Alan Pardew has been announced as the new manager of Crystal Palace and will be the man to attempt to take the club forward and keep them in the Premier League.
It has only been a week since the Eagles dismissed Neil Warnock but it was decided that a swift turnaround was needed in the light of the January transfer window which will be key to Palace’s success for the next five months of the season and whether or not the club can push away from the relegation zone in a similar fashion to last season.
The 53-year-old has signed a three-and-a-half -year contract with the club, keeping him at Selhurst Park until 2019 which will undoubtedly give the former Newcastle manager time to turn the club into one of a similar stature, in-line with the hopes of co-chairman Steve Parish who has previously gone on record discussing his aspirations for the club to be fighting for Europa League places in the coming years.
The Eagles sunk into the relegation zone on Boxing Day after a spiritless performance against Southampton who have been exceeding expectations this season after losing a number of key players at the start of the season but many expected Palace to put up more of a fight in what ended up as a one-horse game.
A large number of fans, including the Holmesdale Fanatics expressed their disappointment at the performance throughout and after the game, leaving the tenure of Neil Warnock hanging on by a thread.
The former Palace player skipped a press conference on Sunday for his old employers after their 3-2 victory over a struggling Everton; that result moved the Toons into 9th place in the Premier League table, despite fans constantly calling for Pardew to resign during the latter part of his four year stint at the club after a period of bad results earlier on this season.
At Villa Park on New Years Day, Alan Pardew looked over his new side as he watched the game with board members Steve Parish, Steve Browett and other members of the club hierarchy which included Phil Alexander.
Pardew played for the Eagles in a four year period between 1987 and 1991; during that period the man born in Wimbeldon made 128 appearances for Crystal Palace, getting himself on the score-sheet on eight occasions.
He played a major part in the South London’s side historic 1990 season which saw Palace lose to Manchester United in the FA Cup final over the first game and also a replay (as they happened in those days); his most memorable moment in that cup run was in the semi-final when he scored the winning goal in extra-time against Liverpool, giving the Eagles a 4-3 win at Villa Park.
Taking training at the club’s Beckenham training ground today, Alan Pardew will take charge of his first game on Sunday in the FA Cup against Dover.
