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Alan Pardew sacked as manager of Crystal Palace

Written by FYP Fanzine

Alan Pardew has been fired as Palace manager.

It follows a terrible 2016 where the Eagles managed just six league wins all year, despite reaching the FA Cup final.

Pardew leaves Palace 17th in the Premier League having been manager for just under two years.

A statement on the club's official website said that Palace had "asked Alan Pardew to step down as Manager of the Club".

Club Chairman Steve Parish added: “I would like to put on record our sincere gratitude for the tremendous service Alan has given us, both in his time here as Manager and previously as a player.

"Following a fantastic second half of 2014/15, the 2015/16 season culminated in only narrowly missing out on winning the FA cup as well as securing our Premier League place for a record breaking fourth time. During his tenure Alan’s hard work and dedication were without question, he has improved so many areas of the Club and we wish him the very best for the future.

"With games now coming thick and fast over the holiday period the Club are hoping to put someone in place as quickly as possible but have nothing to say about a replacement at this time."

Pardew added: "I would just like to take the opportunity to thank everybody at Crystal Palace for their fantastic support. In particular a big thanks to the players who gave me absolutely everything and Steve Parish and his Board.

"Personally I have a lot of good feelings for this football Club and am sad that my time there has ended.

"I feel that I have a special bond with the club and hope that hasn't been affected, I wish everybody associated with the Club the best of luck in the future including of course the fans who have been magnificent.

 

"There will be no further comment at the present time."

Sam Allardyce is favourite to repalce Pardew as Palace boss.

What's Left? Who can Palace Target for the Full Back Role?

Written by Jack Pierce

Jack Pierce takes a look at possible left-back targets ahead of the January transfer window. 

new player

With Pape Souare unlikely to play again until the last month or two of the season and Martin's Kelly's evident discomfort playing in an unnatural role to him, the left back position has become a huge source of worry for Palace fans in recent weeks. Again, it was highlighted during Saturday's loss and it's surely an area that will be looked at it January.

The options below are fairly obvious and if there's anyone out there has a sensational knowledge of more under the radar left backs from across the continent, then that's great.

Please forward those suggestions to:

Mr A Pardew
Selhurst Park
Whitehorse Lane
London
SE25 6PU

But for now, here are my suggestions.

Ben Davies

A year ago saw Mauricio Pochettino switch between Davies and Danny Rose very regularly. It's now clear that Rose has become his first choice in that position and while Davies does still get game time, it's significantly less than he was getting. Pochettino clearly wants his team's width to come from his full backs and its perhaps Rose's pace and ability further up the field than has seen him rubber stamp the left back position as his own. Davies took no time in settling in at Swansea as a teenager and adapted to life at a new club very well too. Defensively very sound with a good delivery when going forward, Davies is just the sort of player we should be looking at during our fourth season in the top flight.

Kieran Gibbs

Like Davies, Gibbs has found himself second fiddle to a more established colleague. The form of Nacho Monreal in the last two seasons has propelled him into the Spanish squad as well as becoming Arsene Wenger's first choice at left back without question.

Once an England starter, Gibbs is now around fourth or fifth choice and if he wanted to get back into the international squad, then a move away from The Emirates is required. A product of the youth system at Arsenal, it would be a huge jump to leave a club he's been at for so long but perhaps the offer of regular first team, Premier League football, not too far from home, would be enough to tempt him away.

Luke Shaw

There was a murmur of this in a Dom Fifield piece last week and as much as I would love to see this happen, I just can't. Despite the apparent falling out between Shaw and his manager, Jose Mourinho, are United really going to part with a player so highly rated and with so many years ahead of him?

Assured at this level at the tender age of just 17 at Southampton, United were happy to lay £30 million on the table for Shaw's services and before his horrendous injury, suffered in Eindhoven last Autumn, Shaw was looking like the settled presence at left back that United had sought. All that said, it may be worth seeing if a loan move is a possibility in January should the tension between Shaw and Mourinho still be an issue.

Paul Dummett

Not exactly the most inspiring suggestion but a player that Alan Pardew clearly rates. Pardew gave him his debut for The Magpies and in at least two of the transfer windows that Pardew has had while at Palace, we've been heavily linked with the Welsh defender to the point I believe a bid was submitted and rejected last season.

