Alan Praises Vintage Teddy

ALAN Pardew was delighted with the performance of former England star Teddy Sheringham, as he watched the striker captain West Ham to a vital 2-1 win over Wigan.

Pards' front pair of Sheringham and Marlon Harewood linked up excellently at the JJB Stadium, terrorising the Latics defence and scoring a goal apiece to earn Hammers all three points.

"Both Teddy and Marlon did very well at Wigan," he enthused. "Teddy links the play so well and with Marlon feeding off him it was a good combination.

"I was delighted that Marlon got the winning goal. He had a funny game, missed a few chances but took his goal very well and after the penalty miss against Leicester he showed tremendous character to come back and score at Wigan.

"As for Teddy, his ability is unquestionable, but his professionalism as much as anything else is a credit to the game. The Wigan match was played at a higreally h tempo and it's a testament to his conditioning that he lasted the entire 90 minutes.

"Not only that but he was quality throughout and these last few games he's really shown what a fantastic player he is.

"Teddy is vital to the rest of the season and keeping him fit will be crucial to our promotion push. Just his presence around the dressing room is tremendous, let alone his performances out on the pitch.

"We've got a lot of young players in the squad and for them to be learning off a player like Teddy Sheringham is incredible."

With plenty to occupy his mind at present, Pards refuses to be drawn on the future of the 18-goal striker, prefering instead to ensure Teddy is at his peak for the remainder of this season.

"Teddy is a major assest for us," he said, "and we have him within our grasp for next season. But that's not something we can afford to worry about just yet. There's still plenty to do this season, starting with a vital game against Burnley on Tuesday night, and that's what we're all concentrating on right now.

"But Teddy is certainly doing himself no harm with performances like the one at Wigan."