Pardew fired up by Gunners' visit

West Ham manager Alan Pardew insists he has earned the right to pit his wits against Arsene Wenger.

The Hammers are on a high after an excellent start to their return to the Premiership which has taken them to sixth place – one place above tomorrow’s visitors Arsenal.

But Pardew has not forgotten it has taken him five years to get ahead of the Gunners after a journey which began down the divisions at Reading and had often been tough at Upton Park, where the fans are never slow to voice their displeasure.

He said: “I have worked five full seasons to get in the Premiership and to come up against someone of the stature of Arsene Wenger is fantastic for me and the players.

“When I took over this club a lot of people told me it wasn’t a good career move so I took a bit of a gamble and it is paying off for me and the club now because we are going forward very well.

“Behind the scenes the people here have been great to me and in the dark days they lifted my head. As you sometimes hear top managers say ‘somebody has to motivate the motivator’ and some of that East End spirit helped me through periods last year.

“It wasn’t just myself who went through it last year, it was everyone including the kit man. But we are all enjoying it at the moment.

“Last year people would say to me ‘you’d better win on Saturday, Pards’ rather than ‘best of luck on Saturday’, which I am getting now but it has never been nasty. I have never really had a horrible moment. I have had some dark days in the stadium when there was plenty of booing but most people have been civil towards me.

“Hopefully I am repaying that faith now. All managers have days when they doubt themselves and there were times when it wasn’t happening on the pitch.

“There were days when I was very frustrated and days when some very good players left, Michael Carrick and Jermain Defoe in particular, but we are now in a positive frame of mind.

“You also have to have an ego to do this job and in my first year at Reading I was telling the world how great I was but you do get humbled as well and I would like to think I have grown in that time. I am calmer around the players but like Alex Ferguson I will always have that ambition to win and fire in my belly.

“I know I have served my apprenticeship now and every manager has to earn his chance. But there are always moments in your career when you need to win – and luckily in the five years I have been manager I have won those games more often than not.”

Pardew will welcome Teddy Sheringham back to the starting line-up after using the 39-year-old as a substitute in last week’s 2-1 win at Fulham and leaving him out altogether for Tuesday’s 4-2 Carling Cup win at Sheffield Wednesday.

He said: “We are not complete novices at big games as we have people who have been involved in them. Teddy is important to us and will be important against Arsenal.”

Striker Jeremie Aliadiere, who is on loan from Arsenal, misses out because of a groin problem which may require surgery but Pardew was also pleased that Thierry Henry would be out injured for the Gunners.

He said: “I’m very glad. He is a massive player and you can’t get away from the fact it is a bonus that he isn’t playing.”

Pardew conceded that tomorrow’s game represented his side’s sternest challenge by far this season but was confident his players could not only rise to the occasion but go on to attract the attention of England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.

He said: “We have some young players who are playing well enough to make the national team set-up. Paul Konchesky – on the performances he has put in – must be a contender for the World Cup and on top of that I’m sure Nigel Reo-Coker as captain of England Under-21s is highly regarded.

“Then there is Anton Ferdinand who might progress to that level, although I know we are talking about potential more than the finished article.”

Pardew made no attempt to disguise the magnitude of the task ahead of his players however. He said: “Arsenal are only down the road from me so I have seen a lot of them and I am a great admirer of the way they pass the ball. They are probably the best passing team in the Premiership.

“I have met Arsene Wenger on a couple of occasions and I think he has been marvellous for English football. He has set the standard in conditioning players over his nine-year tenure and plays the type of football I think is hugely entertaining.

“They have had a difficult start to the season with two losses but he is a great manager and they are a great team.”