Pardew blames ‘expectation’ as new chairman begins to sweat

IT is unfortunate for Alan Pardew, the West Ham manager, that the club’s new owner Eggert Magnusson is not a man to disguise his feelings.

Those inside the Reebok Stadium and TV viewers were treated to a range of emotions that included frustration, anger and ultimately disbelief at what was unfolding before him.

Suddenly, £85 million must have seemed an awful lot of money to hand over for a team that will not be performing in the Premiership next season, unless there is a dramatic transformation.

West Ham may be surrounded by teams of dubious quality, but they truly have the look of a side destined for a traumatic season. And, sad to say, they have even abandoned all their traditional football principles.

Pardew’s talk before the game was all about rolling up sleeves and battling for a point, which explains why the abrasive qualities of Christian Dailly were used ahead of Yossi Benayoun in midfield.

Such pragmatism was almost as depressing as their performance, which produced just one opportunity when Matthew Etherington almost turned in Marlon Harewood’s cross shortly after Bolton had gone 2-0 ahead.

Pardew tried to defend his players, but it was an unconvincing argument from a man who will have to produce a stronger case when he meets his chairman this week.

Pardew said: “It hasn’t gone well here, but I feel for the players tonight because we had a number of people missing. I don’t want to use any other excuse than the logical ones — playing three games in six and the fact that neither of our centre-backs was available. But a lot of these players are under a lot pressure through expectation, which is a different pressure to the spectre of relegation and has affected some of them.

“Our job is to start to put that right and work on the confidence levels of the team. I’ve got to try and guide them through this. We’re in a tight corner, but I’ve been there before and it’s never really fazed me. I’ve treated success and failure in the same light and tried to be consistent.”

Davies’s double was followed by sweetly-taken goals from El Hadji Diouf and Nicolas Anelka as Bolton won for only the second time in eight league games.

Pardew admitted: “Bolton were in the mood today and when they are in the mood you have to say they are a top five or six team.”

Those goals were payback for the strikers’ decision to volunteer for extra training when they could have enjoyed a day off last week.

Gary Speed, outstanding on his 500th appearance in the Premiership, said: “Our finishing was great and it’s something the boys were trying to get right in that extra session they organised themselves.

“The lads who volunteered showed the team spirit at this club. People make a lot about all the different nationalities, but that does seem to bring us closer together.”

Diouf, whose booking means he misses the next game at Aston Villa, said: “I felt I owed the team and the fans a goal because my other goals this season have been in away matches.

“I didn’t feel like it was a booking and that can make you even more determined to play well. After that I was hungry for myself, for my team-mates, and for the supporters.

Opta Fact: West Ham slumped to their eighth consecutive away defeat and they have failed to score in the last seven

Opta Fact: Gary Speed made his 500th Premiership appearance — the first player to achieve this feat since its formation in 1992.