Alan Pardew

[Mick]

 

 

That post is so strewn with agenda it is worthy of nothing other than complete contempt.

 

[Dave]

Huge article alert.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2049351/Alan-Pardew-Newcastle-manager-explodes-myths.html

Alan Pardew: Exploding the myths at Newcastle United

 

Last updated at 12:20 AM on 15th October 2011

 

Sea Containers House in London is a place Alan Pardew proudly refers to as ‘one of mine’. ‘Those windows are down to me,’ he declares. ‘You know the building; with the big old eagle on the front. I did them when I worked as a glazier. That was the sort of stuff we did. The exterior of big office blocks. What you’d call curtain-walling.’

 

Now, however, it is what happens inside one particular building that is giving him a sense of satisfaction. The ‘cathedral’ that dominates the Newcastle skyline where the people ‘go to worship’.

 

Since Pardew arrived at St James’ Park last December, he has spent much of his time fighting fires. First he had to contend with the fact that he was not the most popular choice as manager. He was regarded with suspicion; a Londoner who had no place being there.

 

There was even a suggestion it amounted to nothing more than a convenient arrangement that would allow him to pay off gambling debts owed to Mike Ashley and Derek Llambias, the club’s owner and managing director.

 

Other managers, he revealed at the time, had told him he was mad to accept the job. Sir Alex Ferguson was not among them. Pardew says the Manchester United boss told him he needed to work outside London and he followed the advice.

 

But when the club sold Andy Carroll to Liverpool at the end of January there must have been a temptation among the majority of those contemporaries to send a further text message. Something along the lines of ‘I told you so’.

 

Based on the information he received from his employers, Pardew provided assurances that Carroll would be going nowhere. If he encountered some  hostility in the press conference that followed Carroll’s move, it was nothing like as tough as it was with the fans.

 

There have been other issues to  contend with, not least the controversy that resulted in Joey Barton moving to QPR, the departures of Jose Enrique and Kevin Nolan and the club’s failure to sign a new striker when Pardew had given assurances that the Carroll money would be spent on such a player. And yet here he is, sitting in a restaurant above a supermarket — and very nice it is too — enjoying a glass of red wine and feeling fairly happy with life.

 

In the first major interview he has given as Newcastle manager, he can at last look forward with optimism,  offering supporters a window into  what he regards as a brighter future for the club.

 

He is excited about the team sitting fourth in the Barclays Premier League and hoping to remain unbeaten when they entertain Tottenham on Sunday. Suggest it is because he has a dressing room that is united in the absence of ‘any real superstars’ and he responds by insisting it will not be long before some of them are. He raves about players like Yohan Cabaye and Cheik Tiote, even if he accepts that it is only now characters like Barton have gone that some are starting to thrive. 

 

Pardew wants to focus on the positives, even praising the financial prudence Ashley appears to be displaying.

 

‘He runs Sports Direct extremely efficiently and the club is now being managed in much the same way,’ he says.

 

But this is also an opportunity for Pardew to set the record straight; explode a few myths. Not least the one about gambling debts and with it the suggestion that he is Ashley’s man in a way that isn’t terribly complimentary. ‘That still hurts me, the casino tag,’ he says, acknowledging the fact that he was photographed emerging from a casino with Ashley and Llambias last week.

 

‘I’ve never bet in a casino; it’s just not something I do. But my owner and my managing director are from that world, they want to socialise in that world and there have been occasions — and there will be in the future — when I go in there with them.

 

‘It’s important we have a good relationship and if that’s where I need to see them then that’s fine by me. But I’m not a gambler. The only gambling I do is on a Saturday afternoon when I might put on two wingers or two strikers. It’s important I have a good relationship with Mike and Derek. Over the years my history with boards hasn’t been great. I had fights at Reading. At West Ham I had a fantastic relationship with the board but I was really upset with them when they sold the club without telling me. I then had new owners I didn’t get on particularly well with.

 

‘But what I’m not is someone who just comes in and becomes a lapdog to the board. Anyone who knows my personality knows that’s not me.

 

‘I think they took a risk in bringing me in but I think the reason Mike wanted me was because of the strong vision I presented to him in the interview; how I wanted the team to play and the fact I would do it within their financial structure.’

 

Pardew is quick to praise his staff, and chief scout Graham Carr in particular, for recruiting players like Cabaye and Tiote. ‘Graham’s done a great job,’ he says.

