Managing West Ham can be lonely old job, admits Pardew

ALAN PARDEW admitted last night that managing West Ham can be a “lonely old horrible job” after results like yesterday’s home defeat by Reading.

West Ham have not won since the opening weekend of the season, have not scored in 488 minutes of football and are yet to keep a clean sheet.

The Hammers were dumped out of the UEFA Cup in midweek and have now lost five on the bounce.

Any hopes of rectifying that record were dashed by Seol Ki-Hyeon strike after 79 seconds and another catalogue of wasted opportunities in front of goal.

Yossi Benayoun came closest to snatching an equaliser but his last minute effort was cleared off the line by Reading midfielder Steve Sidwell.

Pardew was frustrated but insists he can deal with the pressure.

“We had enough chances to get three goals but we just can’t get it into the net. And it was summed up at the end with a fantastic clearance from Sidwell,” said Pardew.

“I can’t remember in my managerial career so many chances going astray as there have been in the last few matches.

“My experience tells me that will change and I have had good experience of the pressure of the situation. After seeing our performance against Aston Villa, Newcastle, Palermo and then today you would expect a West Ham crowd to give you a hard time.

“They understand we are trying to get ourselves going, they can see the potential in the squad which at the moment is unrealised.

“It is great for me (to hear the crowd chanting my name) because this is a lonely old horrible job at times, especially when you get results like that and I thank them for that.

“The guys are so disappointed. There are question marks about our spirit and what we are about and we answered that with our performance.

“But the result puts us in a bad position in the league.”

Pardew and Royals boss Steve Coppell go back a long way, to the successful Palace side of the early 1990s.

Coppell backed Pardew to pull West Ham out of their slump.

“Of course I have sympathy for him. He is a top manager and he will sort any issues out,” he said.

After taking such an early lead, Reading set their stall out and managed only one other chance of note but they defended effectively and largely restricted West Ham to long range efforts.

Victory meant a fourth successive Premiership game unbeaten for Reading — but Coppell insists there is no danger of the Royals getting carried away.

“We don’t crystal ball gaze at all and the supporters are good in that respect. They are enjoying our trip, however long it might last,” he said.

OPTA FACT: Reading scored for the first time ever at Upton Park when Seol rattled in his 25-yard effort.

WEST HAM have only scored one goal in the first-half of any Premiership match this season.

WEST HAM: Carroll, Spector, Dailly, Gabbidon, Konchesky, Benayoun, Mullins, Reo-Coker (Harewood 85), Etherington, Cole (Zamora 72), Tevez (Sheringham 71).

READING: Hahnemann, De la Cruz, Sonko, Ingimarsson, Shorey, Ki-Hyeon (Hunt 79), Harper, Sidwell, Convey (Gunnarsson 77), Lita (Long 67), Doyle. Referee: U Rennie (S Yorkshire).