Pardew's side were saved from relegation after Eredivisie was declared null and void, but Englishman left the club in late April
Wednesday 6 May 2020 21:52, UK
Alan Pardew described an eventful four-month stint in the Eredivisie with ADO Den Haag on Wednesday's The Football Show.
The 58-year-old was appointed ADO Den Haag boss in December, tasked with saving the club from relegation.
However, Pardew was unable to lead them out of the relegation zone, winning just one of his eight games in charge, but the team were reprieved when the season was scrapped because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Pardew then left the club by mutual consent, and also revealed he did not accept a bonus payment from ADO Den Haag for avoiding relegation and instead offered to donate it to the club's non-playing staff and the Dutch health service.
Here, Pardew describes an entertaining and eventful time in the Netherlands, describing the technical quality, psychology of the players, and that special flag...
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Just after agreeing to take over at the club, Pardew watched on from the stands as ADO were beaten 6-1 by Ajax in December. As Pardew remembers, it could have been 10...
"It was a strange start, and I seem to have strange starts at most clubs! They were playing against Ajax, and I was over there for that weekend to finalise the deal.
"My motivation was to work abroad. I wasn't going to get a top job after what happened at West Brom, so I thought to myself: 'This looks like a good opportunity,' and they were really struggling.
"Although I kind of agreed before the Ajax game, and then after the Ajax game I might have changed my mind. It was a complete thumping… it was six but it could have been 10!
"I was really thinking: 'Wow… this could be much more difficult than I had imagined.' But I did enjoy it!"
Pardew admits the gap in quality between the bottom and the top of the division is bigger than he has ever experienced, but insists both he and fellow English coach Chris Powell did improve the side...
"Chris Powell came with me, who was absolutely superb. And we formed a good team.
"I thought the team responded well. We definitely improved them, but results were hard to come by. Some of the teams were very, very good. There was a good standard there, and I think four or five of those could easily compete in the Premier League.
"The difference between top and bottom was vast. Much, much bigger than I had experienced in the Premier League and Championship for sure.
"Does it help Dutch teams in the Champions League because they don't have to be at it in the league? I think it does. I experienced the disparity. When we came up against PSV and AZ, the technical disparity was so big. They can probably change six or seven players before a European game."
If you are in a relegation battle in the Eredivisie, who you gonna call? Den Haag fans had a creative tifo made for Pardew and his assistant Powell, depicting their faces on a banner in the style of the 1984 movie Ghostbusters for their first game.
The 2-0 win over fellow strugglers RKC Waalwijk proved to be their one and only victory, but Pardew was amazed by the gesture...
"The flag was amazing! They had some mad fans! They had this theme there, making big banners. They were amazing. We couldn't believe it!
"Nobody pre-warned us. It was just amazing, we were just looking on from the sideline. That was a game I shall never forget. We won that game, which was actually the only game we did win!"
The Eredivisie was declared null and void in April, with no relegation and no promotion from second Eerste Divisie. While Pardew said it was an easier decision to make at the top end of the table, and that it went in his side's favour at the bottom, he believes teams should have been promoted from the second tier...
"I thought the Dutch decision was a decision that went in our favour of course. We were seven points behind, with nine games to go, which wasn't impossible.
"The championship was much simpler because Ajax and AZ were pretty much level. I think AZ were the better side and might have won it, but it was easier because they didn't have to crown a champion, so they could call it null and void.
"I thought the decision not to promote was wrong. I thought they should have promoted two from the second division, because the Eredivisie is a small league of 18 teams."
Pardew praised the professionalism and technical quality of Dutch football, but admitted he found some players to be needy in their approach to the game, and wanted to see more freedom in their play...
"I experienced great professionalism in Dutch football. I don't want to give a stereotypical view of them, but they are needy in terms of wanting to know exactly what the game plan is, what their role is, that information.
They think about the game, and possibly too much at times, and could show a bit more freedom in their play.
"But their attacking players currently in the Dutch league are having a bit of a renaissance among the younger players. They've got some really great young players out there."
