I had mentioned on the dismissal of Warnock that I feel the immediate emotional reaction I had, relief, was the most true reaction. In that initial moment, you don’t have the chance to reason, you just react, so it is the clearest indication of how you feel.
When I first heard the news that Palace had chosen Alan Pardew as the man to take on the task of leading and progressing the club, my reaction was one of excitement. A manager who has been publicly pilloried by huge swathes of Newcastle fans, but for many neutrals a man who has managed very well under increasingly tough circumstances.
A Londoner, Pardew began his footballing education in the non-league scene in South London and Surrey, playing at Whyteleafe, Epsom, Corinthian Casuals and Dulwich Hamlet – whilst maintaining a job as a Glazier. He eventually joined Yeovil Town for a short spell before being picked up by Palace for a mere £7,500.
Like many of Palace’s non-league signings, Pardew thrived under the tutelage of Steve Coppell and became an integral part of a strong midfield, with displays typified more by his energy and tenacity rather than skill. He did, it’s fair to say, have his critics in the Selhurst crowd because of this, but nobody could fault him for making the best of the ability he had. Through sheer force of will, he was on that teamsheet within one of the best Palace squads ever.
Super Al became genuinely super on the day Palace did the impossible – the glorious 4-3 FA Cup semi final victory against Liverpool. As he rose like a salmon in a crowded penalty area in extra time to head home the winner, he forever etched his name into the history of Crystal Palace and would always be one the Eagles’ favourite sons thereon.
His managerial record at Reading and West Ham reads impressively, although the latter ended in a very bad run of form, albeit in difficult circumstances. In fact “difficult circumstances” seem to have been his MO for quite a while. Charlton were in freefall and did not give him time to rebuild after relegation (with history showing them hasty) and at Southampton he’d walked into a club newly taken over by a meg-rich owner and fell out with the new hierarchy over the running of the club.
Then on to his last role, at Newcastle, and his situation there was rarely out of the press regarding an unhappy fanbase and a difficult owner. In spite of some respectable league finishes, it seems the Geordie faithful want better football and feel they deserve more success. Personally I think they are asking too much given the restrictions placed on the manager but it seems there is a hankering for the Keegan “outscore the opponent and you win” philosophy, rather than a pragmatic and measured approach.
I do think that Newcastle fans have a point when they look at the compensation paid, but only from their perspective – Pardew has been there for 4 years so they will be very aware of what his strengths and weaknesses are. The reason I don’t think that applies to Palace as such is simply that the attitude towards the so-called “Cockney Mafia” has meant that any reason to ram home a negative will be taken. There are plenty of reasonable, knowledgeable and realistic Newcastle fans, but as a fanbase they do have a reputation for believing their club to be worthy of greater things than it has realistically ever shown, certainly for a long time anyway. The Spurs of the North if you will.
I guess what I am saying is that, once again, Pardew should not be judged on the job he can do for Palace before he does it. I think you can look to both West Ham and Reading managing to secure promotion a season after missing out in the play offs as strong evidence that he can motivate and organise a team. I think you can look at his initial spell at Southampton as evidence he can work quickly to turn around a club. The only real question mark for me is whether walking into the Palace job might be too similar to walking into the Charlton job. I personally feel we have a better squad than they had and are much more secure off-pitch, but it is a comparable situation.
It is clear for me that Palace have gone for Pardew because he ticks all the boxes we want – Experienced in the Premier League, a strong leader, a Palace connection, can work with a director of football and, perhaps the biggest point – he clearly wants the job as much as we want to give him the job. Paying compensation is a big sign of intent from Palace but Pardew walking away from a big club, performing well and with the security of 5 1/2yrs on a contract is also a huge show of intent from him.
I hope this is a long-term appointment and that Super Al has the time and drive to really progress this club – and to leave another mark on the History books.
