Ferguson beyond comparison, says Pardew ahead of clash

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has laughed off suggestions of Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson setting a benchmark for his colleagues, saying the Scot's trophy haul will never be emulated.

The 70-year-old Ferguson takes English champions United to St James' Park on Wednesday with the visitors three points behind leaders Manchester City after the cross-town rivals' 3-0 win over Liverpool.

Pardew, asked if Ferguson, in charge at United since 1986, had set a benchmark for his fellow Premier League bosses, replied: "He isn't really because he's just ridiculous.

"Something like 50 trophies -- you just can't possibly imagine getting yourself into a position to win that many.

"But in the terms of the way he handles his club and the way he runs his club, he is a bit more fortunate than a lot of us because he has a lot of power there and he has earned that power.

"That's what we all aim to do."

Ferguson is one of the last managers in English football who has a huge say in the way he runs the club, with no-one at Old Trafford between him and United's chief executive

"I'm lucky here in that I have got a bit of a free hand. I have got no general football manager here," Pardew said. "I haven't earned the power that Alex has got, of course, yet, but I am one of the few lucky ones."