Currently first choice left back in a side seemingly on their way back to the top flight at a canter, is he going to want to leave Newcastle? Unlikely but the lure of guaranteed Premier League football, for at least half a season, might be enough to tempt him if Newcastle are willing to part with him.

Charlie Taylor

A product of the highly rated Leeds United academy, Taylor has racked up over 130 first team appearances having only turned 23 in September. 70 of those appearances having come for Leeds and he is now their undisputed first choice at left back. If Leeds are unable to secure promotion come May, the suitors for Taylor will be lining up.

Many a Premier League club have sent scouts to watch the left back and it's expected he'll be a Premier League player sooner rather than later regardless of whether he's at Leeds or not. It's no secret that Taylor tried to force a move away in the summer to the point he handed in a formal transfer request but Garry Monk persuaded the youngster to stay but with his contract due to run out at the end of the season, Leeds may be tempted to cash in on Taylor rather than leave it to a tribunal to set the price they earn come next summer. If that is the case and with our issues at left back, you'd hope Palace would be one of the clubs involved in the scramble for Taylor's signature.

Kieran Tierney

Another name mentioned in the Fifield piece from last week was Tierney's. Celtic's marauding left back has impressed both at home and in Europe this season but at just 19 and with only 50-odd appearances to his name, is he the best solution to a problem position during what looks like a long, hard rest of the season ahead? Perhaps not. That said, if the brief is to sign players with potential at a good price then Tierney is a good option. He's rumoured to have impressed the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City to the point they both have scouts in attendance at most Celtic games watching over the left back.

If the likes of those two are eyeing up a move Tierney next summer, maybe Palace will surprise them and put a bid in come January. During the summer, it was mentioned by a fair few of the Palace faithful that left back was an area that we needed to improve upon, even with Pape fully fit, but the club concentrated on other areas to improve upon. However, circumstances way out of the club's control (and at this point I have to state we should be grateful it's just a leg injury that Pape sustained in such a horror crash) have contributed to it being an almost certainty that a new left back is signed in January. Just who that will be, and whether it's Alan Pardew who brings him to the club, remains to be seen.

We're on YouTube! Subscribe to FYP TV for post match reaction

Written by Robert Sutherland

It's 2016 and seems ridiculous that FYP isn't in the world of YouTube yet...so we've sorted that!

This weekend we launched FYP TV, the best place to get all the reaction to Palace games.

We have instant match reaction from outside the grounds...

And Jay Crame from The Eagle's Beak is here every Sunday for his Final Say on the weekend's action.

Subscribe now to be kept updated on all the latest videos from FYP TV!

Opinion: Crystal Palace Fans Frustration is Forgivable

Written by Robert Sutherland

Patience is a virtue. It also wears thin – and right now, Palace fans are feeling just a little bit nervous about the striker situation at the club.

Wickham header

 

It’s OK to be frustrated. After a flurry of activity earlier in the season, and with promises last season that Palace would look to recruit (and later reiterations from Alan Pardew that one or two strikers from five are being targeted) with just days until the season kicks off, the apparent lack of activity is concerning.

Palace currently only have Connor Wickham to call upon as a centre-forward option, and the back-up choices are either untested (Keshi Anderson, Kewsi Appiah, Freddie Ladapo) or uninspiring. Wickham had a decent game against Valencia, scoring two – but an injury to him could make life very difficult for Palace.

Pardew has attempted to play Yannick Bolasie in the striking role, and bar the most unlikely of hat-tricks away at Sunderland a couple of seasons ago, it’s not the ideal position for a player who is at his most effective on the wing. And while it’s great that Palace gained a significant fee from the sale of Dwight Gayle – a move likely needed in order to trigger the transfer of Andros Townsend – the further weakening of Palace’s attacking options without a definite replacement coming in is problematic.

It should be emphasised that the majority of Palace fans are patient, and can see the long-term aims of the club. The signings of Steve Mandanda, James Tomkins and Townsend are all indicative of a club looking to progress on the field. But the need for a striker is the most prominent of issues, while there’s also a case to be made for further quality signings in defence and midfield.

Palace struggled immeasurably last season thanks to injuries in key areas – exposing what seems a chronic lack of depth – and it seems unfathomable that the club would be weaker in attack with the season’s start just a week away - a position that lacked so little depth last season that the only way to remedy it was to sign a disruptive influence like Emanuel Adebayor.

