Will Buckley of The Observer described Alan Pardew as a football manager, football hacks love to hate.
A hardened bunch who find misery in being paid to write about live football, they're a tough curmudgeonly crowd. As West Ham manager, Pardew would try to counter the mood by walking into press conferences and opening up with a sunny "Hi Guys!" It was probably followed by a finger point and a wink to an individual or two amongst the surly pack.
Pardew can be lumped in with people like McClaren, Platt or Ince, who operate on the basis that they once watched a Juventus training session, and were therefore deemed forward thinking. That's enough to sustain some sort of career without actually needing success on the pitch.
Pardew needs to re-think his "it's a massive club," soundbites and absorb the legacy of Joe Kinnear and his mastery of media relations. In 2008, Kinnear chose not to open his press conference in a Pardew style. Quite the opposite.
The transcript is reproduced here in a 4 Fuks Saké post in October 2008, which remains one of my favourites. Where is Simon Bird now?
Recent Comments