Crystal Palace

Malky Mackay will reportedly confirm his Premier League return after agreeing to fill the vacant manager's position at Crystal Palace. The former Cardiff City boss, wrongly dismissed from his post with the Bluebirds in the eyes of many, is set to replace Tony Pulis at Selhurst Park.

Ed Malyon of the Mirror reported the news on Twitter:

Mackay's appointment is set to take place just days after Pulis left Palace by mutual consent, according to Sky Sports. It is said the former Stoke and Gillingham boss opted to leave after reportedly being "at odds with the club's board over their dealings in the transfer market this summer."

Pulis' exit came as a major surprise after he was named LMA Manager of the Year for the 2013-14 season, which saw him lead Palace to an excellent 11th place after taking over from Ian Holloway. The experienced boss installed confidence, discipline and ambition to the side's play and looked set to build on an excellent returning year in the top division with a summer of rebuilding.

His dismissal came quickly and to the surprise of many, unlike Mackay's recent tenure at Cardiff, where his future was known ahead of official confirmation. Owner Vincent Tan announced his intentions to Mackay via email after speculation in the press indicated the controversial businessman had grown tired of the Scottish boss.

Fans protested to overturn the decision after Tan constantly undermined Mackay's tenure. The hiring of unknown scout Alisher Apsalyamov, in place of Mackay's trusted colleague Iain Moody, indicated the start of a troubled relationship that would end in the owner wielding the axe.

Former chief executive Simon Lim told Mackay he wouldn't receive "a single penny" heading into the January 2013 transfer window, before Tan finally sacked the manager on Dec. 27. A legal battle ensued, with Mackay eventually opting to drop charges after reaching a settlement with the club.

Despite a messy end to his stint in Wales, Mackay enjoyed an impressive run of success. He reached the League Cup final with Cardiff in 2012, where his side fought to an excellent draw against Liverpool before losing 3-2 on penalties. Mackay also secured Cardiff's first Premier League season by capturing the 2012-13 Championship title.

It's fair to say Mackay is taking a risk by joining Palace if Pulis' fears are confirmed. It is reported the outgoing boss was left disappointed when trying to sign players such as Steven Caulker and Gylfi Sigurdsson, per Sky Sports, even though chairman Steve Parish denied these claims, reported by The Guardian.

Mackay will undoubtedly want money to spend quickly, especially as he is set to take over before the end of the transfer window. The manager proved ambitious and resourceful at Cardiff—highlighted by his capture of Gary Medel last year—meaning he is well placed to improve upon the fantastic work posted by Pulis.

There's no doubt Mackay deserves another shot in the Premier League after his dismissal from Cardiff. Palace highlighted their qualities during the recent 2-1 defeat to Arsenal, where the Eagles showed guts and determination to almost grab a draw. Mackay is more than capable of building upon this, and will aim to lead an assault into the domestic division's top half.

Arsenal were able to top Crystal Palace on the first day of the 2014-15 English Premier League season, thanks in part to the mistakes by Jason Puncheon.

With time running out and the score tied at 1-1, the midfielder was booked for his second yellow card, as noted by the Premier League account:

Puncheon picked up his first yellow card in the 48th minute on a bad foul against Alexis Sanchez. As Andy Glockner of Sports Illustrated points out, the second one was not a smart move:

Sport Witness was not happy about the player's attitude either:

Bleacher Report's Dan Levy could not resist the opportunity to joke about the situation:

Puns aside, Crystal Palace had a hard time marking Arsenal players at the start of extra time once they were down to 10 men. This eventually led to the game-winning goal by Aaron Ramsey after hitting a number of players on the attack, as the club's account described:

With a full lineup, the visiting team would have had a better chance to stay in the way and possibly clear the ball before it could go into the back of the net. As a result, the club will end the day with zero points and a negative goal differential instead of one point for a draw.

Considering how close the Premier League gets, every point matters, and this is a match the club might look back to later in the year.

Nurudeen Obalola believes the red card made the difference:

On the other hand, Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing noted the Arsenal win was not as impressive as it should have been:

Of course, Puncheon's performance on Saturday was not completely terrible. He did come through with the assist on the team's only goal, as explained by the Crystal Palace account:

Still, the biggest moment of the match for the 28-year-old player was his red card. The team will now be without him for the next competition against West Ham United, and you can be certain he will be missed.

The club will have to play a cleaner game will everyone else stepping up in order to come away with three points the next time out.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for the latest breaking news and analysis.

How much will Tony Pulis’ exit from Crystal Palace end up costing them? Only time will tell, but with the club now tipped for relegation in many more quarters, the price the Eagles pay for losing their manager on the eve of the new season could yet include Premier League survival—and the many millions of pounds that come with it.

