The Grab: 12.24

Another (sort of) coaching swap, this time in the EPL, as Pardew gets a second crack at staying up, and he gets to stay in London too. If you're lucky to have the week off, check out his first start as his new squad welcomes Fulham on Wednesday. [Fox Sports]

Abramovich vows to spend less in the transfer market, that is unless they get can get someone for around $30M to keep Wayne Bridge company. And he gives a rare interview. [ESPN Soccernet, Guardian Unlimited]

Sadly, I was joking earlier with AC about who the nutter was that would wake up so early (on the West Coast) to watch this match, ultimately deciding its impending fate as anything but a snoozer. [Sporting Life]

There's a full EPL Boxing Day schedule on Tuesday, December 26. Some games of note:

Chelsea v. Reading
8:00 am EST Setanta Sports

Tottenham Hotspur v. Aston Villa
8:00 am EST Fox Soccer Channel

Blackburn Rovers v. Liverpool
10:00 am EST Setanta Sports

West Ham v. Portsmouth
10:00 am EST (delayed) Fox Soccer Channel

Manchester United v. Wigan Athletic
12:30 pm EST (delayed) Setanta Sports

Watford v. Arsenal
12:30 pm EST Fox Soccer Channel

As always, check your local listings.

-bl

Poor Pards

I'm not sure if AC and I had Alan Pardew as a close finalist in the sack race (until he started losing with the Argentine duo, which would be pretty early in the season), but he definitely has to be the biggest name to go down so far. We're talking about West Ham, a club so historically far from the gaffer merry-go-round that they've only had ten (10!) managers in their club history.

If there is one way to communicate the seriousness of the new management, this is a way to do it, apparently. There is the large amount of money that could be lost if the Hammers maintain their uncomfortable place at the bottom of the table, given the new Premeirship rights deal that's set to begin. All in all, Magnusson obviously thinks a change is in order, and as much as Pardew has done with West Ham, the Icelandic chairman doesn't have the confidence in him to keep the club afloat.

Talk about a bad deal for Pardew. It's arguable whether or not he wanted Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano at Upton Park in the first place, and the dubious ownership and fitness of both players seemed to cause a lot of drama within the Hammers' camp.

Returning to the top flight, as well as getting to last year's FA Cup Final, were seen as overachievements for the club, and Hammers fans could be described as rosy leading up the transfer window. Plop down some Argentine internationals, add a little dysfunction in the squad, and voila, 4 wins and 2 draws out of 17 played domestically. Add that to Palermo knocking West Ham out of the first round of the UEFA Cup, without a goal from the East London side, and you've got all your reasons for letting the gaffer go.

Players to blame for execution of 'dead man walking' [Independent]

Pards is shafted [The Sun]

-bl