Steve Parish believes Crystal Palace have got to be more than the sum of their parts to succeed in the Premier League.
The Eagles currently sit sixth in the top flight after a 2-1 win against West Ham United at the London Stadium on Saturday, with the result moving Palace on to 14 points from their first eight games of the season.
One of the standout performers for Roy Hodgson's side has been Jordan Ayew, who made his move to Palace permanent this summer after spending last season on loan from Swansea City.
The Ghanaian international, who netted the winner against West Ham, has already scored more goals this season than he did during his loan spell, with Ayew now having three goals to his name so far this campaign, after netting twice in 25 appearances last season.
And Palace chairman Parish says manager Roy Hodgson deserves credit for how he is getting the best out of Ayew, and the rest of his squad, while praising the 28-year-old's impact so far this season.
“With Jordan [Ayew], the manager has got to take so much credit because he, and Dougie [Freedman], when everyone else is going ‘oh he didn’t have a great season last season’, they know what they see in training and just because he wasn’t £25m, it doesn’t mean he can’t be worth £25m," the Palace chairman said.
“He is a great character, a great lad, and he loves being at Crystal Palace, he loves it, and you can see that in the way that he plays."
But Parish insists Palace are not getting carried away after their fine start to the new season, although he has heaped praise on Hodgson and the team for what they have achieved so far, with 14 points from their opening eight games.
“We have got to be more than the sum of our parts to succeed, but they have got a great spirit these lads, and they give 100 per cent every time, and I think we have got a football team that absolutely represents what Crystal Palace are," he said.
“So far it is going ok, but we are not deluded. We know that so far we are doing better this season than some of the starts we have had.
“We are not getting carried away. We have got five clubs above us and no-one at this club is getting carried away internally.
“But this team has got a lot of spirit, the fans have got a lot of spirit, and we have got a bit of quality as well, and I really do hope that we can build on what the team and the manager is doing."