The news of the reigning Premier League Manager of the Year’s departure from Selhurst Park on Thursday evening was greeted with expressions of shock among football fans, although perhaps it should not have been such a surprise.

Pulis and Palace co-chairman Steve Parish have long had an awkward relationship, with the relative lack of transfer activity at Selhurst Park over the summer a clear warning sign that things were bubbling to a head once more.

In the end, per reports in the Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph, as manager and chairman continued to have differing views on how the club should operate they both agreed to showdown talks on Thursday afternoon, with the two eventually deciding to part company after failing to reach a workable compromise from their respective positions.

Afterwards, it was suggested that Pulis wanted greater control over transfer activity, with Parish—along with his sporting director, Iain Moody—instead determined to keep a tight rein on spending, a stance that had seen the club miss out on preferred Pulis targets Gylfi Sigurdsson and Steven Caulker already this summer.

The final straw was believed to be Parish’s continued pursuit of a loan deal for Manchester United forward (and former Palace academy product) Wilfried Zaha. 

Pulis, on the other hand, was adamant a £3 million deal for Southampton midfielder Jack Cork needed to be the priority over a temporary move for a player who, while idolised by fans, would not solve the glaring need for another body in the middle of the park.

Ironically the news came just hours after Palace confirmed the signing of Martin Kelly from Liverpool, a £1.5 million outlay that was their most expensive of the summer to date.

Daniel Taylor, writing in The Guardian, quoted a source close to Pulis as saying:

Tony is a traditional manager who wants to run things on the football side.

[The relationship with Parish has] become an irritant … It’s a festering wound that has been there for a long time.

After the season we had, the manager hoped the chairman would have thought: ‘Right I’ve got myself a good manager and now I need to back him’. It’s actually got worse not better. And now it’s been brought to a head.

Of course, the nature of the departure leads one to wonder how happy Tony Pulis ever was to be Crystal Palace manager.

It should not be forgotten that he took weeks before finally agreeing to succeed Ian Holloway at Selhurst Park last November, seemingly feeling that being presented with a job offer at the foot of the Premier League was a further indignity after being dismissed from his role at Stoke City earlier that year.

Perhaps even then he anticipated that a working relationship with Parish would prove difficult (Moody was also appointed just before he arrived, leaving issues over the chain of command that were perhaps never adequately resolved). But, equally likely, he was concerned about the effect it would have on his reputation if—having never been relegated before in his managerial career—he was unable to keep a Palace side that had looked little short of hopeless under Holloway in the top flight.

Having taken the job and then started the turnaround, in January there were further reports that he might leave the club, over issues arising from transfers.

In the end Pulis and Parish reached a temporary agreement, the likes of Joe Ledley and Scott Dann were signed and Palace finished the season strongly to clinch a remarkable 11th place.

The problem with such success, of course, is that there is immediately an expectation that it will be repeated, or even improved upon, the next time around. But, when transfer business proved slow, Pulis perhaps sensed that the squad had not been improved enough and that relegation was once again a genuine concern.

Perhaps he did walk out over transfer business—it can be untenable for any manager if the board is blocking him from signing the players he wants.

At its core, though, Pulis’ departure seems to be one motivated by self-interest; of all the parties involved, Pulis arguably loses least from the whole sorry situation.

Palace have lost the manager most likely to keep them up once again, whereas Pulis now finds himself in as strong a negotiating position as he has ever been in his career. With his reputation never better, and unencumbered by an existing contract, he will be the first name mentioned in conjunction with any available Premier League job.

Looked at as a gun for hire capable of guaranteeing survival if West Ham or Southampton (to pick two possible examples) sack their managers after faltering starts to the season, Pulis—available right now, for no compensation—is almost certain to be the man they call.

What is more, he will likely command a salary far in excess of anything he was previously earning.

It will depend on which jobs become available, but in terms of Pulis’ career prospects, leaving Palace now could hardly be better timed.

If that suggests the initial instinct to always back the manager in disputes with a board is wrong in this instance, that is not to say Parish is entirely without blame. Barely 48 hours before Pulis’ departure was announced, Parish was seen on Sky Sports News HQ, talking about the club’s plans for the season.

Considering what was to come, surely he had more important things to do than attend to his burgeoning media career (it is worth remembering that he is actually one of two Palace chairmen and four co-owners; it is perhaps no accident that he is far-and-away the most visible)?

During his time on television, he was adamant that transfer business would be done before the window closed—echoing the prevailing Twitter sentiment that the club was waiting until later in the window because that was when deals were easier to do.