 

But Pardew also deserves credit, not just for the results he has so far secured but for restoring some stability to a club that was in turmoil. ‘It was chaos,’ he says. While he would never dare claim to now have the supporters onside, he hopes they are more comfortable than they were with him being there. It’s the same with the players.

 

‘As soon as I walked in the dressing room, I knew they would be looking at me a little bit and thinking, “Well, you’re fairly fortunate to have this job”,’ he says.

 

‘I didn’t disagree with that, so I still had to prove that I’m good at my job. Getting victories is how you get  players to believe in you. It’s no good saying, “Go left, go right, pure channel run, tuck inside, let’s do this when we defend”, if you don’t win.

 

‘Ultimately, the players would say, “You’re talking a load of b******s”. That’s the world we’re in. Respect in the world, in society, has never been weaker than it is now in my opinion. You see that in the train station, on the Underground, wherever you want to go, a lack of respect for the community, for industry, whatever. So you have to really work hard to earn it.

 

‘When the job was offered to me I genuinely felt that I could handle it. I’m 50 now, I’m more experienced. Things needed changing but I felt there were things I could do to make the team better.

 

‘But you certainly need things to go your way and at certain times they have. The Liverpool game (Newcastle won 3-1 in Pardew’s first match in charge) was massive for me. To get that first win. I didn’t have any sleepless nights before accepting the job but I didn’t sleep the night before that game.’

 

Newcastle finished last season in a respectable 12th, but there would be more upheaval, more unrest.

 

‘I think the fans were relatively happy with what we’d done, subject to a striker coming in,’ says Pardew. ‘But when we didn’t get the striker across the line — and that was an error — it kind of sent a snowball down the mountain that gathered momentum.

 

‘I was upset because I wanted a striker. A striker would make us more competitive. As it is we’ve ended up being competitive without him. But one will come in, in this window or the next window.’

 

All this talk of windows takes us back to the days before he broke into professional football. To when he had a real job and a life not so different to those who follow Newcastle United.

 

Pardew was late coming into the game, signing his first pro forms when he joined Crystal Palace at 26.

 

‘I was playing non-League in Yeovil while working as a glazier in London,’ he says. ‘I’d drive down to Yeovil for a game and then drive back to London and be at work at 6.30 the next morning.

 

‘I never lose sight of that. I think the fact that I’ve experienced life outside football has been an advantage for me. I see some managers who have only ever been in the game and I think they are a bit different to me. Not in a good way or a bad way. Just a bit different.

 

‘I was talking to one of our young players who came from non-League last year. I said to him, “You know what, you’ve been here a year and you’re the same as everyone else now. Last year you were fighting for your life”.

 

‘I liked that attitude. That desperation. He didn’t want to go back to non-League. I told him if he wants to be a pro he needs to get that back. But he will. He’s got the talent and I could tell he was listening.

 

‘In my day you knew that when you finished you were probably going to work again. But I didn’t want to go back to work. I knew it was hard. It’s much easier here. So by the time I was 28 or 29 I had started my badges. And by the time I had finished, at 34, I’d done my badges, and that put me in a good position.

 

‘You know, in the past I might have shied away from this conversation, because I wanted people to see me purely as a professional football man.

 

‘But what I realise now, now I’m older, is that it’s not something I should shy away from. I realise it’s part of me. And I think it does give me an advantage, in terms of understanding players, understanding people, understanding the people who pay to come and watch us play.

 

‘I understand that some of our fans have struggled to get the money together just to see our games. They’ve put a proper shift in to get there so we have a responsibility to do that too. I try to make my players understand that.’

 

Pardew appears to have created a team ethic and a sense of unity that has spread from the senior to the junior ranks. ‘This season we’ve lost one game between youth, reserves and first-team,’ he says. ‘That’s 20 high-level games and it’s a  good sign.’

 

But has the departure of a player like Barton helped?

 

‘Joey’s influence in and around the training ground was considerable,’ he says. ‘He’s a strong personality. Sometimes he was focused 100 per cent, and sometimes he was 20 per cent disruptive.

 

‘I had a great relationship with him. I think he’s a great footballer and I still fought tooth and nail to keep him.

 

‘And while I’m not saying it’s been a good thing or a bad thing not having Joey around, not having such a strong personality around has allowed other personalities to emerge.’

 

Pardew is no longer the chastened figure who stood in that press conference after Carroll was sold. ‘Last season was all about putting out fires,’ he says.

