Merry Xmas: Crystal Palace sack Pardew
Date published: Thursday 22nd December 2016 4:07
Crystal Palace have sacked Alan Pardew after his team claimed just 26 points in the whole of 2016.
Palace have won just one of their last ten Premier League games, with Pardew suggesting that the club’s investors “perhaps don’t know a lot about football” after that one win over Southampton.
As Daniel Storey wrote in Winners and Losers this week:
‘If losing to Chelsea was a crime then the prisons would be full, but there is an inevitability to Crystal Palace’s defeats. A large percentage of supporters have begun to accept an impending relegation battle that simply should never be on the cards for a club with these resources.
‘Here’s an experiment: Write out Burnley, Hull, Swansea and Sunderland’s teams on a piece of paper, and then write out the one at Alan Pardew’s disposal. How many from each club get into Palace’s XI? Michael Keane and Steven Defour at Burnley, perhaps. Robert Snodgrass at Hull. Fernando Llorente and Gylfi Sigurdsson at Swansea. Jermain Defoe and Patrick van Aanholt at Sunderland. Not many more, that’s for sure.
‘Yet these are now Palace’s direct rivals, thanks to Pardew’s under-performance. Burnley have two more points than Palace, Sunderland one less and Swansea and Hull three fewer. That should be an embarrassment for a club who bought Christian Benteke, Steve Mandanda, James Tomkins and Andros Townsend this summer.
‘Here’s another, slightly easier, experiment: Imagine how much more Sam Allardyce, sitting in the wings coughing pointedly at opportune moments, could do with this squad. While relegation was no danger, Palace supporters could afford to turn up their noses at Allardyce’s pragmatism. With relegation a growing possibility, there is no counter-argument to the logic.’
Full statement from the club:
Crystal Palace F.C. have today asked Alan Pardew to step down as Manager of the Club.
Club Chairman Steve Parish said: “I would like to put on record our sincere gratitude for the tremendous service Alan has given us, both in his time here as Manager and previously as a player. Following a fantastic second half of 2014/15, the 2015/16 season culminated in only narrowly missing out on winning the FA cup as well as securing our Premier League place for a record breaking fourth time.
“During his tenure Alan’s hard work and dedication were without question, he has improved so many areas of the Club and we wish him the very best for the future.”
With games now coming thick and fast over the holiday period the Club are hoping to put someone in place as quickly as possible but have nothing to say about a replacement at this time.
Pardew: "A big thanks to the players who gave me absolutely everything and Steve Parish and his board." #cpfc
— Mark Ritson (@MarkRitson_TM) December 22, 2016
Pardew: "I wish everybody associated with #cpfc the best of luck in the future including of course the fans who have been magnificent."
— Mark Ritson (@MarkRitson_TM) December 22, 2016
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