Alan Pardew
A journeyman midfielder who became a manager known for moments of cup magic and a touchline passion that often stole the headlines.
Born 1961 (age 65)·English football player and manager·Birthday: July 18·Baby Boomers
Biography
Alan Pardew's football life has been a rollercoaster of dramatic highs and stubborn resilience. His playing career was that of a solid, journeyman midfielder, with a memorable FA Cup final goal for Crystal Palace in 1990. But it's in management where he crafted his true, colorful legacy. He cut his teeth in the lower leagues before guiding West Ham United back to the Premier League and to an FA Cup final. At Newcastle United, he engineered a surprising fifth-place finish, earning Manager of the Year honors, though his tenure later soured amid fan discontent. Pardew's touchline demeanor—celebratory dances, heated exchanges—often became the story. His knack for cup runs, like taking Crystal Palace to another FA Cup final in 2016, contrasted with periods of league struggle. He became a fixture of the Premier League's managerial carousel, a charismatic and sometimes divisive figure who always seemed good for one more unexpected result.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Alan was born in 1961, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Alan Was Born
The biggest hits of 1961
#1 Movie
101 Dalmatians
Best Picture
West Side Story
#1 TV Show
Wagon Train
Alan's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1961Born
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1966Started school
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1974Became a teenager
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Could drive
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1979Could vote
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Turned 21
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1991Turned 30
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 40
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 50
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 60
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 65 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the Premier League Manager of the Season award in 2012 after leading Newcastle United to a 5th-place finish.
- Managed four different clubs in the FA Cup Final as a player and manager, winning it as a player with Crystal Palace in 1990.
- Secured promotion to the Premier League with West Ham United in 2005 via the playoffs.
Did You Know?
He is one of a small group of individuals to have both played in and managed an FA Cup Final.
He had a brief, much-mocked cameo dancing on the touchline in the 2016 film 'Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie'.
He was named after Alan Ball, the England footballer who was a star of the 1966 World Cup-winning team.
“You have to win the battle in the middle of the park first.”
