Pardew reopens AVB row

The two managers have been at odds since Chelsea's controversial 3-0 victory at St James' Park on December 3 when Pardew was angry that David Luiz was not sent off for fouling Demba Ba when the striker was through on goal with just five minutes on the clock. Pardew also said Luiz had contributed to his side's current injury crisis, with Newcastle suffering injuries to Danny Guthrie, Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor in the game as they would not have spent as much energy had they been playing against 10 men. Villas-Boas reacted angrily to Pardew's claims on Friday in a fiery press conference in which he accused the Toon boss of blowing the incident out of all proportion. The 34-year-old said Pardew had "made a big scandal out of it", and insisted his argument was undermined by the fact that Ba was offside when he raced through on goal. But Pardew, determined not to take the criticism lying down, turned the tables back on the Chelsea boss following Newcastle's 4-2 defeat at Norwich, saying: "When you have a victory, it's nice to be a bit more respectful and a bit more honourable, by just saying: 'Well OK we won the game but decisions went our way'. "That's what I did at Manchester United (where Newcastle earned a draw thanks to a poor decision to award the Magpies a penalty). "I said it wasn't a penalty, but we accepted it, and I think it would be more honourable of him (Villas-Boas) if he'd accepted that Luiz should have got sent off like the referee did (when he admitted as such after the game)." Pardew defended his claim that Luiz not being sent off had contributed to the injury of Taylor, who is out for the season with an Achilles injury, before fanning the flames on his conflict with Villas-Boas by aiming more barbs at the Portuguese. "I was a little bit surprised he reacted like that," Pardew added. "Steven Taylor put more effort into that game than any other he's played this season. Maybe that was a factor in him getting an Achilles injury? If they had 10 men he might not need to work so hard. That was my point. "Because we were forcing and pressurising the game there was a factor of that and it's foolish to ignore that. "But the guy (Villas-Boas) is new to our country, he's new to our press. I think he's under a bit of pressure and I think maybe he could throw a little bit more respect at it." Newcastle's 4-2 defeat at Carrow Road on Saturday means they have now won just one of their last four matches. Although losses at Manchester City, and to a lesser extent against Chelsea, were expected, the way in which the Magpies crumbled against the Canaries was a timely reminder that they still have a long way to go to prove that they are serious challengers for a European qualification place. Pardew, who saw Dan Gosling sent off in the second half for a two-footed tackle on Russell Martin, insists his team will bounce back, however. "We went down to 10 men and we were still in the game," he said. "It's a bit harsh to say the bubble has burst." Despite starting just six league games, Grant Holt has six goals to his name - an achievement many would have thought impossible for a journeyman striker expected to struggle in the top flight. Indeed, it seemed even more implausible when the Norwich captain was making his living by fitting tyres. "That was 11 years ago," Holt said. "I have churned out a good career since. I am very lucky, I think a lot of us realise we are very lucky to be picked for a position like we are in. "Two years ago Steve Morison was playing non-league and now he is scoring goals in the Premier League for fun. "What we have got here is a lot of lads who have had setbacks. They have been at bigger clubs and want to go back up. I think when you get that belief and desire in the squad, it makes you think you don't want to be here just to make up the numbers."