‘ Alan’s a great vocal coach’
IT WAS supposed to be his 15 minutes of fame. Alan Pardew, £ 7,500 signing from non- League Yeovil, had scored the goal that ended Liverpool’s hopes of a Double and, in the process, taken his own side to Wembley.
A corner kick for Crystal Palace in extra- time of the 1990 FA Cup semi- fi nal, the scores locked at 3- 3.
“It’s gone in!” squealed John Motson. “Pardew! 4- 3 Palace! The fl ick- on by Andy Thorn made all the difference and it looks like it was Alan Pardew who bundled it in.”
Those are three fairly nondescript words to describe the greatest goal of your life but then, for some reason, Pardew has never been one to be blessed with enthusiastic praise.
Geoff Thomas, for example, the Crystal Palace skipper that day, insists he knew Pardew was destined to offer more to the game as a manager than the simple stitch he left behind as a player in the romantic tapestry of the world’s greatest knockout competition.
Perhaps the future England international recognised Pardew was a natural leader of men. Maybe Pardew’s devilish cunning had marked him out as a Machiavellian tactician of the future.
No. Ask Thomas why he thought Pardew was a manager in the making and the main reason is “because he was not a particularly good player”. Thomas said: “I have known him since he fi rst came to Palace and if you asked me if I would be surprised if he became a manager, I would have said no.
“Alan recognised he probably wasn’t one of the star players in the team but realised he had a part to play. Sometimes when you are not as skilled or as talented as some of the others, you work harder to achieve the same level. And by doing that, you learn more.
“That sets you up for a coaching or managerial scenario and even then, Alan was always very vocal in pushing players to be the best they could be. He saw he could help people realise their potential and he has carried that into management.”
Sometimes, of course, he is more than vocal, stepping over the line into the physical, as bouts of fisticuffs with Arsene Wenger and David Meyler among others will testify.
Thomas chuckles at the recollection of such incidents and points again to those formative years in a dressing room that barely restrained Ian Wright, Mark Bright and plenty of others willing to stand their own corner. “Alan has always had that hot- headedness, but then you do need to have an edge,” said Thomas. “Sometimes you need to be able to surprise people. If he was too subdued, it would take away what made him a player and a good manager.
“There were a lot of fi ery characters in there – it wasn’t just Wrighty, everybody had something to say and wanted their turn to be heard. Alan was somebody who thought more before he said anything. Others would pour out their emotions; Alan would stop and think fi rst.
“When he did speak, he said things for the right reasons, and people tended to stop and listen.
“He is always ready to learn until he believes he has worked it out and he is right. Then he really goes for it. And as a manager you really need that – you cannot listen to too many voices. You become a mess of messages.
“He has made some mistakes, but his character has shown through and this was perfect timing for Palace to get him.
“If he continues to learn, he should be high up on anybody’s list when it comes to talking about the next England manager.”
TO CELEBRATE 10 years in remission after suffering leukaemia, Geoff Thomas is leading a team of 20 cyclists on the route of the 2015 Tour de France, riding one day ahead of the professionals. He is hoping to raise £ 1 million for Cure Leukaemia. For more information, visit www.beforethetour.com
‘ Pardew had to work harder to achieve’