Alan Pardew's footballing career (From This is Hampshire)

Alan Pardew's footballing career

11:32am Friday 17th July 2009 in

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ALAN Pardew’s career is one built on a steely determination, leadership, preparation and a desire to succeed.

That drive was born from his early days as a player.

Unlike many of the current managers who have simply stepped out of the professional ranks and straight into management having lived their whole lives cosseted in the ‘football bubble’, Pardew has done things the hard way.

He started his playing career at the likes of Whyteleafe, Epsom & Ewell, Corinthian Casuals and Dulwich Hamlet.

All of these are bastions of non-league and he even represented England at semi-professional level.

Pardew must have thought he would not make it as a professional footballer as he worked as a glazer right up until the age of 25 when he was recruited to the full time ranks at Crystal Palace after a spell at Yeovil.

From there, though, and with the awareness of how life is outside of football, he pushed himself on to great things.

He won promotion and reached an FA Cup final with Palace – memorably scoring the winning goal in a shock semi-final win against Liverpool – before his playing days later took in Charlton, Spurs on loan, Barnet and Reading.

It was at Barnet that Pardew first started coaching but that gathered speed when he switched to Reading and took charge of the reserve team.

After a brief time away from the Royals he was quickly back again and before long had jumped from two spells as caretaker manager to full time boss, earning his big break in management in March 1998.

At that time Reading were struggling but Pardew quickly turned them round, suffering the heartache of a playoff final defeat in 2001 before winning automatic promotion to the second tier in 2002 by finishing second.

The next year was a real rollercoaster – a massive high as Reading, on a crest of wave, finished fourth but with a disappointing finish as Wolves beat them in the play-offs.

Pardew’s talents to build a team on strong foundations, to get players to believe in themselves and play above their natural levels, was well noted and in 2003 West Ham came calling.

After an acrimonious departure from Reading, Pardew guided the Hammers to the Championship play-off final in his first season, 2003/04, but his former club Palace beat them 1-0.

The next season it all came good, though when this time a play-off final win against Preston put West Ham in the Premier League.

Pardew guided West Ham to the 2006 FA Cup final – a third visit to the Millennium Stadium in as many years for the club – where they lost on penalties to Liverpool after an incredible 3-3 draw.

After a change of ownership at Upton Park, Pardew left the club in December 2006.

It took less than two weeks for him to get a new job as he joined Charlton.

When he took over they were second bottom in the Premier League but he couldn’t defy the odds and keep them up.

After failing to reach the Championship play-offs in 2007/08, Pardew was sacked last October after a miserable start to a season which ended with the Addicks accompanying Saints into the third division.

Pardew is noted as a forthright character, a deep thinker, but somebody who will also say what they think.

He has courted controversy – including his spilt with Reading, a couple of bustups with Arsene Wenger and having to recently apologise for a throwaway remark made as a TV pundit.

But he remains well respected in the game.