IN the final part of his exclusive interview with the Club's
Official Website, Alan Pardew tackles the tough questions that fans
want to ask. Here he talks candidly about the future of his
players, rumours of a rift with Teddy Sheringham and underlines his
desire to win promotion with West Ham United.
The supporters have had to witness a lot of the Club's
best young stars being sold. Are they likely to see some of the
bright young players you have brought in, like Marlon Harewood,
Nigel Reo-Coker and Matty Etherington, being transferred in the
same way?
We have developed a solid stable of promising young players to work
alongside the senior professionals. The young players I brought to
the Club have got better and better over the last year. For
example, I'd like to think Matty Etherington, a player I
inherited, has improved dramatically under my management. The young
players are the core of the Club and we cannot afford to let them
go. They represent an investment that will bring us dividends given
time.
Do you feel under pressure to sell players?
Because of the adjustment to the wage bill we've made in the
last 12 months the Club is not under pressure to sell. Our
parachute money runs out this season, but I remain confident that
we can keep this squad of players together.
Are we likely to see new players come in to strength the
squad?
I've always said that squad strengthening is a constantly
evolving situation. If the price is right and I feel that I can get
a better player for the money that comes in then I'll do my
best to do so. As it stands, I could sell just one of the players
I've purchased to cover the outlay on every other player
I've signed for West Ham United.
There has been speculation of player unrest and talk of a
lack of team spirit, in particular regarding rumours of a rift
between you and Teddy Sheringham. Is there any truth in these
rumours?
The team spirit here has always been strong. There has been no
incident or moment when Teddy and I have crossed swords in any way.
He's been nothing but a strength for me in terms of the way he
has played and his presence around the training ground. Team spirit
grows as the season progresses and as the team experiences the
highs and lows of the campaign. We are just as strong for the
Ipswich Town win as we are for the Sheffield United defeat, and in
particular the manner of that defeat.
I only want players at this Club who are totally committed to West
Ham United. For example, there were two Junior Hammers Christmas
Parties over the holiday period, which threw up hectic match
schedules for the players. But we split the squad into two groups
and apart from two, every member of the first-team squad attended
on one of the two days.
Crystal Palace won promotion last season off the back of tremendous
team spirit, which was formed around this stage of the season. We
hope to cultivate a similar spirit in our push for promotion over
the next few months.
Some pundits and supporters argue that another year in the
Championship will benefit West Ham United's long-term future.
How is the Club going to move forward over the next year?
We want to get into the Premiership as quickly as possible. The
players, supporters and Club as a whole will only benefit from
that. We must not set our sights any lower than automatic
promotion. It would be unprofessional for us to do so and we'd
be doing ourselves and our fans a great disservice. We've
proved by winning away at places like Sunderland and Ipswich that
we are good enough to beat the top teams in the division. We need
to keep our senior players fit, and in turn, they need to stay
focused on helping the Club with the short-term challenge of
gaining promotion. Meanwhile, our promising young players must
continue to develop and perform to their highest level. There will
be inconsistencies from them, and we accept that, but as a squad we
must start to perform on a more consistent basis. This squad is
good and strong enough to win promotion and every one at the Club
is focused on achieving that goal as quickly as possible.
Pards Under Fire - Part Two
14th January 2005