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Pardew confirmed as West Ham boss
LONDON, England (Reuters) -- West Ham United have appointed Alan Pardew as manager after his former club Reading withdrew their court action against him for breach of contract. Pardew will be in charge of West Ham for their match against Burnley on October 18 and in the meantime Trevor Brooking will continue to be the caretaker at the first division club. 'I am delighted the situation has been resolved,' said the 42-year-old Pardew outside London's High Court. West Ham, relegated from the premier league last season, sacked Glenn Roeder last month and have since been playing under former England midfielder Brooking, who has taken them up to second in the first division after four straight wins. Pardew, considered as one of the best young managers in Britain, resigned on September 10 after chairman John Madejski denied him permission to speak to West Ham, but Reading rejected his resignation and took the case to the High Court. Pardew, who took Reading to the playoffs last season but missed out on promotion to the premier league, was put on gardening leave until a deal was reached before Thursday's hearing that freed him to join West Ham. Common senseWest Ham managing director Paul Aldridge told the club's website: "I'm delighted we have secured the services of Alan. He was always our number one target, although it is unfortunate that his departure from Reading has caused so much acrimony. "I am, however, pleased that common sense has prevailed and the matter has now been resolved." The east London club have seven games to play before Pardew takes over but have yet to taste defeat under Brooking, who spent his whole playing career at West Ham. Brooking was in charge for the final three games last season as Roeder recovered from brain surgery, and took over again when he was sacked three games into the present campaign. Relegation forced the club to sell a host of top players including Joe Cole, Frederic Kanoute, Trevor Sinclair and Glen Johnson, while Paolo Di Canio was among 10 players released. But they held on to England goalkeeper David James and under-21 internationals Jermain Defoe and Michael Carrick and have started well this season after bringing in Ireland striker David Connolly, Kevin Horlock and Matthew Etherington. "Being a Londoner I'm well aware of the tremendous stature and history of the club and understand the need to play the style of football the supporters expect," said former Crystal Palace player Pardew. "I know how passionate they are about the club and I can't wait to take over from Trevor and continue the job in hand of getting the club back into the premiership as soon as possible where it belongs." Copyright 2003 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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