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Alan Pardew believes Newcastle need another two wins to ease the pressure of relegation.

Defeat at Spurs left the Magpies two places off the drop zone.

Reinforced Newcastle are still, however, six points clear of the bottom three.

But Pardew said: ­“Pressure plays a funny game. And for a big club like us, there will be even more pressure.

“So we need to make sure we keep that distance and we knew Spurs was a tough game.

“We wanted to take something out of it, but we haven’t. A good win against our next opponents Southampton at home would put us probably in a decent position, but we’re a long way from that.”

Meanwhile Toon defender Steven Taylor admits he is leaning French in a bid to make the club’s new Gallic recruits feel at home.

Taylor said: “I am trying to learn and have a pile of CDs in the car.

“But the different slang they use – that’s not the same language as I am learning! I think I am learning holiday French!

“It was my birthday on the 23rd January and got the CDs as a birthday present.

“I normally just get black socks off the family but they thought these would be more useful now there are so many French lads.”