Pardew uses Mourinho to defend under-fire Moyes
Alan Pardew has spoken of his appreciation for the size of the task facing Sunderland’s David Moyes, and believes the “fantastic” manager should only be judged on his long-term impact there.
Sunderland remain 19th and without a Premier League victory in their first five fixtures as they prepare to host Pardew’s Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Pressure will swiftly build on their new manager if their poor run continues, regardless of the long-term difficulties they experienced prior to his appointment, and the fact he received so little backing in the transfer market.
After 11 successful years at Everton in which Moyes proved himself a capable builder of teams, his reputation has been damaged by his sackings at Manchester United and Real Sociedad.
Pardew, however, has not forgotten his impressive work at Everton, and was critical of football’s impatient culture that means the abilities of a proven manager such as Moyes can be overlooked.
“You can have sympathy for that situation because it’s not a nice situation,” said Pardew, 55. “And you guys make it 10 times worse.
“David’s experienced enough as it is, but our trade being what it is, we’re going there to win.
“And we’re going to go there and do the best possible job that we can, with a team that at the moment looks in good form.
“I thought Jose (Mourinho) had a good point, actually, his ‘Einstein quote’ (that criticised the short-term memories of critics).
“We’re judged on three or four games, and nothing beforehand seems to get a mention.
“We all have to live by these new current rules, do we? Okay, that’s what we have to do.
“David Moyes is a fantastic manager. His record at Everton is the best of any (active) British manager, probably, and he deserves respect for that.
“He’s trying to find a new club, trying to find his way, and it takes time, and the pressure heaped on managers when they haven’t got a win is becoming bigger and more intense every season.”
Pardew revealed his captain Scott Dann will miss Saturday’s fixture with a hamstring injury suffered in Wednesday’s 2-0 EFL Cup defeat at Southampton.
He also remains a doubt for next Friday’s with Everton, but James Tomkins has recovered his fitness and in Dann’s absence will partner Damien Delaney in central defence.
As with Moyes, there are greater doubts than ever surrounding Arsene Wenger’s ability to manage Arsenal, but asked about the Frenchman on the occasion of his 20th anniversary at the club, Pardew said: “I’ve always had great respect for him.
“His teams are magnificent, he brought a continental style here that no one else brought, he had a year where they never got beat in the Premier League, amazing.
“Amazing manager, amazing man. Great for you guys, because he’s probably best with the media as well. Long may it continue.”