NOW I’M AT A CLUB THAT LOVES ME...
Pardew says fans can power Palace revival
THERE were times at Selhurst Park yesterday afternoon when Alan Pardew gave the impression that there was so much more he wanted to say about the four years he spent at Newcastle.
The new Crystal Palace manager made it clear that the supporters at St James’ Park — ‘ I’d be foolish to pretend everything was hunky dory and I was happy-go-lucky’ — got on his goat.
resilience. Character. Strength. Pressure. Bravery. They were his buzzwords at his Palace unveiling and it felt as though he had memorised them.
‘My resilience and character have grown because of the nature of Newcastle as a club,’ said Pardew.
‘Four years under that monetary situation, along with the history, made it difficult. It was the right timeme (to leave) for Newcastle and the right timeme for me.
‘ You have too deliver but that doesn’t mean it goes away.
‘Defeats hurt, particularly defeats in derbies and in the cups.
‘ Banning thehe local media up therehere didn’t help me.
‘That was difficult and they looked at a lot of negative situations, which didn’t help with the fans.
‘That was stuff I had to put up with and deal with. What I know is that on day one I have 99.9 per cent of the Palace fans but it won’t last if we don’t serve up the best football we can.’
What was clear, despite the trauma of the SackPardew.com campaign, is that he actually has a lot of affection for St James’ Park and the North East. He wanted to be respected and loved, but Newcastle’s fans refused to yield.
‘I want to prove that I am a top manager in this division,’ he added, ‘ and it would have been easier to stay at Newcastle and get a ttop-10 finish. ‘I managed in a difficult situation and with a difficult agenda.’ That agenda is set by Magpies owner Mike Ashley, who wants to recoup his huge interest-free loan to the club before thinking about building a team for the city to be proud of again.
As an aside, Pardew did make it clear that he had control of team selection and the final say on major transfers, with the exception of Yohan Cabaye’s departure last January.
Still, he can look forward to a warmer relationship with the supporters at Selhurst Park.
He mentioned the Holmesdale Fanatics, the growing group of Palace fans who make a racket for 90 minutes at every home game. It is something Pardew wants to tap in to. Last season he was in the directors’ box when Palace, under Pulis, came back from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 with Liverpool and admitted he had been stirred by the atmosphere. ‘I couldn’t help but feel enthused, even though I was Newcastle’s manager,’ he said.
Pardew is back home, sort of, returning to the club where he made Palace history by scoring the winner in the FA Cup semifinal against Liverpool in 1990.
‘It was a day that none of us ever believed we could win,’ he recalled. ‘ We over- achieved, against the odds, against one of the finest sides English football has produced.
‘ Under Steve Coppell the following season we finished third. It brings strong memories of the red and blue and what Palace should be about — frontfoot football — and I want to bring that in, in a structured manner.’
Keeping Palace in the Barclays Premier League is a tougher job than many may believe, but Pardew’s strength is his coaching ability. When his eye is on the ball, he is exceptional on the training ground.
‘I’m under no illusions but it is my job to set up a football team, to motivate them and to achieve more than they are,’ he added. ‘That is my big strength.’
Pardew has also brought discipline, calling midfielder Jason Puncheon into his office this week after he was involved in an unseemly exchange with a spectator at the PDC World Darts final.
‘I reminded him that he has a responsibility as a Crystal Palace player. His behaviour was inappropriate and I told him,’ said Pardew’.
This was a good start by Pardew, careful with his farewell words for Newcastle fans while eager to make a fresh start with Palace.
As for the rest of it, he will be judged on results.