NEWCASTLE UNITED manager Alan Pardew thinks the club's transfer business needs to focus on players with Premier League know-how during the summer - provided he keeps them in the top-flight first.

The Magpies place among the elite remains in serious doubt and today's action provides an excellent opportunity to safeguard their place in the richest league in the world.

If Newcastle can win at West Ham United this afternoon and third from bottom Wigan lose at West Bromwich Albion then the gap to the relegation zone will have widened to eight points.

That would mean Wigan - who have a game in hand over their rivals - would have to win all of their remaining matches and still require Newcastle to slip up.

And if Newcastle can get to the stage where they have preserved Premier League status, Pardew will recommend to the boardroom and scouting team his squad needs a certain type to avoid a repeat of this seasons failings.

Chief scout Graham Carr has continued to explore the European market and has identified more players from the French league to target during the close-season.

But Pardew, who would also have preferred talent from the domestic game to have been recruited last summer, wants to ensure his squad is more streetwise to the Premier League when the new season kicks off in August.

"We will, certainly at the end of the year, have a discussion about where we are going to trade, where is best for the group," said Pardew. "I think one of the problems I faced in this group, if I am honest, is not a language problem, not a cultural problem it's been inexperience. We still have a lot of inexperience on the pitch.

"Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa is playing his ninth Premier League game on the trot. As (Fabricio) Coloccini found when he arrived, and he has been a great player for us - he gives us a seven, eight, nine every week when he's playing - but when he first came he wasn't like that. Hopefully in the next three games we can get performances that are more eight and nine, than six."

Pardews call for more players with Premier League experience arrived in the build up to the trip to a West Ham team full of the ingredient he would like to have more of in his team.

The Hammers sit in tenth spot, already assured of a second season in the top-flight after last years promotion success, and Pardew is full of admiration for how one of his former clubs has dealt with life back in the big league, particularly the impact of former Newcastle skipper Kevin Nolan.

"What Kevin Nolan has is a real knowledge of how to win games in the Premier League," said Pardew. "As Sam Allardyce does, and that's what we are up against on Saturday. James Collins, Mark Noble these are players who I know very well who are very experienced in the Premier League. (Joey) O'Brien and (Matt) Jarvis have played a lot in the Premier League and they have nous.

"That's a word I used a lot about Kevin as Kevin used to find positions on the pitch just through his own nous, he is sniffing chances out.

"He is a worry for us on Saturday. In terms of leadership in the group we have got leadership but in a different ways. I wouldn't say Colo is like Kevin, I wouldn't say (Yohan) Cabaye is like Kevin, or Shola (Ameobi) is like Kevin but they are kind of our leading group and we look to them now."

Pardew needs help from his players today. His two-and-a-half year reign is in dire need of a lift after successive home defeats to Sunderland (0-3) and Liverpool (0-6), heightening relegation concerns.

But the Newcastle boss has revealed how a chat with former Middlesbrough and England manager Steve McClaren provided a reminder how bad times can soon turnaround.

Pardew said: "Sometimes you're in games and it goes away from you. I played in a game against Liverpool where we got beat by nine. I've gone three better than my players did against Liverpool! You feel like you're running around but trust me, your spirit is broken a little bit.

"I was speaking to Steve McClaren, who told me about the time Middlesbrough got bashed 7-0 at Arsenal and 4-0 at home (to Aston Villa, when he had a season ticket thrown in his face) and then lost to us (West Ham) in the FA Cup semi-final at Villa Park.

"Then they went on to reach the UEFA Cup final. He agreed - it breaks the spirit of a few of your players. You can't fault them for that: it's like a game of tennis when you're getting completely beat."