“Obviously we’ve got the right manager,” Parish told Sky Sports’ Jim White. “We haven’t yet got all the players we want in, so there will be some new additions.

“There are too many clubs chasing too few players of ‘known’ quality. It’s tough, but we’re confident we’ll be where we want to be when the window closes.”

While that is all undoubtedly a fair and valid assessment, Parish had perhaps given a clearer insight into his modus operandi moments earlier when, while responding to reports of a row with players over this season’s bonus pot, he revealed just how long is spent sorting seemingly the most minor of potential expenditures.

“We had a healthy discussion on it,” Parish said of the bonus talks. “A healthy discussion. We are trying to get everyone’s interests aligned.

“We were looking at other club’s bonus schedules, seeing where we fit in, trying to get it right.”

Clearly, this is a co-owner with a particular focus on the balance sheet. A successful businessman, Parish has shown himself to be a man reluctant to sanction unnecessary spending—wanting to ensure in this instance that the club’s bonus plans were not out of step with anyone else in the division.

This trait might actually come from his years as a Palace fan as much as his time at the helm of marketing and communications agency TAG.

Having seen the club twice languish in administration in the last 15 years due to the over-spending of two undisciplined owners (being one of the men who rescued the club from the most recent experience), he is among a fanbase that knows better than most the desperate path that clubs can go down if owners get carried away when it comes to signing cheques.

That is the sort of history—twice in recent memory, Palace won games on the final day of the season to avoid relegation from the Championship and possible extinction as an entity—that Pulis was positioning himself in contrast to.

For all the great work he undoubtedly did last season, that is perhaps why so many fans can sympathise with the club's decision not to bow to his demands.

At Stoke, after all, he spent lavishly—yet what did the club really have to show for it? Yes, they stayed up every season, but Palace also managed that last term on a far more meagre budget.

For Parish, the immediate focus must now turn to finding Pulis’ replacement. Tim Sherwood and Neil Lennon have already been mentioned as likely candidates, although Sherwood in particular surely will not fit the bill if Palace are looking for a man with similar characteristics to his predecessor (as they should be).

That being the case, Malky Mackay becomes the obvious front-runner, even if he lacks for Premier League experience. But Parish will know that Mackay can work alongside Moody (they had a successful relationship at Cardiff), and the Scot has a similar no-nonsense approach to Pulis.

There will not be the same rows over spending and finance, albeit with the trade-off that there will be less Premier League know-how in the dugout each weekend.

For Saturday’s Premier League opener against Arsenal it will be Pulis’ assistant Dave Kemp in charge, with Keith Millen assuming temporary control after that.

“I was at the manager’s meeting on Monday with Tony Pulis, and there was no indication he would not be here,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told reporters on Friday.

“It’s very difficult to know what consequence it will have on Crystal Palace.”

Parish will be hoping the consequence will not be too severe. Having lost his manager over spending, it remains to be seen if the bill for sticking to his guns proves far more exorbitant.

Martin Kelly has confirmed his move from Liverpool to Crystal Palace, which will net the Reds a reported £1.5 million, according to Garry Doolan of the Daily Mail.

Kelly announced the news on his own Twitter account, posting:

Crystal Palace also confirmed the move on its Twitter account:

The English defender falls victim to Brendan Rodgers' squad rebuilding process at Liverpool, which has seen eight new signings confirmed for last season's Premier League runners-up.

Kelly has failed to establish himself as either a first-choice centre-back or right-back—both positions he can comfortably fill—since making his debut for the Reds in 2008.

Liverpool's signings of Dejan Lovren and Javier Manquillo indicated Kelly would no longer be needed before Palace's bid was accepted. Lovren has already settled in nicely with a goal against Borussia Dortmund, while Rodgers' decision to snatch Manquillo on loan—a player who is four years younger than Kelly—suggests a loss of faith in the Englishman's ability.

Alberto Moreno's arrival, as reported by Ben Smith of BBC Sport, also has a knock-on effect for Kelly's career on Merseyside. Jon Flanagan will likely compete for a position at right-back now while Moreno and Jose Enrique are due to do the same on the opposite side, meaning Kelly's potential game time would look no better than the five substitute appearances he managed last season, per WhoScored.com.

Tony Pulis won't mind, though, and he will be ecstatic to welcome a potential leader into his ranks. The former Stoke boss is used to snapping up quality for minimal fees, as highlighted by his free capture of Brede Hangeland and the £900,000 paid for Fraizer Campbell this summer, per BBC Sport.

