"We have a game on Saturday; we might see Alan then but we have to focus on a game he won't have any influence on.
"We want to win that and see what he has to offer us next week.
"Without putting too much pressure on Alan Pardew, we just hope he can follow in Trevor Brooking's footsteps - because he has done a fantastic job.
"The good thing about this season is that we have lost three internationals at the start of the season and it could have dented the squad - but we are not the finished article, and are still growing.
"We have not let it affect us, though, and are challenging near the top of the table.
"We are disappointed that we have not got more points on the board following some lacklustre performances, but there is a good environment and team spirit and we can still improve a great deal."
It was back to basics for David on Wednesday, facing Norwich after the hostilities in Istanbul the previous Saturday, but he says phlegmatically:
"There is no difference; I love playing football - you have got to prepare and got to get ready the same way."
On the international front, David is full of praise for the players who were on duty ahead of him last Saturday, and he adds:
"John Terry and Sol looked like they had partnered each other for a long time and that is testament to John, while everyone knows how good Sol is, who has only played a handful of games for England.
"I didn't have a lot to do on Saturday basically because the defence and the midfield were on top of the game, and we didn't give Turkey much chance.
"It is not a case of forgetting Rio, though; it is a squad game and the players in the squad were all good - the team looked like it had been together for many a time."
As for the Norwich game, he adds:
"I was not satisfied with the point; after scoring so early and having so many chances before they scored I think we should have been at least two up when we would have had a very good chance of winning the game.
"I wouldn't criticise Neil Mellor and Richie Garcia - the keeper has made a great save after the goal, and, had that gone in we could have been talking about a three or four goal win and how good our forwards were when two of them were not playing, so it was just disappointing we didn't take our chances.
"It was a good early own goal but we didn't get that second which was crucial in the end.
"We dropped off a little bit too much and there was too much space between the back line in the midfield; they utilised that obviously with the long ball to Crouchy - and they could have won the game themselves, having hit the post.
"So it is disappointing not to have won - but there was a bit of fortune at not losing."