The two longest serving Premier League managers famously have some beef, and while Wenger's high-profile clashes with Jose Mourinho are based on close rivalries and competition, it seems that his fractious relationship with Pardew is based more on simple dislike. The pair clashed first in 2006 after Pardew had the audacity to criticise Wenger for failing to field a single English player in a Champions League clash with Real Madrid. Clearly Wenger's subsequent accusation that Pardew was perhaps xenophobic were unfair considering Pardew's aversion to English players at Newcastle and indeed his insistence that his wife is Swedish. But Pardew's criticism looks foolish now. The second clash came the same year when some over-enthusiastic celebrating annoyed Wenger so much that he pushed his West Ham counterpart, earning himself an FA fine. Considering his usual detachment, the sight of an incensed Wenger obviously endorsed how annoyed he was by Pardew's antics.