The club have been consistently linked with Christian Benteke and Saido Berahino – two players that would improve Pardew’s attacking options – but in typical form, these have both been drawn-out affairs. Liverpool have made it clear the player is available. The player’s agent has made it clear he wants a move away from the club. The media have made it clear that Palace are interested. The question is, where are things falling down?

Saturday’s game is just the start of a long, tough season. It’s not imperative that Palace start with a new striker option – but the longer it takes, the longer it will take whoever is signed to assimilate and integrate with the squad. There’s a reason why the three signings arriving early in the window was pleasing – it showed intent. The lack of action in recruiting attacking depth is concerning for exactly the opposite reason – it suggests a lack of a plan.

Last season should have been a lesson to the club. This delay in signing a striker suggests that lesson hasn’t yet been learnt. 

New FYP Fanzine Issue Out This Weekend!

Written by FYP Team

FYP's Fanzine editor Jason Crame has been slaving over a hot laptop this summer, pulling together a crew of great writers to give you something interesting to read after a few months of Palace-less activity! Our new issue is out on Saturday!

 

Cover

Here's what you can expect: 

 

  • Few expected Maroune Chamakh to make an impact at Palace, but as Patrick Stevens tells us, he did. 

  • Neil Carter isn't one to tempt fate, but he wonders if the fourth season really is a curse. 

  • There is no getting away from the main rivalry as Richard Foster explains.

  • Jack Pierce tries to put together the pieces of a season that was fragmented by a poor second half and shattered by a late FA Cup defeat to Manchester United. 

  • Will there be life after Brexit? Mark Silverstein suggests Palace have a part to play.

  • Robert Sutherland loves a bit of nostalgia but not when it comes to decisions that will shape the future of the club.

  • We may not have seen much of him in the Premier League but Paddy McCarthy is still a legend to Donogh Hurley.

  • Early business in the transfer window has impressed Matt Webb but will more follow?

  • Alistair Laban goes on a kit journey that starts a long way back.

  • Alan Russell takes us through some of the pre-season action.

  • Our very own historian John Daly looks back at how Palace fared fifty years ago

 

You'll find sellers at the top, bottom and middle of Holmesdale Road as well as along the Main Stand, and the fanzine is available at our usual price of £1.50.

 

 

 

    Crystal Palace Transfer Tracker - Featuring Berahino, Benteke and Zaha

    Written by FYP Fanzine

    Yes the new season is just under two weeks away but Palace’s transfer business is far from done. Even after bringing in three top class players in Steve Mandanda, James Tomkins and Andros Townsend at the start of July. Who have the Eagles been linked with since then and what are the papers saying about the next arrival (or exit) at Selhust Park? We take a look…

    Palace need strikers which is why they are only seemingly being linked with forwards at the moment.

    Keith Millen told the Croydon Advertiser this week that Palace WILL sign a striker before the window closes (hopefully). He said: "We are short of options up front and we are certainly working hard. The manager and the chairman are constantly talking, but not a lot of business is being down at the moment.

    "Hopefully we will get something done and not too late [in the transfer window], but sometimes it takes one deal to kickstart another. We are certainly in the market and hopefully we will get one [striker] soon."

    INS

    Christian Benteke

    This one just rolls on and on doesn’t it? The latest is this: Palace made an offer of around £29m for the Liverpool striker, the Reds turned it down asking for £35m and the Eagles are still considering whether to return with an improved bid. That’s where we currently stand.

    Meanwhile, Palace remain odds-on favourite with SkyBet and Bet Victor to be Benteke’s destination after the Summer Transfer window Deadline Day but the Essex Chronicle reported this week that West Ham are still keen and might try to gazump the Eagles. The Hammers, though, have also made a bid for Swansea’s Andre Ayew.

    Yannick Bolasie wants Palace to sign Benteke, saying this week: “Obviously Benteke has Congolese origin, same as me. It is good to see fresh faces come through the door. Especially with what we are seeing in the Premier League so far, with the managers that have come in and players coming in from all over the world.”

    Chance of happening: 8/10

    Saido Berahino

    Another striker Palace have gone after and another one where they had a bid turned down. This time the Eagles went in with £20m for the West Brom badboy but the Baggies said no. Reports this week suggested that Berahino had decided to stay at the Hawthorns after interest from both Palace and, you guessed it, West Ham.

