Live

Highlights on Off The Ball

02:00 PM-06:00 PM

Highlights on Off The Ball
Advertisement
Soccer

Who's in the frame to replace Alan Pardew at Crystal Palace?

Crystal Palace took the bold move of 'asking' Alan Pardew to step down ahead of a busy Christmas ...



Who's in the frame to repl...
Soccer

Who's in the frame to replace Alan Pardew at Crystal Palace?

Crystal Palace took the bold move of 'asking' Alan Pardew to step down ahead of a busy Christmas schedule after a poor start to the season.

The London club have only won four games this season, picking up 15 points from their opening 17 games of the season and hover dangerously over the relegation zone.

As Pardew has at least Christmas to look forward to at home - along with a number of Premier League players - Palace must now go about looking for a replacement. Presumably they have their candidate already lined up otherwise they would not have made such a big decision at a hectic point of the season.

We look at some of the candidates in the running.

Sam Allardyce

The bookies favourite to land the job. Big Sam has been out of work since leaving his post with the England national team after just one game in charge. The former West Ham and Newcastle boss has a talent for helping struggling teams find an identity, a feature of his managerial skill set that attracted the FA to his talents following a disastrous Euro 2016 campaign.

Allardyce saved Sunderland from relegation last year and has been out of work for the last couple of months. Most likely candidate to succeed Pardew.

Could Sam Allardyce be the man to lead Crystal Palace out of their current run of poor form? Image: Nick Potts PA Wire/PA Images

Frank de Boer

The former Internazionale manager was sacked after just 85 days in charge of the Italian club. The former Netherlands defender and ex-Ajax boss was heavily linked with vacancies at Premier League clubs Everton and Southampton in the summer but took up neither post.

The 46-year-old asked for more time to complete his project in Italy and it's safe to say time is one thing he won't get in the Premier League. An illustrious playing career, de Boer is still in the early stages of his managerial career. Does he have what it takes to cut it in the Premier League?

Jurgen Klinsmann 

The former US national team manager, Klinsmann was sacked just last month. Citing a difference on what way the team should be going, U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati reinstated Bruce Arena in the position.

Klinsmann did some exceptional work within US team and enjoyed a wonderful run in the 2014 World Cup, losing out 2-1 in a brave performance against Belgium. The game went to added time, thanks in no small part to their goalkeeper (or Secretary of Defence) Tim Howard. However a poor World Cup qualifying campaign, including defeats to Mexico and Costa Rica meant his position was no longer tenable.

Will the German take more time off before deciding on his next position and will his style suit Palace?

Laurent Blanc

A successful spell with PSG in France saw him try and break new ground in the Champions League while dominating domestic competition. 

Not that difficult, mind you, when you can attract all manner of world class players and are bank rolled by Qatari investors.

In his time as a player, Blanc played at the highest level with Barcelona, Internazionale and Manchester United, as well as with France. He was a formidable defender in his time and values the art of defending above all else. On their way to winning Ligue 1 in record time this year, PSG conceded just 19 goals. Palace will need someone who can sure them up defensively and someone with Blanc's appetite for defensive structures may be just the man.

Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!

Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.


Read more about

Soccer