Tony Pulis left Selhurst Park just days before the start of the Premier League season in which Crystal Palace faced Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium; it was thought that turmoil would prevail and that wasn’t too far off the truth but under Alan Pardew, calm has been restored.
The former Crystal Palace boss wasn’t out of a job for long as he joined West Bromwich Albion in Janauary, the same month that Pardew was appointed as Eagles manager. In his press conference ahead of the game this weekend, Tony Pulis was asked about his time at the club and how he thought they were doing without him.
“They are doing fine. I was surprised they didn’t get off to a good start,” he said. “They’ve spent £30m this year on players to add to a squad that finished 11th last year.
“So, is it any surprise they are doing well now? No, not at all. If you look at the facts – a group of players were left behind and are still there. And both managers have added to it.
“They’ve made the group stronger. It’s no surprise to me and Alan is a really good manager.”
Pulis guided Palace to an 11th place finish last season after taking over from Ian Holloway who struggled with the Eagles in Premier League, his time at the club will be remembered with memorable results and form that nobody expected to happen considering their start to the season.
It now seems that Pardew has now outdone Pulis in that feat, taking Crystal Palace from 18th when he took over to 11th at the moment but looking to climb into the top half of the table before the end of the season and finishing there.
You can watch Tony Pulis’ full press conference below:
