FORMER Premier League manager Alan Pardew has given an insight into what life is like at CSKA Sofia, including sleeping at the training ground.
Pardew originally joined the Bulgarian club as an adviser in 2020 but stepped in as interim manager this season after Stoycho Mladenov departed.
Pardew is interim manager of CSKA Sofia after Mladenov departed Credit: SKY SPORTS
Alex Dyer joined Pardew in Bulgaria, despite initial concerns over the move due to England players being racially abused there in 2019 Credit: SKY SPORTS
Rival fans set off fireworks at 2.30am outside CSKA’s training ground and they also brought flairs into the ground for the final Credit: SKY SPORTS
CSKA’s players and staff stay in ‘bungalows’ the night before games Credit: SKY SPORTS For a manager who has managed seven top English clubs, being thrown in at the deep end was nothing new to Pardew.
And he had to oversee one of Bulgaria’s biggest games in the past two decades as his side met Sofia rivals Levski in the Bulgarian Cup final for the first time in 17 years.
On the eve of the final, Pardew and his team were greeted by fireworks in the early hours of the morning.
Pardew told Sky Sports: “Last night, we had fireworks at 2.30am in the morning from rival fans just letting us know that there’s a big game. We’ve had that wake up call.”
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Southampton vs Liverpool – New customers get £30 in FREE BETS – 18+ T&Cs apply He continued: “But the bus will be interesting.
“I’ve not really experienced the passion that fans have here on many occasions in England – it’s just wild.”
Pardew also revealed the training ground houses all the players and coaches on site the night before a game.
They stay in what Pardew describes as “bungalows” but hailed the practicality of them.
Pardew gave Sky a tour of his ‘bungalow’ Credit: SKY SPORTS
The 60-year-old made sure to bring his English breakfast tea Credit: SKY SPORTS
Pardew has a single bed to himself Credit: SKY SPORTS
Players have slightly bigger rooms and have double beds Credit: SKY SPORTS .css-qu9fel{border-top:1px solid #dcdddd;}.css-b9nmbi{margin-bottom:16px;border-top:1px solid #dcdddd;}
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He described his room, saying: “We call them ‘the bungalows’, but they’re really cool.
“My English breakfast tea in my teapot. My little office here.
“Just a single bed as it’s just me but the guys have it a little bit bigger and a double bed and they sleep two at a time.”
Unfortunately for Pardew, his run of losing in domestic cup finals continued as Levski won the derby 1-0 in front of 40,000 football-crazy fans.
Iliyan Stefanov scored the deflected winner, adding a Bulgarian Cup runners-up medal to go alongside Pardew’s three English FA Cup final defeats.
Pardew lost the FA Cup final once as a player and twice as a manager.
On the loss, he said: “Massive game this was today. And unfortunately, you know, a deflected goal – it hurts.
“From that moment on, we never really did enough to hurt them back.”
The final defeat leaves Pardew’s future at CSKA in doubt and he is due to sit down with the owner in the coming days to discuss budgets and see if he intends to stay on next season.
However, Pardew has ambitions of managing in England once again.
Pardew is hoping to follow in the footsteps of legend Roy Hodgson, who is still managing at 74.
He said: “Yeah, I do [want to manage in England again].
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BBC Breakfast fans in tears as Dan Walker bids farewell to show “I’m 60 now, but I’m fit and well. I look at Roy Hodgson and think ‘maybe there’s another ten years in me’.
“And hopefully an opportunity will arise.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