Kelly can learn plenty from Hangeland, who dominated during his six years with Fulham, before the club's relegation.

The duo's potential partnership offers power, dominance in the air and the kind of physicality Pulis' teams are usually built on. He favoured mobile wing-backs during his opening spell with Palace, with the likes of Stephen Ward bombing from deep, meaning Kelly is more likely to establish himself in the middle.

Prior to signing for the Selhurst Park side, Kelly admitted he needs a run of consistency to regain full confidence in his ability, per Doolan: "I think in terms of confidence and feeling strong I’m definitely 100 per cent, but in longer terms that takes games. I've been fit for a season now but I haven't had the games, so the run of games is vital for me this season."

Many will forget Kelly has an England appearance to his name. His career has been ravaged by injuries, however, leaving his chance of breaking into the Liverpool side slim at best. Palace have undoubtedly captured a player who has the natural ability to excel in the Premier League, if he is afforded the opportunity to gain decent minutes.

It would be typical of Pulis to improve the player's fortunes after the boss heroically led Palace to 11th last season. The experienced manager will hope a change in fortune turns Kelly into the player he has always promised to be and someone who can regularly throw his name into contention for a place in the national setup.

Crystal Palace added some experience to their back line by reaching an agreement with Brede Hangeland. He joins the club on a free transfer after getting let go by Fulham in June.

The Eagles confirmed the signing on their official Twitter feed:

Hangeland was a stalwart defender for Fulham after joining the side during the 2007-08 winter window. He spent the next six-and-a-half seasons with the Cottagers, appearing in more than 150 matches across all competitions.

A frustrating campaign caused Fulham to get relegated after last season. With that comes changes to the squad, and the veteran defender was part of that overhaul.

Now, the centre-back joins a Palace side that finished in the middle of the pack last season. The club would love to take another step forward despite what amounts to an unheralded squad.

It's a hard-working group, though. Squawka Football passed along comments from Hangeland after the move was announced, and it sounds like he's going to fit right in:

At the very least, the signing gives manager Tony Pulis some options at the back. Hangeland could step into a full-time role or simply be part of a rotation playing alongside Scott Dann in the centre of defense. A clearer picture should emerge once he gets more involved at training.

Either way, Ed Malyon of the Daily Mirror believes it's a good fit:

Hangeland probably won't display the form he did during his peak seasons with Fulham. That said, at 33, he should still have some solid football ahead of him, and the fact Palace were able to secure him on a free transfer limits the risk.

Furthermore, it's an addition that makes it clear the Eagles will be a very tough side to play against once again. The veteran adds to the team's size and depth on defense after finishing seventh in goals allowed last season.

CHESTER, Pa.—During the second game of their American tour, Crystal Palace showed plenty of life in attack against Major League Soccer's Philadelphia Union. 

The 1-0 victory put the Eagles on the right track heading into the English Premier League season, but it may worry some that the only goal came on an own goal scored by Ethan White in the 20th minute. 

Despite not scoring a goal of their own, Palace looked lively throughout most of the first half, before a slew of substitutes entered for the final 45 minutes. 

Manager Tony Pulis opted to go with Yannick Bolasie and Jason Puncheon on the wings, while Marouane Chamakh and Dwight Gayle started up front in a 4-4-2 formation that at times seemed like a 4-2-4 given how forward the wingers were. 

Bolasie was the most effective of the four attack-minded players, as he put Philadelphia full-backs Ray Gaddis and Fabinho under duress for most of the first half. 

"They gave us a lot of trouble down their left side. They probably should've been two or three up in the first 10 minutes," Philadelphia interim manager Jim Curtin said. 

Pulis was very complimentary of the first-half attack, but it was also a performance that didn't entirely shock him. 

"They are players who have caused the top players in the world problems. That's no disrespect to Philadelphia, that's what they can do on their day," Pulis said. 

Although the Eagles did look strong in attack, Pulis said that the club is nowhere near done in the transfer window.

"We're still looking to bring players in," said Pulis, whose club signed Fraizer Campbell from Cardiff City earlier in the day.

One part of the side that didn't see many challenges in the second of three friendlies that Palace will play in the United States was the defense. 

Philadelphia's attack didn't get going until the middle of the second half, but at that point, Pulis had swapped out his entire starting 11, except goalkeeper Julian Speroni. 

"We never really made them uncomfortable," Curtin said.

One thing that is guaranteed about the Eagles heading into their first full season under Pulis, who guided the club to an 11th-place finish last season, is the style of play. 

