Alan Pardew’s Eagles have been flying off course – so another defeat could mean it’s six and out for the Crystal Palace boss
Pards is hanging on by his finger-tips, he knows that. This is Steve Parish’s man, and for that reason he is in extra-time
AT every turn, Alan Pardew is trapped by stats.
Five successive defeats. Worst win ratio in all four professional divisions. Five league wins in a calendar year. By anybody’s standards it is an awful record.
Sacking Crystal Palace’s manager seems like the next step, especially when a long tail of American investors fear their sports team is about to fall off a cliff.
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Pardew is hanging on by his finger-tips, he knows that.
This is Steve Parish’s man, the dream ticket when Palace took him away from Newcastle in January 2015. For that reason, Pards is in extra-time.
They are a point off relegation going into tomorrow’s clash at Swansea and a sixth successive defeat could spell the end.
Firing a man who guaranteed Premier League prize money to the tune of £74.35million in 2015 and £72.05m in 2016 by keeping Palace up will not be easy.
Sure, there were supposed to be some cosmetic improvements to the way Palace played after Christian Benteke, Andros Townsend and James Tomkins were brought in for big money.
A bit more exuberance, a bit of a swagger, a touch of arrogance in possession, the type of thing Pardew is prone to saying.
He talked of the top eight, of taking Palace into Europe for the first time in the club’s history after his clutch of summer signings.
All of it bluster, when the bottom line is that keeping a club of Palace’s size and reach in the Premier League is success. Finishing 17th is far from ideal but in this money-age it beats a scrap in the Championship.
When it gets to the nitty-gritty, Pardew will be within his rights to mention it. But after five defeats on the trot, he knows a solid case has been built against him.
Newcastle fans, where he went seven games without a win at the start of the 2014-15 season, are delighting in his demise.
Palace’s alternative is to pursue Brendan Rodgers, to convince him to leave Celtic and return to the Premier League. He has a house in Cobham, he could return south. It is a start.
Rodgers is worshipped at Parkhead, adored by the fans after taking them ten points clear in the Scottish Premiership.
A thumping 5-1 win against Rangers in the league and another victory over them in the League Cup semi-final added to his reputation.
With Celtic out of the Champions League, following their defeat against Barcelona on Wednesday, Rodgers will be considering his options. He is on a one-year rolling contract at Celtic and would be wise to get some domestic trophies on the board before he leaves.
It is not an easy sell for Palace.
Soon enough, with fixtures against Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal to come in December, it will be crunch time for Pardew.
There is a chance he will not make it that far.
There is support for him around the place, with the influential figure of Mark Bright in favour of keeping faith with his former team-mate.
Bringing back a cult figure, the man who scored the winner in the 1990 FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool, was billed as the perfect fit.
Credit to Parish, he has always been reluctant to sack managers.
In August 2012, Bright’s words of caution saved Dougie Freedman after Palace were beaten 4-1 at Bristol City.
Ian Holloway, who got Palace promoted, and Tony Pulis, who saved them from relegation, both left by mutual consent.
Pards is Parish’s man, confident enough in him to meet Newcastle’s substantial compensation package to secure his release from St James’ Park.
There is a misconception he has always been a Palace favourite, that somehow he was destined to become manager one day.
Pardew himself will confirm he was a target for the terrace boo-boys before that remarkable extra-time winner at Villa Park.
That is in the past, all part of Palace history. For Pardew the future is far from certain.
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