Crystal Palace looked doomed to relegation last November, but Tony Pulis revitalised the team and carried them to midtable respectability. How will the club fare now he has gone?
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Football is a dramatic soap opera when it wants to be, as Thursday night’s events in south London proved. In a spectacular twist that would not be out of place on Eastenders, Tony Pulis left Crystal Palace less than 48 hours before their first match of the Premier League season against Arsenal.
The Eagles picked up just seven points from their first 12 league games last season under Ian Holloway and caretaker manager Keith Millen, and were considered favourites to drop back into the Championship at the first time of asking. In November, however, and on the same day as their impressive 1-0 away win at Hull City, Pulis was confirmed as new Palace boss and some optimism returned to Selhurst Park.
Having resigned themselves to relegation, supporters were now beginning to believe that Pulis could guide them to safety, regardless of the defeat to Norwich City in his first match. Pulis won 38 points from 26 matches during his short reign. Had the season started when Pulis took charge, they would have finished eighth. His exploits did not go unnoticed, with the 56-year-old deservedly winning the Premier League manager of the year award.
A breakdown in relations with co-chairman Steve Parish over a lack of transfer funds was the last straw for Pulis. Other managers are available, but none of them are likely to do a better job than Pulis. He boosted morale in a squad devoid of confidence and the results duly followed.
Palace lost just one of their last eight league games last season, a run that included memorable wins over Chelsea and Everton and, of course, the unforgettable 3-3 draw with Liverpool. Losing a manager of his ability will lower their chances of securing top-flight status this term, with some bookmakers instilling them as third favourites to be relegated.
First and foremost, goals were pivotal at both ends. Palace were shipping an average of 1.75 goals per game prior to his appointment, but that figure dropped to 1.04 with him in charge. At the other end of the pitch, the team scored more goals per game (0.96) in the 26 games Pulis managed, a sufficient rise from the 12 games Holloway and Millen took charge of (0.58) last season. The team averaged marginally more shots per game (11.1) under Pulis than in the previous regime (10.5), but the number of shots on target per game rose notably (from 2.8 to 4.2).
Palace were a more clinical side under Pulis, presumably as a result of the confidence he instilled. His players were trusted to be more daring and, in turn, this translated to more goals being scored and more points on the board. Unsurprisingly, Palace averaged less possession (35.3%) in the last 26 games of the season than they did under Holloway and Millen (41.8%), this approach having become a trademark of Pulis.
The feisty manager prefers his teams to remain compact and allow the opposition to have the ball, so they can hit them on the counter-attack when necessary. Moreover, Pulis has regularly favoured the long-ball game and while this isn’t always pretty, it can be effective. The style of play may not have been the most aesthetically pleasing, but it secured positive results and in their first season back in the top-flight, this was the priority.
Malky Mackay, Tim Sherwood and David Moyes, among others, have been linked with the job at Selhurst Park, but it remains to be seen how the new man will fare. Pulis worked wonders during his time in south London and the Palace board should try to bring in a coach with a similar level of grit and determination as they attempt to consolidate their position as a Premier League club.