"It's a direct style of play, very well organized and it's effective. When he took over Palace, they were in the relegation zone. He got the team organized and found a way to get the results they needed to not only stay up, but finish mid-table," said Philadelphia midfielder Maurice Edu, who was signed by Pulis at Stoke City in 2012. 

The Crystal Palace boss, who also led Stoke to safety on five occasions during his managerial spell at the Britannia Stadium, did not set a goal in regard to league position for this year, but he did make it clear what his main target was. 

"Staying in the Premiership, that's the goal," Pulis said. 

Palace, who also drew with the Columbus Crew Wednesday, will play one more friendly against the Richmond Kickers before heading back to England with a squad that is healthy, which is something Pulis doesn't take for granted. 

"Everybody's worked hard. Everybody's had a go. I've been very pleased that most of them have come through without any injuries," the Crystal Palace boss said. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. 

A recommended summer transfer window target for Crystal Palace manager Tony Pulis is Levante's Pape Diop, so here is a scouting report on the 28-year-old Senegalese international. 

Positives

Diop is a 5'11", 161-pound footballer who can operate as a central midfielder in a 4-4-2 or as a defensive midfielder in a 4-2-3-1. 

While Pulis and Palace's front office put central midfielder Kagisho Dikgacoi, who started 25 Premier League games in the past season, on the released list, per the Premier League's official website, the South African international has not been discarded yet. 

Dikgacoi is currently in contractual negotiations with Palace, per Mark Ritson at the Croydon Advertiser.

Diop would be an upgrade over Dikgacoi.

League Only	Kagisho Dikgacoi	Pape Diop
Tackles Per Game	1.2	2.9
Fouls Per Game	0.7	2.4
Tackles Per Foul	1.9	1.2
Interceptions Per Game	1.3	1.4
Possessions Won Back Per Game	2.5	4.3

Not only is Diop a more prolific ball-winner, but he is also more ambitious, daring and effective going forward than Dikgacoi, who did not score a single goal. 

Despite Osasuna centre-back Alejandro Arribas putting his body on the line, Diop's instep shot darted past Osasuna goalkeeper Andres.

Against Real Betis, Diop powerfully drove the ball past Betis 'keeper Antonio Adan.

Celta Vigo 'keeper Yoel dived in vain as Diop displayed great timing when he emphatically scored a volley.

There was a touch of finesse when Diop guided the ball away from the outstretched left hand of Almeria 'keeper Esteban.

If Diop keeps working on his shooting, he can turn into an all-round midfielder.

Negatives

Since the 2009-10 season, Diop has tallied up 436 tackles through playing hard, gritting his teeth and being an enforcer. 

Invariably, he has developed a hapless reputation with referees. 

When Diop was challenging for the ball, his boot grazed the shoulder of Real Zaragoza right attacking midfielder Victor Rodriguez, who clutched his head like Rivaldo and withered on the floor like Jurgen Klinsmann.

Referee Gil Manzano presumably factored in Diop's reputation as a hard man and sent him off. 

Real Valladolid left winger Omar Ramos leaned into Diop and then collapsed to the floor. Referee Iglesias Villanueva wrongly assumed Diop initiated contact. 

Against Malaga, Diop lost his footing and inadvertently tripped up Malaga centre-back Ignacio Camacho.

Referee Prieto Iglesias should have given Diop the benefit of the doubt and just left it as a free-kick.

Instead, Iglesias believed it was a professional foul and dismissed him. 

Diop's boisterousness works against him. 

One area Diop has to work on is his pass completion percentage. 

Diop turns over the ball 29.3 percent of the time he passes and once misplaced 52 percent of his passes, per Squawka.com. 

Bottom Line

Diop would bring additional toughness to Pulis' Palace squad and can contribute with goals from long range. 

@allanjianga

+allanjiang

Statistics via WhoScored.com.

Crystal Palace face Everton for the second time this season on Wednesday in a game that offers a timely measure of just how far they have come this season.

In November, when they last met the Toffees, they were without a permanent manager and in the midst of a seven-game losing streak that had left them bottom of the Premier League with just three points (from 10 games).

Five months, a new manager, 22 games and 33 points later, Palace head to Goodison Park once again looking for their fourth Premier League win in a row.

It has been some turnaround.

Last weekend Palace beat Aston Villa 1-0 at Selhurst Park, sealing their third league win in succession. It was the first time since 1994 that they have won three top-flight games in a row but, more pressingly, those three points leave them tantalisingly close to securing their top-flight status for a second campaign.

It would be the first time in four attempts that they have achieved that feat.