    Stoke are also reportedly interested.But The Telegraph now reports that West Brom have agreed to sign Diafra Sakho from the Hammers meaning Berahino could be free to leave. He has 12 months left on his current deal and doesn’t appear to be even close to penning a new one meaning the Baggies could be keen to cash in.

    Does this mean Palace will go back in? Potentially, especially if Benteke ends up being a no go. Yannick is also keen on the Eagles looking at Berahino. He said: “I know Saido and he would be a good signing. I think he is a top lad,” he told reporters this week. Everyone gets him a bit wrong but he is a top guy."

    The question is; does he fit into Palace’s style of play?

    Chances of happening: 7/10

    Moussa Sow

    Yet another forward linked; Moussa Sow is a Senegalese forward at Al Ahli, and Palace want to sign him on loan reports French newspaper L’Equipe.

    The 30-year-old only signed for the Dubai based club last summer from Fenerbahce in a €16m deal, but looks like he's heading out on loan this summer, and Palace have been linked.Sow is believed to be unhappy at the Dubai club, and wants to return to Europe.Reports in the Turkish media suggest Fenerbahce are also interested in bringing back Sow to the club this summer should Robin Van Persie leave.

    His goalscoring records are good. He scored 36 in 76 at Lille and 60 in 144 in Turkey. He has been linked to a move to the Premier League several times in his career, but for some reason it has never materialised for him. However if Palace miss out on Benteke or Berahino he could be a decent replacement.

    Chances of happening: 2/10

    Bastian Schweinsteiger

    Finally, here's one from the wonderful world of Twitter. Football "agent" Indy Kalia has tweeted that Palace are keen on Manchester United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger.

    In a word: not gonna happen.

    Chance of happening: 0/10

    OUTS

    Wilf Zaha

    Yes, for some reason The Sun decided to push a story about Wilf Zaha having a contract dispute with Palace and looking for a move away from the club.

    We just can't see it and neither can Millen. He said: "It's paper talk. Wilf is more than happy here. There is no response from the club because there is no need for one. It is just a story.

    "Wilf is a massive part of what we're trying to do and he's happy here. We brought him back from Manchester United so we certainly don't want to lose him.

    Chances of happening: 0/10

    Sullay KaiKai

    Everyone at Palace loves Sullay KaiKai especially the fans. We want to see him given a proper crack in the first team. He’s always impressed when given the chance, especially in pre-season so far this summer.

    He’s had a few loan spells away from the club in recent seasons and has done well. He won Cambridge’s Young Player of the Year two years ago and was Shrewsbury’s top scorer last season with 12 goals.

    But he could be heading out for another loan spell if Ipswich get their way. Tractor Boys’ boss Mick McCarthy was in attendance to watch KaiKai against AFC Wimbledon in midweek and Ipswich blog TWTD reckons McCarthy wants to take Sullay on loan.

    We’d rather see him stay and fight for a first team place but could see it happening to be honest.

    Chances of happening: 7/10

    Alex McCarthy

    Palace have four first choice keepers in their squad this season which is the most we can ever recall at one time.

    It means one was probably going to have to leave, or sit and wait very patiently for a string of injuries or suspensions to the other three.

    It turns out that man is Alex McCarthy with Southampton signiningg the Eagles shot-stopper on a three-year deal. He only arrived from QPR a year ago and with Southampton allowing Gazzaniga to join Spanish side Rayo Vallecano on a season-long loan they have quickly replaced him with Macca, who started out as first choice last season but lost his place after some high profile clangers and never got back in.

    McCarthy also started following Southampton FC on Twitter on Monday and then was announced a few hours later. Modern football transfers, eh?

    Status: DONE DEAL

    Jake Gray

    Here's a weird one. Jake Gray has signed for Luton. Once highly rated by Palace the attacking midfielder was supposed to be one of the next young stars to break into the first team but it never came.

    Like most Palace youngsters he was sent out on loan and impressed at Hartlepool last season, scoring six goals in 34 games.

    He returned to Selhurst in the summer but wasn't included in the squad for the USA tour which suggested he may be on his way.

    And on Monday he signed a two-year deal at Luton moving on a free transfer. A surprising one for Palace fans but everyone wishes him all the best.

    Status: DONE DEAL

     

    Thoughts on these deals? Comment below...

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