News Shopper sports editor Paul Green gives us the lowdown on Saturday’s visitors Crystal Palace
What have you made of Crystal Palace’s season as a whole?
“A bit of a rollercoaster so far. Losing Tony Pulis as manager less than 48 hours before the opening game was a blow – but not as big a blow as many people would have expected. Things ultimately didn’t work out under Neil Warnock, despite some impressive results like beating Everton away and Liverpool at home. It was a bit of a gamble both in appointing Warnock and getting rid of him when they did. However, his dismissal looks like the right decision with the club five points above the drop zone. The bottom line each year for Palace is making sure they stay up. I’m confident they will.”
What impact has Alan Pardew had since taking over as manager?
“Instant. It couldn’t have really gone any better for someone who is regarded as a legend by the fans. Beating Spurs at home in his first Premier League game in charge, as well as coming from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at Burnley, quickly rejuvenated everyone after things had gone a bit flat towards the end of Warnock’s spell in charge. They’ve lost the last two but were very unfortunate not to get anything against Arsenal last week, a performance Pards described as the best since he took over.”
Who should we look out for?
“Yannick Bolasie has been away at the African Cup of Nations but came off the bench last week and caused Arsenal all kind of problems. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t start today based on that display. Ex-Hammer Marouane Chamakh makes a big difference when he plays but missed the Gunners game through injury.
“Dwight Gayle’s pace and rawness can sometimes make him a real handful, although Pardew has recently been playing him wide on the left. He switched back to his favoured position up top towards the end of the Arsenal game and could do some damage if used in that preferred role today.”
What have you made of West Ham more generally this season?
“West Ham have had an excellent season, barring that FA Cup result at West Brom which I didn’t really see coming at all. Big Sam has certainly defied the critics this year, not only with the results but with the style of play employed as well. The owners deserve a lot of credit for sticking with him. I was a bit surprised to see there was some speculation about his position following the West Brom game considering that defeat has to be considered a blip in the context of your season.”
How will Palace approach Saturday’s game? Would they take a point beforehand or go for all three?
“Based on the positive attacking display against Arsenal I fully expect Crystal Palace to go for all three points today. Playing for draws away at this stage of the season is a high-risk strategy, although they scrapped their way to a vital 1-0 win at Leicester recently. I mentioned coming from 2-0 down at Burnley to win 3-2 earlier and there was also an entertaining 3-2 FA Cup victory at Southampton, so essentially it has been attack minded on the road under Pards. I’m sure as a former West Ham manager he will have the players fired up and demand they pick up where they left off last week.”
What do you think the score will be?
“2-1 to the Eagles.”
Where will Palace finish come the end of the season?
“Safely in mid-table in 13th place.”