It is a belatedly forged defensive strength that has been the foundation of Palace’s turnaround. Fleetingly in evidence in the early part of the season (under Ian Holloway, only a penalty saw them lose to Tottenham on the opening day, for example, while Manchester United needed some good fortune to make their breakthrough at Old Trafford in September), since caretaker Keith Millen steadied the ship in October and, eventually, Tony Pulis’ arrival in November, it has become the pillar of how Palace are, the essence of how they operate.

The former Stoke City manager has taken some time to work out his best system—best exemplified by the way he has moved full-back Joel Ward around Palace’s line-up like a knight on his chessboard—but has now seemingly settled on the system that will see them through to the 17th-place finish that has always been the overriding aim.

Everything is focused on keeping opposition sides out of the Palace penalty box, with different attacking scenarios—and the requisite defensive responses—practised relentlessly in training.

Pulis’ attention to detail has been in evidence all season: On the touchline, he is never not barking instructions, mainly about the positioning of one or more of his players.

His determination not to let his players drop their standards is relentless. During the build-up to Palace’s third goal in the crucial recent 3-0 away win over Cardiff, Pulis can be heard exhorting his players not to "tire of passing it simple" even as Jason Puncheon opens his body up to try and find the top corner.

Avoiding mistakes is his priority; mistakes, after all, are how goals are conceded and games lost.

"If we take things for granted and take our foot off the pedal and stop doing what we’re really good at, we’ll get a rude awakening," Pulis told reporters last week (via the Croydon Advertiser).

"It is such a tough, tough league, it can change so quickly. You have to stay focused win, lose or draw."

Beyond that, it is all about the tactical system. Two strong centre-backs and three shielding midfielders reduce the spaces and options in the Palace third, and it is then hoped that the side’s two wingers and lone striker (along with their pressing duties) can steal a goal on the counter.

Invariably, Puncheon has been underlining the effectiveness of that approach, his pinpoint left foot providing the ultimate rewards for the hard work of the team as a whole.

"It was a rough start to the season," Ward noted (via London24) earlier in the campaign. "We’re working a lot in training on how to deal with different defensive scenarios. We’re learning and becoming more of a unit.

"If I can do my job then hopefully that helps the team."

As Pulis added: "We have got results because we’re a team—that’s been the theme, that’s it’s got to be a team effort."

So far, so Pulis-typical. Statistics may never be his friend—in a coincidental piece of symmetry, the Times (subscription required) measured that Stoke’s percentage of long balls played this season has dropped by 20 percent, while Palace’s has risen by nearly the same margin—but it would be a disservice to suggest he has reverted to stereotype to salvage what initially looked a lost cause.

Equally, though, it’s simplistic to praise Pulis as Palace’s lord and saviour—that everything good that has happened to the Eagles this season has been a result of his planning.

The final months of Holloway’s tenure were undoubtedly unfocused, disorganised and increasingly directionless, with the players growing increasingly disaffected.

Rectifying all those (often basic) mistakes does not necessarily make one a managerial genius, just a competent one.

In many ways, Millen laid much of the groundwork for Pulis, a man under whom he played for a brief period while both were at Bristol City around the turn of the millennium.

In his four-game stint in charge, Millen brought a disparate squad together and, after initial 2-0 losses to Arsenal and West Brom, ended the club’s losing streak with a goalless draw at home to Everton, before signing off with a 1-0 win away to Hull City.

"I said to Tony that I honestly believe these lads can stay up," Millen, who was kept on as Pulis’ assistant manager, told the BBC following his last game in charge. "You pick up on the vibes in training and there is a belief there. They feel they have a chance."

In the hotseat, Pulis was soon informed by the board that they needed to see enough to suggest the club could feasibly stay up before they sanctioned any significant spend in the January transfer window.

The summer recruitment strategy had involved targeting players with Premier League ability who could also be relied upon to do a job at Championship level, should Palace be relegated.

In the main, they found players of that particular profile—just too many of them. Infamously, Holloway had to leave two players out of his registered squad for the first part of the season, including one (French left-back Florian Marange) who had only just been signed.

With a bloated squad of players of a similar, solid but unremarkable talent level, spending more in January and going down would be inviting disaster for Palace, a club already with a chequered financial history.

Yet, when New Year arrived, Palace were actually outside the relegation zone on goal difference and entertaining realistic hopes of survival.

"We weren’t in the game when I came," Pulis stated, per the Telegraph. "Now we’re in the game."

Eventually, after some heated discussions that led to rumours about Pulis’ long-term future, chairman Steve Parish sanctioned four late deals.

Loanee (and childhood Palace fan) Jason Puncheon was signed on a permanent deal in order to use the vacated temporary berth to sign Blackpool winger Thomas Ince, while goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey, central defender Scott Dann and midfielder Joe Ledley were brought in for seven-figure fees.

