Despite his shortcomings Alan Pardew seems to be destined to cling on by the skin of his teeth at Crystal Palace for years to come.
The phrase “one step forward, two steps back” has been overused in the media over the years, but in this instance it could not be more true. For Alan Pardew, his managerial career has followed a similar path in recent times with fans continually clamouring for his dismissal following an initially strong period at the helm.
The thing about this is, it all follows a pattern. Take last season for example, where the club lost just one game in nine before going 12 games without a victory. Then this year they once again start off on a hot streak, only for a run of consecutively bad results to once again leave Pardew on the verge of a sacking.
General view of Selhurst Park
But somehow, some way, the Englishman always seems to orchestrate one or two out of the blue victories that keep him in charge. Those wins provide false hope to the chairman and the board that he must be doing something right, but in reality it’s the equivalent of dosing up on pain medication to get yourself through the working day.
Pardew’s natural charisma and bravado masks over his inabilities, as has been covered in the past, and this downfall was extremely predictable. Keep a very close eye on proceedings at Selhurst Park as we move through the season.
Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew
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