 

‘I’ve been through some tough times in the past. At West Ham with (Carlos) Tevez and (Javier) Mascherano; at Southampton, I was sacked after a 4-0 win. That was different!

 

‘But it was chaos here. I’ve never known a transfer window like it, last January. Now, however, I’m excited about the team. The arrival of certain players has allowed us to change our style. Cabaye has given us a different look.

 

‘I’m not interested in simply keeping us in the Premier League. I want to try to win a trophy. I’m not an advocate of, “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it”. I’m always thinking “how I can do it better?”’

 

But these are not the bold predictions of an egotist. This is a man with humility and a sharp sense of perspective.

 

When lunch ends we walk into the car park. ‘I’ll say goodbye here because I need to get a few things,’ he says, before grabbing a basket and disappearing into the supermarket.

[Guest Haris Vuckic]

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/14/article-0-0E5AB6D000000578-623_224x423.jpg

 

Smooth Motherfucker.

[Dave]

Proper housewives' favourite.

[taxfree]

That pose. Beauty.

[Guest Haris Vuckic]

I think a lot of 'non political' fans are coming around to him as well to be honest. I was speaking to a friend today & he can certainly appreciate the work ethic & determination Pardew has delivered.

 

Edit - not in an 'I want to bum him way'

[Sifu]

That article makes for good and interesting reading, especially this bit:

 

But what I’m not is someone who just comes in and becomes a lapdog to the board. Anyone who knows my personality knows that’s not me.

 

Not sure I can believe that tbh.....

 

EDIT: but then again, he does give plausible reasons for his appointment.

[Mowen]

Proper housewives' favourite.

 

leon best is mint. 30 seconds in - he knows the drill

[Dave]

Proper housewives' favourite.

 

leon best is mint. 30 seconds in - he knows the drill

 

[Ronaldo]

Pardew goes to Fratelli.

 

Who's the former non-leaguer?

[ponsaelius]

Sparky Richardson I'd asume?

[Guest Haris Vuckic]

 

Aye bound to be Richardson.

[gbandit]

It's a nice line, there's nothing like a subtle compliment to build up confidence

[LooneyToonArmy]

Newcastle profit from Pardew's methodical approach

 

One of the hard truths about football coaching is that while many managers recognise the value of defensive discipline and team shape, spending hours doing it on the training pitch is a sure-fire method for ensuring most of the team get bored.

 

Newcastle, who have hardly been known for their strength in this area in recent years, have come up with a straightforward solution which has kept their players switched on and helped earn them the title of the Premier League's meanest defence heading into this weekend's fixtures.

 

Twice a week manager Alan Pardew splits his training sessions into two and drags his defenders away to work on positioning and covering and, while it is not exactly rocket science, the regularity of the sessions is clearly making an impact.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thefootballtacticsblog/newcastle-defence-ratio-new.gif

 

 

First-team coach Steve Stone says there have been several factors in the Magpies' success this season, which has seen them rise to fourth in the Premier League table.

 

But combining hard work on the training pitch, detailed video analysis and weekly "defenders' meetings" has led to the usually porous defence conceding only four goals in seven league games.

 

"Newcastle have been a bit gung-ho in the past with the centre-halves marauding forward and the like, but you can't really play like that in Premier League," Stone says.

 

"If you are out of position and you lose the ball, teams can cut through you so quickly. When you play Manchester United, Arsenal or Tottenham, for example, you are at your weakest when you have the ball, when you are attacking or when you have a corner.

 

"That's when they can hurt you because you are out of position so we try and make sure we are in position as much as possible.

 

"Me and [assistant manager] John Carver take the forwards, and the manager takes the defenders away and we've introduced certain principles into the tactics so that, for instance, it doesn't matter if Ryan Taylor was to play right-back or left-back, he knows exactly what he has to do adjacent to the positions that the centre-halves are in.

 

"Basically, the manager runs through every scenario of where the players should be when the ball is in a certain position, whether it's a wide area, a central area, a goal kick, or whatever.

 

"It is something that actually started to come together last season and the manager said we'd be better at it this season once they understood his principles."

 

Those sceptical of Newcastle's lofty position will argue that they have yet to face any of the Premier League's big sides this season.

 

The team's equilibrium will be put to the test when they play Tottenham on Sunday before they come up against Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea in the space of three weeks beginning in November.

 

But Stone, who was promoted to the first-team staff when Pardew replaced Chris Hughton last December, believes the squad has an added depth to combat those challenges.

