Search: ' Alan Pardew'
Stories
Preparations for life in the Championship already seem to be underway at The Hawthorns but a Cup run could salvage some fun from their season
Match at Stoke will be another test of Sam Allardyce’s ability to revive a faltering team
Badge of the week ~ Rebels FC, British Virgin Islands
There are some things one’s mind jolts to instantly on hearing the word “rebel”. One is of course, Marlon Brando in The Wild One. If I recall the dialogue correctly: Young lady: “What are you rebelling against Johnny?” Marlon Brando: “What’ve you got?” Young lady: “Chlamydia.” Marlon Brando: “I’m rebelling against chlamydia.”
The evolution of
the perfect team
by Jon Keen
Mickle Press, £17.99
Reviewed by Derek Walmsley
From WSC 355 September 2016
Reading fans have seen precious little silverware in their 145-year history, so their 2005-06 Championship campaign, where they amassed 106 points – a total which, if plans to increase Football League divisions from three to four come to fruition, may never be bettered – has acquired totemic status for supporters. Jon Keen, a founding member of the club’s supporters’ trust, uses that season to survey a crucial chapter in the club’s recent history, running from the 1999 appointment of manager Alan Pardew to his successor Steve Coppell’s departure ten years later, and ponders how an unfashionable provincial team with few stars came to dominate the second flight of English football.