Palace chief puts plan in place for relegation

CRYSTAL PALACE chairman Steve Parish says he is already planning for the Championship – and has challenged the players to make sure his blueprint is not needed.

The Eagles lie 17th in the Premier League but are out of the relegation zone only on goal difference.

While former England manager Roy Hodgson has overseen an upturn in fortunes since taking over during September – when the South London club were rock bottom following four straight league defeats under Frank de Boer – the recovery has slowed up.

Palace are without a league win since January 13. They host Manchester United on Monday, then travel to Chelsea before facing fellow relegation battlers Huddersfield.

Parish, right, says his role as chairman means he must have a contingency plan in place should the worst happen, but hopes it will never be implemented.

“We are in a difficult situation, make no mistake. People ask what I’m planning for – I’m planning for Championship,” said Parish yesterday at the Sport Industry Breakfast Club in London.

“At the moment, it’s down to the players, but if it happens, I can’t start thinking about it then.”

During a question and answer session, Parish also tackled the issue of football’s finances, with Premier League broadcasting revenue having hit record levels.

“We waste a lot of money in football. There are debates about how we keep more money in the game. I don’t think a slight tightening of purse strings is a bad thing,” said Parish, as quoted on the Sport Industry official Twitter feed. “We’ve all got a bit lazy.

“F1 only has two teams competing at the moment, so people are switching off. We can’t let that happen in the Premier League.”