GHOSTBUSTER! PARDEW LAYS DEMONS TO REST
ALAN PARDEW may be here in the Hague to exorcise a few lingering demons 20 months on from his sacking after an ill-fated spell at west Bromwich. But seeing himself mocked up on a giant banner as a Ghostbuster was enough to spook him.
‘It worries me because it will be used by the press as a negative at some stage,’ he said. ‘So it made me feel a bit embarrassed, but it was also lovely. I’ve been made to feel so welcome.’
For the ADO den Haag fans who funded the brilliant design, this is about Pardew saving them from relegation. ‘who you gonna call?’ read the message alongside the 50- foot image of the new boss and No 2 Chris Powell in khaki overalls.
Come full-time the Ghostbusters theme tune filled the Cars Jeans Stadium, a seven-match winless run was over and they had moved to within one point of safety.
So why is Pardew here? ‘To try to keep the club in the division. I’ve been accused in the past of certain things, but this is a great opportunity for me to carry the flag for english coaches abroad. In the top leagues, we don’t get the jobs, so I’m hoping to do a good job here.’
He did not, however, massively enjoy his return to the dugout, because his side had just 31 per cent possession against bottom club RKC waalwijk.
At 0-0 in the first half, one loose pass caused him to dispense with his bottle of water, tossing it to the floor, and he would have been booting it had Middlesbrough loanee Sam Stubbs not saved den Haag with a headed clearance inside the goalmouth.
Stubbs — the son of former everton defender Alan — was one of four loanee debutants brought in by Pardew and he, in particular, looks a canny piece of business. The 21-year- old was the game’s best player, an uncompromising centre back in the mould of Harry Maguire.
His early resistance allowed Shaquille Pinas to head the opener just after the half-hour and Aaron Meijers curled in a free-kick 10 minutes from time.
each time, Pardew celebrated with an understated clench of his fist before a robust embrace with Powell. His usual touchline jig can wait, especially with this game being broadcast live on television.
And it feels as if Pardew’s arrival has captured the imagination, both nationally and here in the Hague. His smiling face was beaming from the cover of the matchday programme and an hour before kick- off one seller was left with just a handful of copies left.
The supporters’ bar — the only option for a beer amid the surrounds of an industrial estate, motorway and canal — amounted to little more than a wooden hut atop a grassy knoll, but the plastic cups were golden and gassy to the brim and, even before the victory, the locals were happy.
‘we cannot believe we have Pardew as manager,’ said one of them, Hans. So why the surprise? ‘Because there is very little money here, for transfers or to pay him! But we are excited. This is a Premier League manager.’
The Premier League, incidentally, was playing on the bar’s televisions. Once, it would have been Pardew on the screens, and that is why his appointment is something of a coup.
‘He is here to save us,’ added Hans. ‘But he must win today. Lose this and we have no chance.’
The muddied boots of former players hang from the ceiling of the bar and the black-and-white prints adorning the walls suggest this is a club for whom the glory days are a memory.
Not since 1975 have den Haag won a domestic trophy, although a pair of top-10 finishes in the last two seasons has seen them ‘punch above their weight’, according to
AD Sportwereld reporter daniel dwarswaard.
‘we thought it was a joke when we heard he was coming,’ he says. ‘ But he tells us he wants to broaden his horizons. I suspect if he keeps the team up he will leave with his reputation enhanced and everyone will be happy.’
If Pardew achieves eredivisie survival for den Haag, then the Ghostbusters could well be fielding a few more calls.