Get the latest NUFC transfer and takeover news straight to your inbox for FREE by signing up to our newsletter Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Alan Pardew has insisted he is treating the League Cup as serious as Newcastle United fans are.

The Chronicle ran a poll over the summer on what competition they want to see United succeed in most and both the domestic cups scored higher than the Premier League.

Pardew said: “Those statistics do not lie and the poll is probably accurate.

“That suggests where our fans are.

“They want to go to Wembley and see some silverware – and so do I.

“I have come close before and I want to win something.”

Pardew has promised to play a strong team in the League Cup tie with Leeds and said: “This competition over the years has been contested by squads in the Premier League.

“To a degree that is because we want to see what

other options we have for the league.

“It is a bit demeaning to the competition.

“However, we are putting a strong side out tomorrow.

“I do need to look at one or two to see if they can push for the league team.”

Pardew said he needed no reminding of how important the cup competitions were to the fans on Tyneside, despite poor displays against the likes of Brighton and Stevenage during his tenure.

Responding to the fact most United fans see the Capital One Cup as a great chance to end decades of disappointment, Pardew added: “Maybe because the top teams put lesser opposition out or fans think we can win this.

“I think our fans want to win something and I am very much aware of that.

“I want to win something too.”

When asked if the team he was going to put out was capable of keeping the dream alive, Pardew said: “I think the team is going to be a team which I genuinely think has an offensive look to it.

“That is the theme I want to stay on.

“We had an offensive look on Saturday.

“Actually, defensively, we were poor as a team.

“This team needs to prove we can put a lot of offensive players out and still be strong enough defensively.

“Therefore, that is the challenge in front of this team.

“I did not enjoy that period before Christmas to the end of the year when we did not have enough offensive players.

“We have now and we need to make sure we get two or three goals.

“That will win us more games.”

United are anticipating a crowd of 32,000 at least tonight with a possible walk-up crowd boosting what would be a respectable turn-out in the League Cup.

Pardew said: “Hopefully, there will be some younger fans there and we give enough to them.

“I have to see what else I have.

“This competition does give Premier League managers that chance.

“We had a look at Morecambe and we will look again against Leeds.”

Pardew is expected to name a stronger team than the one which beat the Shrimpers 2-0 in the last round.