Moving Target – Alan Pardew

After days of speculation, Crystal Palace finally appointed Alan Pardew as manager on a three-and-a-half year contract. The former Newcastle boss inherits a side that currently sits third from bottom, though with the Eagles just three points behind 14th-placed Sunderland, the goal of clinching survival still looks clearly achievable.

With Tony Pulis vacating the hotseat just two days before the start of the season, Palace’s decision to hand Neil Warnock a second stint at the helm proved an unsuccessful venture. Despite suggestions that Pulis would return to carry on from last season’s superb turnaround, the club has instead turned to former player Pardew – a factor that proved crucial in his installation, according to chairman Steve Parish:

“We wanted a manager with a great track record and proven experience in the Barclays Premier League. In Alan we have both these things as well as a man who has great affection for this club and shares my determination to take us to the next level.”

The History

Famed for his winning goal against Liverpool in the 1990 FA Cup semi-final, Pardew’s playing career came to an end at Reading in 1998. After a brief stint as caretaker boss, he was appointed the Royals’ full-time manager the following year and navigated their passage to Division One in 2001-02. The following season, Reading reached the play-offs again, but their chances of back-to-back promotions were scuppered by Wolves.

Pardew then made his way to West Ham, where he steered the Upton Park outfit into the Premier League in 2004-05 but after two more years at the club, he was dismissed. The 53-yeard-old then had stints at Charlton and Southampton before taking over at Newcastle in 2010.

It’s fair to say Pardew’s time at St James’ Park was hit and miss. After ensuring his side’s survival in 2010/11, he earned Newcastle a spot in Europe the following season with a series of displays that saw them rack up 15 clean sheets and helped him win the Manager of the Year award. After just beating relegation with a 16th-place finish in 2012/13, the Magpies were safety ensconced in the security of tenth spot last time around but their start to the current campaign is indicative of their general lack of consistency.

Newcastle earned a mere four points in their opening seven matches before embarking on a run of five straight wins which culminated in their 2-1 defeat of previously unbeaten Chelsea. The Tyneside team had won five of their last six home matches under Pardew and once again sit in tenth position – currently ten points clear of Palace.

The Previous Regime

Warnock’s return to Selhurst Park soon dissolved the resilience so admirably instilled by Pulis. After conceding just 27 goals in 26 matches under the former Stoke boss, the Eagles backline has quickly become a no-go area – shipping 30 goals in 18 Gameweeks under Warnock, with just three clean sheets accrued. Since then, though, caretaker boss Keith Millen has helped them chalk up back-to-back shut-outs against QPR and Villa, reminding us of their capabilities.

Going forward, though, Palace have struggled badly in recent outings. At the start of the season they somewhat atoned for their lack of defensive solidity by netting 18 times in the opening 13 Gameweeks but have since scored just two goals in the last seven rounds of fixtures.

The Remainder of the Season

Pardew’s tenure is up and running after a 4-0 FA Cup win over Dover at the weekend. According to the Palace official site, the new man in charge rolled out a 4-3-3 formation, with Dwight Gayle and Wilfried Zaha on either side of Glenn Murray, and after the match, he was quick to talk up the emphasis on attack, with a determination for his team to take more chances in the final third:

“I really did change my formation today, really and truly to say to the team, that we need to put the ball at risk. I was trying to get the message to the team that we need to have a bit more attacking oomph, so to speak. We are not going to stay in the Premier League unless we express ourselves. I’m going to promise the fans two things – one that we’re going to put the ball at risk and two that we’re going to have a go. ”

Bearing in mind he’s publicly declared his plans to attack, then, the jury is perhaps out on the Palace defence. Indeed, after 20 matches Newcastle and Palace are identical for shut-outs (five apiece) suggesting that the likes of Joel Ward, Scott Dann and co. may struggle to force a way back onto our Fantasy radars – aside from Tim Krul and Daryl Janmaat, no Magpies defensive option has surpassed three points per appearance in the Fantasy Premier League game under Pardew.

Undoubtedly, the departure of key man Mile Jedinak and Yannick Bolasie on international commitments has hampered Pardew’s plans. With six goals and seven assists between them, the budget pair have played a significant part in their side’s attacking fortunes and with both potentially out of the picture until next month, the Eagles need to re-group.

Elsewhere in midfield, Jason Puncheon was surprisingly left on the bench against Dover, with Pardew handing Barry Bannan a spot in the central three – the Scot (who has played 93 minutes all season) was afforded set-piece duties and bagged two assists to suggest he may come in from the cold.

Zaha’s pace on the flanks could also prove a key weapon under the new manager, though it’s clear the Palace boss needs to address his strikers’ lack of impact. Marouane Chamakh, Dwight Gayle and Fraizer Campbell have six goals between them all season and, given that Papiss Cisse netted nine for Newcastle and Ayoze Perez chipped in with five, Pardew needs to hit the January sales to boost his side’s survival bid.

Fortunately for the Eagles boss, the upcoming schedule affords him the chance to kick on from that weekend win. Four home matches (TOT, EVE, NEW, ARS) in the next six, allied with trips to relegation rivals Burnley and Leicester, give the homecoming hero the chance to build momentum as he attempts to replicate Pulis’s feats and steer the London club to safety.