Former Crystal Palace midfielder shares what Alan Pardew demanded during their spell at West Ham

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A huge victory against Southampton may have saved Pardew’s job, and Carl Fletcher says he gets the best out of his players.

Former Crystal Palace midfielder Carl Fletcher has told talkSPORT (broadcast on 4 December from 11:00am) that players enjoy working under Alan Pardew because of his commitment to attacking football.

After a dismal run of six consecutive defeats which left Palace on the verge of the relegation zone and the manager reportedly on the brink of the sack, The Eagles responded in timely fashion with an excellent 3-0 win against Southampton at Selhurst Park.

Two goals from Christian Benteke and one from James Tomkins secured a victory that may well have saved Pardew’s job after crisis talks were held between chairman Steve Parish and the club’s American investors in midweek, with Palace notably keeping a long-awaited clean sheet after conceding a horrific 17 goals in their five previous Premier League games, including five away at Swansea City.

And former Palace midfielder Fletcher, who played under Pardew at West Ham from 2004 to 2006 as they re-established their place in the top flight, says a leaky defence is an unfortunate byproduct of the 55-year-old’s attacking approach.

“When I went to West Ham in the Championship there was a lot of pressure on Pardew to get the team back in the Premier League,” the former Welsh international told talkSPORT on Sunday morning.

“But he was always positive, very attacking. He didn’t want to play defensive football and wanted teams to have shots at goal. He tried to find players who can do that and that’s a massive onus for a player because you want to go out and win games and express themselves and Alan Pardew gives you that.

“It doesn’t always work as we’ve seen recently but it gives you a massive boost.”

However, Fletcher accepts that Pardew’s inconsistent managerial record, where strong starts are typically followed by an alarming slide, is a cause for concern but believes the victory over a Saints side who swept aside Arsenal in the EFL Cup in midweek could prove a turning point in their season.

“You saw [Pardew’s record] when he was at Newcastle, lots of wins in a row and then lots of games without wins.

“It’s a massive win yesterday, there was a lot of tension in the air but to get a 3-0 win against a side who beat Arsenal in the week is a massive bonus. That will give them a lot of confidence.”