 

The departures of Kevin Nolan, Andy Carroll, Jose Enrique and Joey Barton left some fans feeling that the club was going in the wrong direction, particularly as there was no big-name signing to replace the £35m Carroll.

 

In their places, however, the likes of Demba Ba, Gabriel Obertan and Sylvain Marveaux have all added extra pace to the side, while Yohan Cabaye has proven a perfect foil for Cheik Tiote in central midfield.

 

"We now have five or six strikers vying for two places so they know they need to do well otherwise they'll be out [of] the team," Stone adds. "Last year we had to play the same two strikers, the same wide men and we didn't have any options coming from the bench.

 

"Now it's very strong and we have good players available. Look at Dan Gosling, who is an England under-21 international - he couldn't get in the squad recently; Shane Ferguson too. That's another reason why we have started well, because we have a fighting team spirit."

 

There is still money in the pot to bring in another striker in January, Stone says, but he insists that any potential purchase will have to suit what the team needs. There will be no star signings for the sake of it.

 

That sort of reasoning, combined with praise from his players, gives the impression that Pardew has not only restored some method to the madness at Newcastle, but also a significant boost to his reputation.

 

After his sacking by Southampton in August 2010, Pardew's appointment was met with indifference by Newcastle fans last winter.

 

Yet Stone has been impressed with the former Reading, Charlton and West Ham boss and says his man-management is a real asset.

 

"Tactically, he is as good as anyone," says Stone. "Some managers dither on the sidelines and that can cost you, but he will change things because he believes in his own ability and his own decisions. Managers earn their corn on match days don't they?

 

"He's got to work with the team all week, but he speaks very well and speaks in a way that gets players on side with him. It's not a rollocking, it's asking them to do it rather than telling them to do it so everybody feels part of a group.

 

"He treats players like adults where I've seen other managers treat players like kids and they don't respond to that at all. He has been in the game a long time as a manager so it's not like he has stepped in at Newcastle and it's all new to him. He understands the game."

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thefootballtacticsblog/2011/10/newcastle_profit_from_pardews.html

[Guest TheSummerOf69]

He's winning me over by winning games. Long may it continue.

[Colos Curls]

Am i the only one who just doesnt pay too much attention to alan but fully appreciative of his efforts, its not like it was with chris where he was admired by all.

 

Im just enjoying the football and the team and alan is somewhere in the background

[James]

Am i the only one who just doesnt pay too much attention to alan but fully appreciative of his efforts, its not like it was with chris where he was admired by all.

 

Im just enjoying the football and the team and alan is somewhere in the background

 

Nah, this isn't Hughton's team anymore, this is Pardew's team.

[Ishmael]

Page 1 in this thread is amazing.

[AlanSkÃrare]

Page 1 in this thread is amazing.

 

Not really, very logical and understandable responses at the time.

[James]

Page 1 in this thread is amazing.

 

Not really, very logical and understandable responses at the time.

 

It is complete emotion, something I was guilty of too. No logic whatsoever, except maybe Yorkie-Geordie.

[Christmas Tree]

I think a lot of fans have mid judged Pardew, but we are now beginning to here exactly how much time and effort he is putting in behind the scenes.

 

Hope we beat Spurs and he gets a chorus of Pardew wonderland.

[Ishmael]

Page 1 in this thread is amazing.

 

Not really, very logical and understandable responses at the time.

 

Irrational and uninformed responses imo.

[JH]

Page 1 in this thread is amazing.

 

Not really, very logical and understandable responses at the time.

 

Irrational and uninformed responses imo.

 

Hindsight. Wonderful thing. etc. etc.

[AlanSkÃrare]

Page 1 in this thread is amazing.

 

Not really, very logical and understandable responses at the time.

 

Irrational and uninformed responses imo.

 

You are aware of using that kind of hindsight is proper dickish?

 

It was emotional because CH had not long seen us see off the Scum 5-1 and was very much liked.

 

Completely ignorant and naive to not expect outrage at someone (who was loved) being booted out. Whether it was valid or not.

 

That's what I meant. Of course there was logic in the behaviour of many of us after what happend, especially with the information GolfMag provided us with months before.

[dinotheprehistoricgeordie]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thefootballtacticsblog/2011/10/newcastle_profit_from_pardews.html

 

I've seen this article about our improvement in defending so far this season. Don't know if it's giggs but it's a good read. Didn't know Pardew coached the defenders while Stone and Carver work with the attackers.