Alan Pardew concerned by crowd trouble ahead of derby

Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has admitted that he is concerned about the possibility of trouble between fans ahead of the Tyne-Wear derby against Sunderland on Saturday.

Pardew claims that he felt responsible for the problems that led to 111 arrests following the 3-0 loss to Sunderland last season.

"I'm conscious of what happened last season when we lost," Pardew told reporters at his pre-match press conference. "There were all sorts of disturbances in the town.

"As a manager, I felt responsible for that. I don't want that to happen again. The best thing we can do is try and win the match."

Newcastle have won just once in their last five games heading into the game against the Black Cats.