Pards Plays Down Reading Rivalry

ALAN Pardew returns to his old Club Reading this weekend, looking to reignite the Hammers promotion charge.

But the West Ham United boss was keen to play down his old ties with Saturday's opponents, insisting that both teams have far more pressing matters to concentrate on that old rivalries.

"There is far more to this game than my history with Reading," insisted Alan. "Both clubs are chasing a Play-off spot, it's a clash of two teams that should be in the promotion shake-up at the end of the season, and that's why it's a massive game for West Ham United and Reading.

"There will be thousands of Hammers fans at the Madjeski Stadium looking to see their team get back on the promotion chase and it's up to me and the players to make that happen and make sure that they're satisfied.

"We've got to perform better than we did against Preston. This is a really big game for us, but the same can be said for every game between now and the end of the season."

Despite enduring a poor run recently, which has seen Reading go 10 games without a win, Pards denies that this is a good time to meet Reading.

"They're a very good side and their League position proves that," he insisted. "Reading still have a great chance of getting promoted, but so do we and that's what we're focusing on at the moment.

"Reading are going through a tough period at the moment, but that doesn't mean we can take them lightly.

"This League is so level and any one of the top eight or nine teams still have an excellent chance of going up."

Pards will come face to face with plenty of old friends on Saturday, none more so than Steve Coppell, his old boss at Crystal Palace. The pair were part of some halcyon days at Selhurst Park, helping Palace to an FA Cup Final appearance in 1990 and a third place finish in the top-flight.

"Steve is a very good friend and I speak to him a lot," he said. "It's been a difficult period for him of late, but he knows the game, knows the position he's in at the moment and I'm sure he'll work through it.

"Steve and I were part of some fantastic success at Palace and I've got some great memories from those days.

"We had a team full of positive characters, the atmosphere around the club was always good and we never got wrapped up in anything negative.

"It's that kind of philosophy that I've tried to build as a manager, trying to generate a positive atmosphere.

"Right now it's more important than ever that we stay positive, stay focused and concentrate on the goal of promotion, which is still a very realistic target.

"It might be through the Play-offs and it might be more difficult than we wanted it to be, but we've got to face up to the challenge."