Alan Pardew returns to dugout as he is named manager of Greek side Aris and set for baptism of fire against Olympiacos
ALAN PARDEW has been named as the new manager of Greek side Aris Thessaloniki.
The 61-year-old has signed a one-year deal with the option of a further year.
Aris announced the news on Twitter, writing: “WELCOME TO #ARISFAMILY COACH…”
Pardew is set to take charge of his first game on Sunday against champions Olympiacos, who boast former Real Madrid star Marcelo in their ranks – while James Rodriguez is on the verge of joining.
By comparison, Pardew is set to take over a side sixth in the Greek Super League and a squad that contains former Arsenal star Gervinho and ex-Watford and Burnley striker Andre Gray.
Pardew has been out of work since leaving Bulgarian side CSKA Sofia in June.
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The former Newcastle boss resigned after the club’s fans directed racist chants at members of the team and threw bananas at some of the players.
After the incident Pardew said the fans’ behaviour was unacceptable and he decided to step down from his role as manager as he did not want to represent such a fanbase.
He said in a statement: “The events before and after the match with Botev were not acceptable for me, for my assistant Alex Dyer, or for our players.
“The small group of organised racist fans who tried to sabotage this game are not who I want to lead and represent the team in front of.”
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Pardew won just one of his eight games in charge at Sofia and also struggled as manager of ADO Den Haag prior to that spell.
In his short time in the Netherlands Pardew won one of his eight games in charge, which means he has a win rate of just 14 per cent or less in his last three managerial jobs, including West Brom.