Time running out for Alan Pardew at Palace

Sam Allardyce has recently been linked to the manager’s job at Crystal Palace, with current boss, Alan Pardew, coming under increasing pressure at the club. The Telegraph have reported Allardyce is ready to take over should the opportunity arise and if current form is anything to go by, the opportunity could be arising soon.

Crystal Palace start the weekend fixtures in 17th place in the Premier League, with 11 points from 13 games played.  If the club fail to defeat Southampton at Selhurst Park, it could be game over for Pardew and the reasons why are evident in the statistical trends.

Ahead of the match with Southampton, Crystal Palace have lost 6 Premier League matches in a row.  The Eagles have conceded 16 goals in their last 5 Premier League games, at an average of 3.2 goals per game. Even when playing at home, Crystal Palace have been struggling, losing their last 3 league games, meaning teams have nothing to fear when travelling to Selhurst Park.

Perhaps an even more damning statistic for Pardew is the fact Crystal Palace have won only 5 of their last 34 Premier League games. If this was over the course of a season, the club would be sitting on 15 points, with only 4 matches remaining.  While not as bad as Derby County, who were relegated with 11 points in the 2007/08 season, it is dreadful form and cannot continue if Crystal Palace are to avoid relegation this season.

It’s not as if Pardew hasn’t had any money to spend in the transfer market. The £26.5 million singing of Christian Benteke from Liverpool, in addition to the £13.2 million and £9.95 million spent on Andros Townsend and James Tompkins respectively, shows Pardew has been allowed to splash the cash. The club also spent close to £25 million last season bringing in the likes of Yohan Cabaye, Connor Wickham and Alex McCarthy.  So even if Pardew remains at Selhurst Park and is given money to spend in the January transfer window, will that solve the problem?  Evidence suggests it will not and the board will have to think long and hard before handing over more cash to bring in players.

The defending last weekend at Swansea City was terrible. To concede 5 goals in a match is poor but to be leading 4-3 going into stoppage time, only to lose the match 5-4, against a team who have been struggling, sums up exactly where Crystal Palace are now.  Pardew has spoken about some of the conversations he has with his players in training and how they were ‘calm but assertive’ which perhaps reflects the way the team need to start playing, to win points and climb the Premier League table.

Alan Pardew is easily the bookies favourite to be the next Premier League manager to lose his job and the evidence above tells the story as to why. Can Pardew turn things around or is it too late?