Alan Pardew insists his focus remains entirely on his role at Crystal Palace but he has admitted that as an Englishman the possibility of one day taking up the reins of the national side would be enticing.
Palace confront one of Pardew’s former clubs, West Ham United, at Selhurst Park on Saturday with the sides currently a lofty fourth and sixth in the Premier League and separated by only a point.
The 54-year-old has instigated marked progress on the pitch at the south London club since arriving from Newcastle United in the new year, with recognition of his efforts effectively thrusting him forward as a candidate for England should Roy Hodgson’s contract not be renewed at the end of Euro 2016.
Pardew has grown weary of being asked about the possibility of taking over the national side over recent weeks and was initially reluctant to address the subject again on Thursday when questioned at his pre-match press conference at Palace’s Beckenham training ground. “I haven’t brought it up once, I don’t want to talk about it today, it’s not on my agenda and I’m quite happy at Crystal Palace,” he said. “But it’s the England job. If you’re English and don’t want it then there must be something wrong with you.”
The manager, who will be without only Connor Wickham, Joel Ward and Marouane Chamakh against West Ham, is contracted until 2018 at Palace, whose cochairman Steve Parish has indicated there is no immediate concern behind the scenes that the club might lose Pardew to the national setup next summer.
Pardew had addressed the issue in an interview with BT Sport earlier this month, saying: “If it turned up on my doorstep I’d say to the FA: ‘Let me have one tournament – win, lose or bust – then my money ends when that ends.’ I’d be quite happy with that. That’s how it should be because you’re not building anything.
“It’s an instant result you are looking for and instant training because you only have a couple of days to work and play a big, big international. I think it’s a job that isn’t inconceivable for me. I also think it is a job where you can win something. I really hope Roy wins it this summer. The England job is unique and brings a certain pressure. I’ve experienced some of that pressure at the clubs I’ve been at.”
