Hob Nob Anyone? - Madejski, Pardew and Cureton Interviews

Madejski, Pardew and Cureton Interviewed
Information provided by Total Football Magazine

Speaking in the February 2001 issue of Total Football, Alan Pardew went on record about Jamie Cureton's lack of motivation in training - hinting at the reason behind Cureton's bargain 250,000 quid signing in August 2000. In the same feature Madejski talks about the appointment of Pardew as team manager:

Chairman John Madejski on the signing of Alan Pardew as manager: "I dare say a lot of people were surprised. But in the past we've tried name managers and they've never really got it done as far as I'm concerned. Give me a guy that's fresh, wants to learn and is ambitious. They deliver a lot more.

"We had a few big names knocking on the door for the job, but their attitude was more, 'what are you going to do for me?' rather than what they were going to do for the club.

"Having gone with a celebrity and got nowhere fast I thought I would stick to my instincts. I think that I know a lot about people and what I saw in Alan Pardew was a man of conviction, strength and a man who was willing to succeed."

Pardew on his style of play: "To play a purely passing game in this division, all your players have to be top quality. Realistically, you need a physical edge to compete. This division is unique in that you can play a physical team one week, and then Bristol City who try to pass right through you the next. The team structure has to be able to cope with all these scenarios."

"The difference between us and Tommy Burns' side is that we've got quality players. We've paid too much for players in the past and some have been found lacking in their ability."

Madejski agrees: "I've had some absolute horror stories. Some of the foreign players in particular have been an absolute nightmare. Funnily enough it's more with the third world players than others. In some of the third world countries it's all about the dosh really. Some of their demands were disgraceful."

Pardew on Jamie Cureton: "[Cureton] was a good price for us. Ian Holloway had come to the end of his tether with him. But I've been a little disappointed with his take on professional football. The problem with Jamie is that I still have to motivate him to train and that's not how it is with most of my boys. He was coming into training and going home, that was it. There was no looking to improve himself, to get fitter or stronger. But as a finisher, he's as good as I've seen."

Cureton, in response, is remarkably calm: "I suppose it's just in my make-up - I'm not used to working as hard as at Reading. The manager did tell me he thought I needed to work harder and I think he's been quite pleased, so hopefully that keeps me in his good books."

You can read the rest of the feature in the February 2001 issue of Total Football magazine.