Being a Palace fan has never been straight forward. In fact, it is more of a “labour of love”, but when it’s very good – it’s very good. Yet when it’s bad, it totally stinks. And last night’s bombshell news of the parting from the club of last year’s miracle man, the “Manager of the Year”, the only man to ever keep Palace in the Premier League, Tony Pulis, has certainly ripped the club apart right at the seasons’ eve.
The facts are not entirely clear yet as to why Tony Pulis departed SE25 last night. The main school of thought though centres around the theories that the four owners and Pulis were at loggerheads over transfer targets, and transfer budgets.
So, where do we go from here? Well, all roads right now lead to The Emirates Stadium, and an incredibly difficult first Premier League game of the season against Arsenal on Saturday evening. Following that though, who knows.
There are two main questions though that must be asked to try and comprehend these hugely disappointing events. Could Parish and co. have been slightly more “open” to more ambitious, expensive signings? If you were to be harsh to the Palace hierarchy, you could claim that the acquisitions of Brede Hangeland, Fraizer Campbell, Chris Kettings and yesterday Martin Kelly signify sound, solid investments, but arguably ones of a club that has just been promoted. Not one that is going into EPL year two, where surely the club should be able to compete at a slightly higher level that won’t “break” the club financially.
Hangeland and Kettings were both free transfers – Campbell and Kelly probably cost approximately £3 million combined, at the most.
The poor and over expensive investment in last summer’s transfer window must still have been at the forefront of the board’s minds though. Perhaps they just didn’t trust Tony Pulis enough with a larger budget? Which in itself is bizarre, given Pulis’ track record at Stoke City, where year on year he both improved the club, and bettered the playing squad on a consistent, yet sensible budget.
So why has Pulis taken all of this to heart so badly, when the board also backed him on every player he wanted to bring in in January?
Yes, Palace have missed out on some established Premier League players this summer. But realistically, was Gylfi Sigurdsson really going to come to SE25, when a) Tottenham could use his value to land their own player targets, and b) he could return to a club in Swansea, where he is already a hero from his first spell there? Were Palace really going to land Michu from Swansea, when he had a chance to go and play for a European giant in Napoli?
Steven Caulker would have been an excellent addition, he is a talented defender. But at a reported salary of £42,000 per week, and an £8 million transfer fee for a player who had just been relegated seemed to be extortionate for Palace, however much potential he has. Wilfried Zaha? It seems that he will be going to Queens Park Rangers on a season-long loan, which, if true, is a great disappointment.
But does it really come down to this, or is there more than meets the eye with Tony Pulis’ departure. Well, there are certainly no high profile positions available in the EPL currently, but as we all know, teams begin to change managers in the Autumn, so Pulis won’t be unemployed for long.
Or perhaps he has been tapped up by another club already – that will soon be changing managers. It would be extremely naïve of any of us to presume that this doesn’t happen, and Pulis will know that he is a man in demand now. His stock is higher than it has ever been. Within twelve months he has gone from “outdated long ball dinosaur” to “Premier League Manager Of The Year”.
His record at Palace has been incredible – that can never be disputed.
What happens now? Well, after the afore-mentioned trip to Arsenal tomorrow, all of Pulis’ existing coaching staff will also depart the club. Leaving the loyal, and admirable Keith Millen to steady the ship once again. But then what? Palace will need to act quickly to fill the huge gap Pulis has left. Ex-Cardiff manager Malky Mackay is the early front runner for the job, and his previous connections with current Eagles’ Sporting Director Iain Moody make him an obvious choice for the role. The Scot is a talented young manager with a point to prove after his shabby treatment from Cardiff, and would certainly be a popular choice amongst fans too.
Ex-Celtic boss Neil Lennon is another contender – he certainly has a very good pedigree and is looking for a challenge in England, so Palace could be the perfect opportunity for him now.
This all leaves a horrible taste in the mouth, and has left Palace a laughing stock, losing a manager before a ball has even been kicked.
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