Former West Ham manager leaves club by mutual consent
Pardew was appointed in December and tasked with saving the club from relegation. The 58-year-old was unable to lead them out of the relegation zone, but the team were reprieved when the season was scrapped because of the current global health situation.
The Dutch FA (KNVB) did not enforce any relegation or promotion, meaning Den Haag will stay in the top tier, but Pardew’s contract has not been renewed.
“I want to thank everyone at Den Haag for the past few months,” Pardew said in a club statement. “In particular the players, who gave everything on the field. I also want to thank [the general manager] Mohammed Hamdi and major shareholder United Vansen for their support.”
“I have positive feelings for this club and I have enjoyed the passion of the fans,” he added. “I look back on a beautiful adventure in the Netherlands. It is a pity that the partnership ends, but I wish Den Haag every success in the future.”
Pardew enjoyed a successful three years in charge of West Ham United between 2003 and 2006.
A late bloomer as a player, Pardew worked as a glazier during his early career as a non-league player with Whyteleafe, Epson and Ewell, Corinthian Casuals, Dulwich Hamlet and Yeovil Town in the 1980s. As a manager, Pardew began his career as caretaker boss at Reading in 1998, before being appointed as full-time boss the following year. After narrowly missing out on promotion to Division One in 2001, the Royals gained automatic promotion the following season, 2001/02.
Pardew resigned from his role at Reading and, after a short period, agreement was reached and he became West Ham manager in October 2003.
His first season in charge at the Boleyn Ground ended in the agony of a Division One Play-Off final defeat by Crystal Palace in Cardiff.
The Hammers started the 2004/05 season in indifferent form, but sneaked into the Play-Offs and won promotion back to the Premier League via Bobby Zamora’s Millennium Stadium winner against Preston North End.
With the likes of youngsters Matty Etherington, Nigel Reo-Coker, Anton Ferdinand, Bobby Zamora and Marlon Harewood complemented by the experience of Shaka Hislop, Tomas Repka, Teddy Sheringham, Christian Dailly and Steve Lomas, West Ham had one of their most exciting and hard-working sides in some years.
The 2005/06 season was a memorable one for Pardew and everyone associated with the Club. With new signings such as Carlton Cole, Danny Gabbidon, Yossi Benayoun and Dean Ashton to the fore, the Hammers not only finished ninth in the Premier League but reached the Club’s fifth FA Cup final.
Back in Cardiff for the third consecutive season, the Hammers pushed Liverpool all the way, leading 2-0 and 3-2 before losing on penalties.
The summer of 2006 saw the Club bring in Argentina internationals Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano, but Pardew did not successfully integrate the South Americans into his side. Sadly for the Pardew, he was unable to galvanise his team at the start of the 2006/07 season. A poor run of results, including a shock League Cup defeat at Chesterfield, saw the manager sacked by the Club’s new Icelandic owners in early December following a 4-0 Premier League defeat at Bolton Wanderers.