Tuesday 7 April 2015 11:19, UK
Crystal Palace’s 2-1 victory over Premier League champions Manchester City lifted the Eagles back above Everton and extended their lead over Alan Pardew’s former club Newcastle to four points. Adam Bate looks at the case for Pardew to be regarded as the Premier League manager of the year…
Manchester City pushed and pushed but Crystal Palace stood firm for a memorable win. Manuel Pellegrini’s men are more celebrated but the recent form of the two teams suggests this was no fluke victory despite the protestations over Palace’s opening goal. The Eagles have now taken 22 points from their last 11 games – seven more than Pellegrini and City have picked up in that time.
The upturn in fortunes coincides with Alan Pardew’s return to Selhurst Park as the club’s manager. But of course, it’s no coincidence. Pardew has harnessed the sense of optimism that came with the arrival of a former hero and converted it into points. As a result, he’s taken the team from the relegation zone to the safety of mid-table. It’s been an extraordinary turnaround.
They’ve seen this sort of thing before at Selhurst. Tony Pulis picked up the manager of the season award for his efforts in guiding Palace clear of relegation last term and while the sense of incredulity is diminished given that accomplishment, the statistics show that the 2014/15 version has been no less remarkable.
Indeed, after Pulis took charge in November 2013, it took him three more games to amass the number of points Pardew has accumulated. In fact, for all the plaudits that came Pulis’ way at Palace, Pardew is currently outperforming him, having picked up two points per game compared to the Welshman’s 1.5 points per game.
It’s not only Pellegrini’s City that have been unable to match that sort of output since Pardew’s appointment. Only Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea had gathered more points than Palace since Pardew was appointed.
It’s also worth considering his early season record with Newcastle before changing clubs. Pardew was much-maligned among the Magpies support with the 42-point tally in the 2014 calendar year cited in the case against the manager. However, it’s increasingly clear that Newcastle’s habit of tailing off in the second half of the season is not something for which Pardew is exclusively culpable.
Yohan Cabaye’s sale in January of last season was symptomatic of Newcastle’s lack of ambition to challenge for a top-six finish. That’s where Newcastle were under Pardew on Boxing Day of the 2013/14 season with the team having picked up 33 points at that stage. The current campaign was not quite so productive but it still highlights what a fine season their former boss has had overall.
Newcastle were ninth with 26 points from 19 games when he took charge of the team for the final time in a 3-2 win over Everton in December. As a result, Pardew has now picked up 48 points from 29 games in the Premier League this season. Only the top seven can beat that and given that Newcastle and Palace have 26 points from 32 games without him – relegation form – it makes for a compelling case.
“I think people in Newcastle might realise now that he’s a bit better than they thought because we have really pushed on since he arrived,” said Palace defender Scott Dann recently. But how has he managed to pull it off?
Got Glenn Murray firing
The form of Glenn Murray has been a significant factor in the team’s rise. Recalled from his loan spell at Reading on the eve of Pardew’s official appointment, it’s clear that the incoming boss had identified a role for the powerful forward and he has responded with five goals.
Murray’s haul gives him the best minutes-per-goal ratio in the Premier League – he scores every 89 minutes on average – and that makes him the only player in the Premier League with a record of better than a goal every full game.
It’s been crucial, with Palace winning all five games in which he’s started, and he was the stand-out performer in Monday’s victory over Manchester City. “He was the outstanding individual on the pitch,” Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville told Monday Night Football and Pardew agreed.
“I thought he gave an exceptional performance,” Pardew told Sky Sports. “It was a real lesson how to play as a No 9. This is a guy who should have been in the Premier League years ago so I’m so pleased he’s now getting the reward for the quality he’s showing.”
Naturally, Murray credits the man who has given him that opportunity. “The training ground is a good place to be. The lads are enjoying the sessions under the gaffer and working hard for him and you can tell that when you see the performances and the results we are getting as a group.”
Addressed the away form
There had been much talk of the home support for Palace and the atmosphere created at Selhurst Park – something that was as evident as ever against Manchester City on Easter Monday. However, the biggest transformation in the team’s fortunes since Pardew’s arrival has been their away form.
Pardew has masterminded four away wins out of five since taking over and the one they didn’t win was against Southampton – a team he did manage to get the better of at St Mary’s in the FA Cup. It’s been a huge contrast to what had occurred at the club prior to his arrival.
Palace had won just one Premier League away game prior to his appointment this season and only three at this stage of last season. It reflects the counter-attacking style of play that Pardew has employed to such good effect and, indeed, did for City on Monday.
Backed the mavericks
From the moment Alan Pardew introduced Adlene Guedioura off the bench to turn the game around against Tottenham in his first Premier League game in charge, the Palace boss identified the need to put his faith in mercurial talents. “The staff were telling me he was a complete maverick but I think that’s what the team needs,” he said afterwards.
While Guedioura has since rejoined Watford on loan, Wilfried Zaha and Yannick Bolasie have been entrusted with key roles on the flanks and their ability to conjure something from nothing has helped change the feel of this Palace side.
"I wouldn't say they were the best wingers in the country, but they're exciting,” said Pardew last month. “Their individual talent, the way they go past players and lift it over their heads, that's purely from within.”
The talent belongs to Zaha and Bolasie but the credit belongs to Pardew for being willing to start the pair in the same team as Jason Puncheon, something that Neil Warnock was not prepared to do once during his time in charge earlier this season.
Pardew recently hailed Puncheon as the team’s best player during his time at the helm, having found a new role for the erstwhile winger in a central position. Finding a way to get more quality on the pitch and retain a good shape has been key and Puncheon was on hand to curl home what turned out to be the winner against City.
Maintained the resilience
“I think we’ve shown more flair and exuberance, things that I’d like to think I’ve brought to the club,” Pardew told Sky Sports after the win. “But this was more about the qualities Tony Pulis had here. Diligence, character and resilience.”
It would have been understandable if Pardew’s decision to give his mercurial players more freedom had resulted in a decline in discipline but this victory was a clear indication that the balance has been maintained well.
The home side withstood constant pressure from City during the latter stages and the visitors had more possession than any away team has enjoyed in the past three seasons in the Premier League. But Pardew’s men kept getting bodies in the way and clinched a gutsy win.
The appetite to crown Pardew as manager of the year might not be there. But events at both Crystal Palace and Newcastle this season suggest that his impact should not be underestimated. As Dann points out, perhaps Alan Pardew is “a bit better” than some people think?
