Less than four years after Tyneside was plunged into despair by the club's relegation from the Barclays Premier League, the Magpies find themselves contemplating a Europa League quarter-final and daring to dream of an end to their 44-year trophy drought.
The club has undergone a root-and-branch transition since suffering its rude awakening and the rebuilding process, which began as Chris Hughton plotted a way back into the top flight, has gathered pace under successor Pardew, particularly since a January spending spree.
Pardew said: "You are not going to have a tenure where you don't have some problems. We had some big, big problems before Christmas.
"The side really needed help and we got that in the transfer market. We had some of our better players come back to us, particularly [Yohan] Cabaye and [Steven] Taylor and suddenly we look the side we were last year.
"Fortunately for us, we have done well in the Europa League games and we have got another competition that's suddenly made us a very, very buoyant club again.
"We are gaining friends and fans, and that's what it's about. Those young people who don't usually come to Newcastle hopefully will be our fans forever.
"That's what you do on these sort of runs, so it's great."
Pardew has repeatedly spoken of his hunger to bring a long-awaited trophy to St James' Park, although his efforts to land one of the domestic cups have so far come to nothing.
But while winning the Europa League may be a big ask - Newcastle face Portuguese league leaders Benfica in the quarter-finals next month - he is adamant that his chances of lifting silverware are more realistic than they have been at any time during his tenure to date.
The 51-year-old said: "For sure. I have got a better team - that helps - and better players, some great players.
"There are eight teams left and I don't think they are any better than us, so we have got a chance."
In the meantime, the Magpies will attempt to ease themselves over the Barclays League finishing line after all but ending their fears of being dragged into a relegation scrap with four wins in their last six outings.
That process will continue at Wigan tomorrow, although with Roberto Martinez's side having boosted their own confidence significantly with a surprisingly comprehensive FA Cup quarter-final victory over Everton last weekend, they will be able to take nothing for granted.
Pardew said: "Roberto has a side that he perhaps even himself scratches his head at at times.
"They were unbelievable last week. It was perhaps one of the stand-out results of the year, and I don't think anyone in the game expected them to win quite as emphatically as they did.
"And yet on other occasions, they have not been at their best. You can get a team like that, a kind of inconsistent team, but I am sure now he is looking for consistency just to get them over the line.
"It's a tough match anyway. They gave us the run-around there last year when we were in good form, and it was a big blow to our Champions League chances last year.
"It's a game that we need to take a slight bit of revenge over."
Pardew will be without midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa, whose season will be over if he, as expected, undergoes surgery to repair a troublesome hamstring injury, but he hopes to have Cabaye at his disposal after the France international's groin problem proved to be less serious than was first feared.
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