Pardew happy with defensive strength (Maybe we should ask him for a couple then?)
Oct 28 2005
Liverpool Echo
WEST HAM boss Alan Pardew believes he has four of the most promising centre-backs in the Premiership to choose from.
Anton Ferdinand and Danny Gabbidon will return to the Hammers defence at Anfield tomorrow but Pardew insists the pair will have to maintain their form to keep a place in the starting line-up.
Elliott Ward and James Collins impressed at the back in the midweek Carling Cup defeat at Bolton and are putting pressure on Pardew's first choice pair.
Pardew has no hesitation in recalling Ferdinand and Gabbidon though, and he said: "I don't think I've got a choice because Gabbidon and Ferdinand have been outstanding in the Premier League, our defensive record speaks volumes about those two as much as anything else.
"But I am very lucky that I have four of the best centre-backs in the country. The two in there will have to play to their maximum."
Pardew is unsure which strikers Ferdinand and Gabbidon will face but is wary of underestimating a Liverpool attack short of goals this season.
"If Peter Crouch plays we have great respect for Peter and we have to make sure we have a contingency plan for what he offers," said Pardew. "Obviously that is the same for (Djibril) Cisse, (Fernando) Morientes, Luis Garcia or whoever gets the nod."
