Tony Pulis could be the man to pull out Crystal Palace out of current crisis
After the confirmation of Ian Holloway’s departure, Crystal Palace have begun the search for his successor in the hot-seat with former Stoke City boss Tony Pulis emerging as the favourite to land the job, according to Sky Sports.
Should the 55-year-old Welshman get the nod, it would be a drastic change in style from Holloway’s brand of passing football to Pulis’ preference for a more direct approach.
Palace fans though, recognise the need for results and Pulis has a very good record having taken Stoke into the Premier League and establishing the Potters as a solid mid-table side.
Currently a free agent after leaving Stoke in the summer, would Pulis be the right man for the job?
A shift in style seems likely with the Welshman’s Stoke side living up to all the stereotypes last season, with 18 set piece goals scored in the Premier League – a result of their direct approach to the game.
Notorious for their physicality, Stoke eschewed the finer aspects of football with an passing accuracy of 70% over the campaign and often ceding the possession battle with an average of 46 per cent.
This can be summed up quite aptly with Asmir Begovic’s incredible average pass length of 54m.
We could expect to see the likes of Cameron Jerome, on loan from Stoke and a Pulis signing, and Marouane Chamakh use their aerial ability more often than under Holloway with Dwight Gayle acting as the poacher.
Holloway’s teams have always tried to play football with an emphasis on short passing and plenty of off the ball movement, stretching back to the Blackpool side that impressed so many neutrals in their short stint in the top flight.
However, in Blackpool’s case it proved to be a pyrrhic victory as a poor defence saw them doomed to relegation the same season and Palace is heading the same way if the new boss cannot reverse the decline.
Pulis assembled a very solid defence in his time at Stoke, with the likes of Robert Huth and Ryan Shawcross forming a cornerstone for the rest of the side.
Potentially, the Welshman could bring the same stability to Holloway’s side whilst retaining an attacking threat, enabling them to survive this season.
Stoke Stats Last season
Crystal Palace Stats This Season
When you compare Stoke’s defensive statistics from 2012/13 to Palace’s this season, there’s not an awful lot of difference. But from this data, Stoke conceded 45 goals last season and Palace, with 17 conceded in eight games, are on course to concede 81 this campaign.
Clearly a huge difference in their defensive capabilities, although Stoke have the benefit of a superior defence and a settled side used to the Premier League.
However, it does highlight how Pulis could instil a more defensive outlook and reinforce a leaky defence to cope with the league’s raft of top-class attackers.
With Palace unlikely to be dominating possession and controlling the tempo, Pulis’ methods are far more suited to a dogged relegation battle which they now find themselves in.
While it may not be the most popular option, and many fans have expressed their distaste for the Welshman’s methods, the club faces relegation if they make the wrong appointment.
Appointing Pulis as manager could be just the tonic Palace need to survive their first season back in the Premier League.