Pardew eyes another tough season

Alan Pardew concedes West Ham must now face up to the “tough scenario” of a second season in the Football League.

The Hammers were relegated from the top flight last summer with debts in excess of £40m (€48.9m), despite a sale of the club’s best talent.

Hopes were high, though, that the would secure a swift return to the Premier League and with it a promotion windfall of some £20m (€24.4m).

However, those dreams failed to materialise as, despite a change of manager, the Hammers could only finish in fourth place and were left to take their chance in the play-off lottery.

The odds looked stacked in their favour after an impressive second-leg semi-final win over Ipswich.

But yesterday in Cardiff, form once again counted for little as Crystal Palace battled to a 1-0 victory to claim the final place in next season’s Barclays Premiership.

The Eagles had finished sixth in the First Division, and only made it into the play-offs because West Ham striker Brian Deane netted a late equaliser at Wigan on the final day of the regular season.

There was no room for sentiment at the Milennium Stadium, though, where Pardew’s side never really got into their stride, yet created enough chances to put themselves in front, only to see Neil Shipperley bundle the ball home from close range on 62 minutes after Stephen Bywater had spilled Andrew Johnson’s angled shot.

The Eagles survived a late penalty claim when Mikele Leigertwood appeared to catch Michael Carrick on the ankle as he slid in for a tackle, while both Bobby Zamora – who missed a one-on-one during the first half – and David Connolly had efforts ruled out for offside.

Some projectiles, appearing to come from the West Ham section of the stands, were thrown in the direction of the assistant referee following those decisions just a few minutes after Shipperley’s goal.

Pardew, though, preferred to reflect on the realities ahead, rather than what might have been and any thoughts of a miscarriage of justice.

“We have been through a lot, three managers, all the comings and goings have been well documented,” said Pardew.

“But at the club we have to go forward and we have to think positively. The changes we make in the summer will make us stronger.

“It is a tough scenario in terms of cutting the wages and making us stronger, but that’s what we now face.”

Rumours continue that there are movements behind the scenes by rebel shareholders to overthrow West Ham chairman Terence Brown amid claims of serious financial mismanagement, all of which are strenuously denied by the east London club.

But whatever happens in the boardroom over the summer, Pardew is all too aware he could soon see the likes of one-time England midfielder Carrick follow Joe Cole, David James, Glen Johnson and Jermain Defoe out of Upton Park.

“We did not put ourselves at risk this year, in terms of going and buying players on heavy wages,” he said.

“The players we brought in, we made sure were within the structure, but ultimately we still carry Premiership wages and it is those guys that perhaps we need to look at and there will be some tough decisions, I am sure.”

Things on the field are unlikely to get any easier for the Hammers, either.

Fellow play-off losers Sunderland, Wigan and Ipswich all look set to challenge again, along with the likes of Sheffield United and Reading who just missed out on the top six.

Add to that equation the three sides relegated from the Premiership, and the task facing Pardew is clear.

“It is going to be a tough league and the prize is still a big one,” he reflected.

“Everyone will be going for the golden egg, which we just missed out on.”

It will, no doubt, be a long and hard road back to the elite of English football, but there will be no shortage of effort from the Upton Park side.

“We’re absolutely gutted, but we’ve got to pick ourselves up and get ready for pre-season,” insisted defender Christian Dailly, who missed Scotland’s end-of-season friendlies to play for his club.

“We’ve got a year’s experience in this league now and that will stand us in good stead.”