Two of those signings have proven somewhat superfluous as far as this season is concerned (Hennessey has been back-up to the impressive Julian Speroni, while Ince has been consigned to the bench after an initially impressive start, predominantly due to Puncheon’s displays), but Dann and Ledley have improved Palace significantly.

Dann has replaced the ageing Danny Gabbidon in defence and, alongside Damien Delaney, he has reinforced Palace’s back line with his physical presence and organisational nous. It is now eight games since Palace last conceded twice (against Manchester United in February).

Ledley, after an initial start at left-back, has become a vital part of Palace’s three-man midfield, impressing with his box-to-box stamina and poise alongside enforcer Kagisho Dikgacoi and the similarly combative Mile Jedinak.

Jedinak has perhaps been the most important player in Palace’s season—not only does he set the tone defensively, he is also invariably asked to dictate matters when Palace try to set up an attack with his passing.

Puncheon may score all the goals—and his individual qualities cannot be overlooked—but it is Jedinak who has been laying the foundations all season.

The best player, meanwhile (there is a distinction), has undoubtedly been Ward. Starting the season at right-back, moving into central midfield for a period and now covering Palace’s relative weakness at left-back, Ward has been a dominant presence all season, winning a remarkable percentage of his individual duels—especially for a 24-year-old in his first full Premier League campaign.

If he was playing for a bigger club, or a more fashionable one, it is not outlandish to suggest he would have received an England call by now.

"I think it’s our desire and our will to just see games out [that has made the difference]," Ward said earlier in the season. "There’s a togetherness in the group, we’re all working harder for each other and going that extra yard."

If the conventional wisdom is that this season’s Premier League title will be decided next Sunday, on April 27—at the Battle of Anfield, when Chelsea face Liverpool—then it remains highly probable that two further skirmishes, both set to take place in SE25, might prove similarly pivotal.

City also have to visit Everton, arguably their hardest remaining fixture, but both they and Liverpool also have appointments at Selhurst Park (one week apart—April 27 and May 5). Chelsea may draw confidence from this; they know first-hand how tough that challenge will be, aware that their slip from title front-runners to chasing challengers can be traced back to last month's back-to-back defeats at Villa Park and Selhurst Park.

Now Palace and their defensive belligerence could force another critical twist in what has been a most unpredictable title race.

"I am just thinking about Palace," Pulis responded this week, questioned about that prospect. "My only concern is getting over the line.

"I don’t care [who wins the title], as long as we stay up."

When Tony Pulis arrived at Crystal Palace, fans of the Eagles might have been forgiven for feeling rather apprehensive.

Pulis, after all, carries with him a reputation for functional, if not just plain ugly football from his time at Stoke, where physicality usually trumped slick passing.

It was quite a shift in philosophies from Ian Holloway, who seemed fairly unconcerned with minor details like defence, preferring to concentrate on gung-ho attacking play.

The problem was that Holloway's tactics were not working. Palace very nearly threw away promotion under his leadership last season in the Championship, conducted a muddled summer transfer window that was so poorly planned that one signing, Florian Marange, was not even included in their 25-man squad, and gained only three points in the eight games he was at the helm this season.

To his credit Holloway recognised this, but he left his successor a team in the relegation zone and a horribly imbalanced squad, something that initially seemed to put Pulis off taking the job.

However, since he has arrived at Selhurst Park, the job he has done has been just short of miraculous, taking Palace from virtual relegation certainties to the brink of survival.

Pulis has been in charge for 21 games, in which Palace have gained 30 points, which if extrapolated over a full season would put them in eighth place, just below Manchester United and above the Southampton side that has attracted so much praise this season.

Pulis has managed to tighten a leaky defence without spending lavishly on it. The only defensive signings he made in January were Scott Dann from Blackburn and Wayne Hennessey, a reserve goalkeeper, from Wolves.

Pulis has simply organised the players already at his disposal in a much more efficient way, and his team have kept eight clean sheets and conceded just 20 goals during his time at the helm.

So impressive has Pulis been that Jose Mourinho, not usually a man to dish out lavish praise for anyone but himself, suggested that the Welshman's achievements should be recognised at the end of the season.

Before Palace's recent win over Chelsea, Mourinho said, as quoted by the Daily Mirror:

Tony started with a team in a difficult position.

It wasn’t the beginning of the season. It was a few months after, they were bottom of the league. It looks like other managers were approached and many didn’t want the job because the feeling was, ‘This team has no quality to stay in the Premier League’ – that it was a lost battle...

