Alan Pardew is confident he will be granted time to turn around Crystal Palace’s dismal form after talks with the club’s major shareholders in New York over the international break.
Palace’s manager of almost two years, accompanied by the chairman, Steve Parish, met the club’s investors David Blitzer and Josh Harris, with a number of issues, including the deterioration in the team’s results, under discussion. Palace have laboured on the pitch, albeit coincidentally, since the Americans each bought an 18% stake last December, managing only six Premier League wins.
Pardew has pointed out the changes he is attempting to implement this season were born of the team’s deficiencies, exposed in a run of two wins in 20 over the second half of last term. Palace, after a five-game unbeaten run, have lost their past four matches and play Manchester City at Selhurst Park on Saturday only a point above the relegation zone.
That sequence was addressed in the meeting with Harris and Blitzer, whose portfolio also includes the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils. “I think they have got a good handle on soccer,” Pardew said. “They know the process, and they know that there is a process to go through. Anyone who has seen us this year will say the way we are playing is different. Therefore there is this transition. But in terms of their own franchises in the States, they have had problems. They know it is not an easy fix and they’re tremendously supportive.
“This calendar year hasn’t been great for us. We had the run to the FA Cup final, which was a real highlight, but our league form has been disappointing. We can’t hide from that but that back end of last season, in my view, isn’t particularly reflected on this season.
“I think our performances have been a lot stronger, even if we do need to put points on the board. No one is immune to problems with owners. No manager is but I can have no problem with mine. They are very patient and loyal and, hopefully, I can reward them with some points soon.
“When [Harris and Blitzer] came in there was a long-term view from them about this football club. They’re not looking for a short-term fix or a quick profit margin. They want this to be a sustainable Premier League club, and of course we are in our fourth year in the division which is the first time [since the early 1990s] we have done that. So, as much as there are a lot of negatives being bandied around about us, I still think this club is not in a bad position compared to a lot of other Premier League clubs.”
The owners also discussed Palace’s plans to redevelop Selhurst Park, together with the future of the club’s academy – the youth sides continue effectively to work in a temporary base across the road from the training ground – and the January transfer window. Pardew has stressed the need to secure a left-back because Pape Souaré’s recovery from a badly broken leg, suffered in a car crash, is likely to drag into the latter part of the campaign. There is interest in Luke Shaw, who would be reluctant to leave Manchester United, and the highly rated Celtic full‑back Kieran Tierney, whose rise has been scouted by Palace since 2012.
“I still think the side is underperforming in terms of points total, definitely, so we won’t be deviating too much from our [transfer] plan drawn up with Steve in the summer,” Pardew said. “Some of the performances, though, have been encouraging. If it feels you are getting drawn into a relegation situation, players might not be attracted to that. I hope we’re not in that situation come January. We might be, but I don’t think, with the players we hold on our roster, that is going to be an issue.”
Souaré was back at the club’s Beckenham training ground this week but will not be available until the spring at the very earliest. Palace’s loanee from Chelsea, Loïc Rémy, has suffered a slight calf strain which has hampered his recovery from a long-term thigh problem and may be absent until the festive season. The goalkeeper Steve Mandanda hurt his knee while with France and will miss the next fortnight.
