Pardew and Hart sparkle in shop window as bigger buyers wait

The marvellous contest served up by Reading and Forest at the Madejski Stadium on Friday night, of a quality notably higher than several Premiership offerings of late, was a testament to the sublime passing skills of the Nottingham team and the fighting qualities of the home side, who won 1-0. It was also a glittering advert for two First Division managers who may yet, for different reasons, be operating in the top section next season – whether their clubs are promoted or not.

Fulham's ambitious chairman, Mohamed Al Fayed, desperate to emulate the Moyes-led miracle that lifted Everton out of mediocrity, likes the look of Reading's Alan Pardew, while Leeds United, in search of someone capable of constructing a winning team without laying out £100m in the process, are interested in reclaiming Paul Hart, their former director of youth development, from Forest.

It would obviously be bad form, at such a crucial time for their present employers, if either man was willing to go on record about his ambitions, and neither did. But the question is worth posing anyway, since the truly gifted boss capable of twinning prudence with success remains a rarity in our grand old game.

Pardew first attracted attention by moving, in September 1999, from assistant to full manager of a Reading side lying 23rd in the Second Division and getting them promoted last May. The plainly-stated ambition of the self-styled "Pards" to get to the top of his nominated tree sits well with man-management skills and a zest for the introduction of innovations designed to catch the eye and the headlines.

Since the English football play-offs are pinched from American sport, Pards has offered a supplement or two along similar lines. The dressing room has been thrown open to notebooks and film crews. And, rather than hold post-match media conferences in a poky annexe, he struts his stuff in the team gym while dispensing words and wisdom. And in his programme notes, the manager was enthusing about his plan to introduce a special "singing area" at the ground, where those who buy tickets will be required to give full voice.

Hart tends, in contrast, to let his record do the speaking: the battle to keep Forest afloat and the sacrifices involved in needing to sell some of the youngsters he had brought through, such as Jermaine Jenas and David Prutton. But he is not averse to the occasional flourish, like the one on Friday night when, as his players slumped in disbelief at losing a match they had dominated, he marched out on to the pitch, called them together, addressed them briefly and pointed in the direction of the Forest fans who had filled one end of the ground. "I told them 'Well done,' " he said. "I also wanted them to go over to our supporters with their heads held high, because they played pretty well for a very young side."

It was a sentiment endorsed by Pardew: "What a terrific team Forest are. Paul Hart can be proud of them. They moved us around like nobody else has done since we last played them, it was fantastic. We didn't play badly, though, did we? If that had been the play-off final I would obviously have been happy with the result, but you wouldn't say either of those two sides was going to struggle in the Premiership on that showing."

Reading's followers were convinced the play-offs are a reality, but Pardew's ambition is to remain unbeaten for the last four games of the regulation season. That, he knows, will be enough for the hope of two successive promotions to remain kindled. It has all been done, if not with the spectre of administration looming as it did at Forest, but with the need to keep costs trimmed. Gesturing at the surroundings, Pardew said: "This whole place speaks volumes for my chairman [the millionaire John Madejski] but he has done it on a sensible budget. Our wage bill is £3m. How many First Division clubs can say that? I think the fans are relatively surprised at how well we have done. But we're not. We're focused on it, to try and get in the play-offs and get promoted. At the moment I'm making a good fist of it."

Hence the Fayed interest. "I got used to that sort of thing in my playing career," was the reaction of Pards. "Clubs come in for you and it never seems to happen. So I just get on with what I am doing here. Nothing will distract me from that. That is how I work with the players, giving them immediate goals, and if I was not on the same agenda I would not be fair."

With a video of the game tucked under his arm, Hart accepted the compliments. "That's the way we play, we can't approach it any other way. And we have the character that you need to go up." So is he confident, despite three 1-0 losses in the last four games? "Anybody who is confident is a fool. But this division doesn't tell too many fibs. We weren't one of the teams shouting at the start of the season about the play-offs. But I think we have the players equipped for the top level."

As for any speculation about a move, Hart insisted: "There is nothing going on in my mind other than working with Forest and finishing off the season. This is potentially a very good team." Which, as Pards agrees, they showed on Friday night.