The normal tendency is to give the Manager of the Year to the champions. But if Palace stay up, he can feel like a champion. He’d have won his challenge. So why not?

It's tricky to disagree with Mourinho. While Brendan Rodgers has performed brilliantly at Anfield and Mauricio Pochettino's Southampton are one of the stories of the season, Pulis's achievement is arguably greater because he was given a team heading nowhere, a third of the way into the season, and has completely turned it around.

Palace are not quite safe, and they have some tricky games in their run-in. However, if they beat Aston Villa at the weekend, they can probably start planning for next season in the Premier League.

And who thought that would be the case back in October?

Crystal Palace loaned out Jose Campana to Nurnberg, per Sky Sports, so can the 20-year-old Spanish youth international help Nurnberg avoid relegation in the Bundesliga?

Palace Will Regret Not Harnessing Campana's Talent 

Campana would have been an important part of Sevilla's midfield if his path was not blocked by Ivan Rakitic, Geoffrey Kondogbia and Gary Medel.

Rakitic, a complete midfielder, was a transfer target for Paris Saint-Germain, per FootMercato.net (h/t Ian Holyman at ESPN FC).

Medel, an all-round midfielder, was dynamite for Sevilla last season: He scored six La Liga goals, made 79 tackles and led the club in passes per game (51.6).

This was why Cardiff City broke their transfer fee record at the time for him (£11 million), per BBC Sport.

Kondogbia, a 6'2" midfielder who is elegant in possession, cost Monaco £18 million, per David Conn at the Guardian. 

Campana fell into Palace's lap at £1.75 million, per the Express.

Palace management were planning to turn him into a star, just like Sevilla had done with Kondogbia, who was not even ranked in France Football's top 100 rated Ligue 2 players during his last season at Lens.

Campana started six league games for Sevilla in the past two seasons, so he was always going to take time in adjusting to the frenzied pace of the Premier League. 

What further impeded his development was his inability to communicate, as then team-mate Julian Speroni pointed out. 

"He [Campana] comes from Spain and he doesn't speak English," Speroni said, per Sam Wallace at the Independent. "I have tried to help him as a Spanish speaker. It's every single thing, like finding a house, finding a car. Everything around football."

Campana's "very, very limited" English was used by Palace first-team coach Ben Garner to mount a passionate defence countering allegations that the Spaniard was insubordinate towards management, per the Croydon Advertiser.

Despite the language barrier, then Palace manager Ian Holloway tried to implement Campana into the midfield rotation.

He was class in the 3-1 defeat to Liverpool.

The Reds were leading 3-0 at half-time and after Campana was subbed on, he made the most passes for a Palace player in the second-half (39) and created Dwight Gayle's goal, the only goal of that half.

Once Holloway was replaced by Tony Pulis, known for his kick and run tactics at Stoke City, Palace's preference for more agricultural footballers left Campana, a stylish footballer, out of the first team. 

Campana did not make a single appearance under Pulis.

Palace revealed in their press release that Nurnberg had the "option to purchase Campana on a permanent basis."

Translation: Campana has no future at Palace as long as Pulis remains in charge. 

Palace will rue Campana's botched tenure just like management wondering what could have been with Valerien Ismael, the former club record transfer fee holder, who had a brief and unceremonious few months at Palace in 1998. 

Ismael went on to win the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich and Werder Bremen.

He was ranked the fourth-best defender in the Bundesliga during the 2003-04 season, per Kicker, so in hindsight, Palace should have persevered with him. 

What Campana Brings To Nurnberg

Campana has swapped one relegation-threatened team in Palace for another in Nurnberg. 

One of the reasons why Nurnberg management targeted Campana is his tactical versatility.

He has played in the No. 6 role for the Spanish U-20s, and he can be a commanding influence in the centre of midfield and due to his incisive passing, he can be deployed further up-field. 

Campana has pedigree as a creator.

Do you remember who accumulated both assists for Sevilla in a 6-2 defeat to Real Madrid in December 2011? Campana. 

During Spain's 4-1 win over the United States in the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup, Campana confidently dribbled his way out of trouble and played a perfect through-ball to Gerard Deulofeu, who scored. 

The run Deulofeu made is one Nurnberg right-winger Josip Drmic, who can also play up front, makes regularly.

Nurnberg manager Gertjan Verbeek needs an incisive passer like Campana to ease Hiroshi Kiyotake's heavy-lifting (he is the only Nurnberg player whose chances created per game is 2.0 or higher (2.5)).

Campana can be a difference-maker for Nurnberg as they attempt to avoid relegation.

@allanjianga

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