Crystal Palace sack manager Alan Pardew
Alan Pardew has left his role as manager of Crystal Palace, the club have confirmed.
Pardew left Newcastle United to take over at Selhurst Park in January 2015 and led them to a 10th-place finish in the Premier League.
But his first full season in charge did not prove as successful in the league, Palace enduring a dreadful second half of the campaign as they finished just five points above the relegation zone.
The former Southampton and Charlton Athletic boss led Palace to the FA Cup final, only to see his side beaten 2-1 in extra time as Jesse Lingard scored the winner for Manchester United.
And Pardew has failed to turn around their fortunes in the first half of the 2016-17 season, with Palace just a point above the bottom three with 15 points from 17 games.
0.72 – Crystal Palace have the lowest average points per game tally in the Premier League or Football League in 2016 (0.72). Worrying.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 22, 2016
Pardew – who oversaw just six league wins in 2016 – issued a statement that read: “I would just like to take the opportunity to thank everybody at Crystal Palace for their fantastic support. In particular a big thanks to the players who gave me absolutely everything and [chairman] Steve Parish and his board.
“Personally I have a lot of good feelings for this football club and am sad that my time there has ended.
“I feel that I have a special bond with the club and hope that hasn’t been affected; I wish everybody associated with the club the best of luck in the future including of course the fans who have been magnificent.”
Chairman Steve Parish said: “I would like to put on record our sincere gratitude for the tremendous service Alan has given us, both in his time here as manager and previously as a player.
“Following a fantastic second half of 2014-15, the 2015-16 season culminated in only narrowly missing out on winning the FA Cup as well as securing our Premier League place for a record-breaking fourth time.
“During his tenure Alan’s hard work and dedication were without question, he has improved so many areas of the club and we wish him the very best for the future.
“With games now coming thick and fast over the holiday period the club are hoping to put someone in place as quickly as possible but have nothing to say about a replacement at this time.”
Palace’s struggles this season have been particularly surprising following a transfer window in which they invested heavily in the likes of Christian Benteke, Andros Townsend and James Tomkins.
They will look to give themselves some breathing room in the battle against the drop in the Boxing Day visit to Watford.
