The path from the Championship to the Premier League appears increasingly difficult to navigate – but Palace could offer a route.
Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew
Alan Pardew is a man under pressure. But, should his brief and completely intermittent reign end with defeat to Southampton this weekend, just who on earth would Crystal Palace parachute in to salvage a campaign that already looks in tatters?
Well, although it may prove rather tempting to import a fancy nobody from La Liga or Serie A, this may be the opportunity a young, modern manager with English football experience has been waiting for.
But who in the Championship is ready to join the big league?
Gary Rowett
While the extensive and varied CV of Bob Bradley wasn’t enough to stop him being scapegoated as the sort of big bad foreign boss coming over to England to prevent our bright young coaches getting a deserved opportunity, Gary Rowett has come to epitomise the other side of the coin. A bright young coach seemingly stuck beneath the Premier League’s glass ceiling.
Performing sterling work with Burton Albion and then Birmingham City, the lack of top flight attention being paid towards Rowett has rankled many a lower league expert. And you can see why. First, the 42-year-old kick-started the Brewers remarkable rise to the second tier by storming to promotion from League Two before taking over at a Birmingham side in crisis, just one point of the bottom of the table.
These days, they are genuine promotion contenders, with Rowett demonstrating his ability to transform the fortunes of a struggling, underachieving side. Hello, Palace?
Slavisa Jokanovic
The growling, brooding disposition of the Eastern European tactician is completely at odds with the joyful attacking football his sides are renowned for producing. Jokanovic got the best out of Odion Ighalo, Troy Deeney and co to achieve what countless predecessors couldn’t and guide Watford to the top flight and he’s even threatening to repeat the trick at Fulham, a club with a dramatically inferior squad and without the added advantage of the Pozzo family’s wide-ranging influence.
Moreover, his two stints in England flanked a six month stint in charge of Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel, whom he guided to the group stage of the Champions League for the first time in 11 years.
Furthermore, hard work and maximum determination are non-negotiable for the straight-talking 48-year-old. And Palace could certainly do with a bit of discipline.
Jaap Stam
If there’s one key factor that epitomises The Eagles year-long slump under Alan Pardew, more than their ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and baffling inability to deal with any kind of set piece, it’s their lack of an identity.
Who are Pardew’s Palace? Direct, long merchants designed to get the best out of Christian Benteke? Or precise, possession hoarders with Yohan Cabaye at the controls? In actual fact, they’re an ineffective blend of the two, leading to a disjoined, unclear attacking approach.
In short, they need a man with a plan. Enter Jaap Stam. Now, he may be less than half a season into his first senior managerial role, but the former Manchester United centre-back has embarked on an impressive overhaul at Reading, turning them from perennial strugglers into automatic promotion contenders, all via a patient, passing game steeped in Total Football tradition. After all, he did serve his apprenticeship at Ajax.
Want more evidence? According to WhoScored, of the 15 sides to have played in each of the previous two Championship seasons without being promoted or relegated, only Rotherham (95) collected fewer points than Reading (102). Three months into his tenure, they’re currently third.
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