Alan "Pards" Pardew took over from Les "Les" Reed as Charlton manager on 24 December 2006 providing Charlton fans with an early Christmas present at the half-way stage in a harrowing season which had started with Iain "Iain" Dowie replacing long-term incumbent Alan "Curbs" Curbishley, who walked out in May 2006 with a year left on his contract.
In 1987 Alan Scott Pardew was working full-time as a glazier when, ironically he was offered a contract by Crystal Palarse who signed him from Yeovil town for £7,500. The highlight of his stay at the Croydon outfit was to score the winner in the FA Cup Semi Final against Liverpool and thus taking that club the closest they have ever been to winning something. And in 1990, Pardew inspired that team to third place in the old first division, thus ensuring that their best-ever finishes in both the FA Cup and the League are one place worse than Charlton's.
South London-born Pardew became Alan Curbishley's highest paid player when he was signed on a free transfer in 1991. From Charlton he moved to Barnet to play under former Charlton player Terry Bullivant. And when Bullivant moved to Reading, he took Pardew with him to run the reserve team.
John Madejski's strange running of the Royals then saw Pardew remain in place even though the first team manager was replaced; then Pardew was sacked following Reading's disbanding of the reserve team; then he was brought back to the club some months later, not as reserve coach, but as Manager. Charged with securing a return to the first division, Pardew delivered in 2001/02, with a team captained by Phil Parkinson. And in 2003/04 had laid the foundations for a promotion push to the Premiership, when Madejski struck again. The Chairman refused Pardew permission to talk to West Ham about their Manager's role, so Pardew resigned. Madejski (you couldn't make it up: "mad" really ARE the first three letters of his surname) took out a High Court injunction against Pardew working at West Ham.
Nevertheless, Pardew took the reins at West Ham, where, once again he was to be treated badly by a megalomaniac Chairman. In 2005 Pardew secured promotion to the Premier League. In 2006 Pardew took West Ham to the FA Cup Final, qualified for Europe and Magnusson sacked him.
(I would like to point out that it is purely coincidental that Alan Curbishley's exit agreement with Charlton meant that the club were to continue paying his wages if he were not to secure a management role before November 2006. Curbishley took over at West Ham in December 2006).
From West Ham, Pardew made the short trip to The Valley as Manager, since when his unique style has won him over as a fans' favourite.
Managerial Honours
2001 - Division Two play-off final - runners up (Reading)
2002 - Division Two - runners up (Reading)
2004 - Division One play-off final - runners up (West Ham)
2005 - Championship play-off final - winners (West Ham)
2006 - FA Cup - runners up (West Ham)
2007 - Managed to get rid of Kevin Lisbie