Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright says he fears for his ‘friend’ Alan Pardew as Crystal Palace get set for huge clash against Swansea
It's not even Christmas, but the Palace vs Swansea game is even now seen as a relegation six-pointer with both teams struggling
IAN WRIGHT has said he fears for the future of his 'friend' Alan Pardew at Crystal Palace.
The Eagles have lost their last five Premier League games, and murmurings around Selhurst Park suggest their clash away at Swansea could be make or break.
SunSport reported earlier this week that the board are running out of patience, and Wrighty, speaking on the , can understand why.
Keep up to date with ALL the PREMIER LEAGUE news, gossip, transfers and goals on our club page plus fixtures, results and live match commentary by clicking HERE
"If Palace lose to Swansea, we will hear some serious rumblings," he told SunSport's Shaun Custis.
"They've got to win this one. When you've got Sam Allardyce out of work, the pressure mounts.
"Whatever Palace fans might think of Sam, they do not want to go down. I'd be absolutely gutted for Pards if he got the sack because he's my friend.
";But how can I defend how long this has been going on for Palace?"
And Wrighty went on to describe where he thinks Palace are messing up, comparing it to his form on the golf course.
Keep up-to-date with all the latest transfer news and gossip ahead of the January window with SunSport's daily LIVE blog
Related Stories
He added: "Palace need to go back to basics with their defending. It's like my golf at the moment. I'm so rubbish, I've not been working on why the swing is breaking down!
"I'm shanking because I've not got the simple things like the grip and the stance. I've got to go back to basics and cut out the silly mistakes like Palace. Because Zaha will create and Benteke will score."
Palace's wretched run has seen them drop to 16th in the Premier League standings, and with Sunderland picking up some form and West Ham expected to pull clear the pressure is really on Pardew.
Also on the podcast, Wrighty re-ignited the debate on Zlatan Ibrahimovic - insisting there HAS to be more to come.
He said: "I don't think Zlatan has had a great season up to this point.
"He's scored some great goals but I still believe we haven't seen the best football out of him. I don't think he can play any worse than he has been.
"I'm not sure whether Zlatan being back this week is a good or a bad thing because they looked a lot more energised and had a lot more pace against Arsenal."