Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has admitted he "cannot quite believe" he has been handed an eight year contract by club owner Mike Ashley.
Pardew's success in guiding Newcastle back onto the European stage has impressed all observers, yet the Londoner was stunned by the unprecedented length of the deal offered to him by Ashley and his side-kick, the club's managing director Derek Llambias.
"I was a bit shocked when it was suggested that an eight year contract was on the table," said Pardew. "It hasn't quite sunk in, if I'm being honest, that the club have given me that kind of contract.
"Obviously, it's very difficult to envisage what might happen over the next eight years. On the other side of the coin, I see this as my best chance to win a trophy at a big club and I've always said that is my main aim from the day I arrived here. We want to win something for Newcastle and having this kind of stability can only help that.
He has been good in the way he plays his players in positions they perfectly fit in