - Alan Pardew is pinning his hopes on in-form striker Papiss Cisse scoring the goals to give his Newcastle United side their first league victory of the season and increase his chances of staying in his job when they play Leicester City on Saturday.
The Newcastle manager has come under increasing pressure from unhappy fans with Newcastle winning just five of their 27 Premier League games since a 5-1 win over Stoke City on Boxing Day last year.
Along with promoted Burnley, they are the only other side still without a win in seven Premier League matches this season and are 18th in the 20-team table with just Burnley and Queens Park Rangers below them.
Cisse, who played for 81 minutes in Senegal's 1-0 loss to Tunisia in an African Nations Cup qualifier on Wednesday, has scored four times in his three league appearances for Newcastle since returning from a knee injury at the end of last month.
He grabbed all their goals in their 2-2 draws with Hull City and Swansea City on either side of their 1-0 defeat at Stoke City.
Although he might be accused of stating the obvious, Pardew told reporters before Saturday's match against Leicester at St James' Park: “You need to have somebody who can score goals in the Premier League. You need that cutting edge and somebody who is going to deliver for you.”
Speaking about the Senegalese striker, he added: “He's got that at the moment when we need it.”
Pardew though has played Cisse all over the front line in the last two seasons including out of position as a right-winger.
He now seems convinced that Cisse's best position is as the central striker.
“I said that this team will benefit Papiss and Papiss will benefit us. Hopefully that continues. It's four goals and it's good going for him.”
Meanwhile former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer said there was no alternative but to beat Leicester, who are in 12th place after their promotion last season.
Leicester have lost to Crystal Palace and drawn with Burnley since beating Manchester United 5-3 on September 21.
“The most important match is the next one and they have to win at home against Leicester,” Shearer was quoted as saying by the Newcastle Evening Chronicle.
“They have had a poor start - they've had a poor seven or eight months right back to January and it hasn't been good enough.
“Pardew knows that, the fans know that, but the players are the ones who can do something about it and they've got to do that pretty soon.”
Meanwhile Newcastle fans have won their bid to protect St James' Park in case the stadium is ever put up for sale.
The club's home since 1892 will be labelled an Asset Of Community Value after the application by the Newcastle United Supporters Trust (NUST) was approved by the city council and means the group has the right to bid for it if owner Mike Ashley tries to sell.
“The importance of St James' Park to Newcastle United is known throughout the world,” said a NUST statement. – Reuters