Sam Allardyce now knows how much he has on his plate at Crystal Palace after disastrous home defeat to Swansea
The former England boss is trying to revive his career but the job he's taken on may be bigger than he'd thought
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Your support makes all the difference.Having just overseen one of the worst Crystal Palace performances in recent memory, Sam Allardyce had much to ponder as he walked by the home fans, down the Selhurst Park touchline and towards the tunnel.
This time, unlike at the end of the first half, there was no chorus of "what the f*****g hell was that?", there were simply boos and anger. And a banner. A reminder that if Palace's story is of survival then Allardyce's own tale is one of redemption.
"Corruption not welcome" said the sign, held aloft amid the protests of stewards. Big Sam is fighting reputation as much as he is fighting relegation now.
As for his team, fighting may not be the right word. There was little of it in a first half that ranks up there with the worst displays in recent Crystal Palace history. It is not entirely Allardyce's fault, but this was worrying for so many Eagles fans who had, until now, never really felt that the drop was likely.
Bob Bradley, Swansea's deposed head coach, revealed on Tuesday that his side didn't have enough fighters and yet the Welsh visitors
comprehensively out-battled their hosts in south London. That will worry Allardyce, but it is the result of Alan Pardew's gutting of the dressing room's leaders. It was a notable tactic employed by Pardew at previous clubs too, but particularly costly to the Eagles who saw club captain Paddy McCarthy, de facto skipper Mile Jedinak and longest-serving player, Julian Speroni, all marginalised in one way or another.
For the new boss, who wants strong characters to lead his side, this could prove costly, while Pardew managing to thin the depth of the Eagles squad over the last two summers in a bid to bring in bigger, glitzier names could function as a metaphor for the man himself.
Allardyce has recognised privately and now publicly that there is a need for more quality in the squad. Martin Kelly is not good enough to be a regular starter in defence and his displays have made fans pine for the return of the injured Pape Souare, forgetting that the club already desperately needed an upgrade on him at left-back. Andros Townsend has disappointed since returning to London last summer and the next six months of his career will help us define whether that red-hot streak of form at Newcastle was simply a purple patch or indicative of a player who is capable of starring in the Premier League. Allardyce tried to sign the winger repeatedly while he was with Spurs, now he must work out how to get him playing.
Christian Benteke, a player you might have imagined would be ideal for the new Palace boss' plans, has been woefully out of form in recent outings but, equally, he has been misused. The overwhelming sense with Palace's play at the moment is of a Pardew squad trying to play the Allardyce way but they have been shorn of the character to do so and need discipline and fitness to be coached back into them on the training ground, which doesn't happen overnight. The former England boss needs his own coaches and methods to take effect quickly, while this catastrophic performance will guarantee that he is allowed to bring in his own players.
Bolton Wanderers away in the FA Cup will be a last-chance saloon for some fringe players as the new Palace manager looks to shake up his squad. His record of mid-season signings bodes well for the Eagles and defence is the focus. Bakary Sako's seemingly imminent departure won't be much of a loss but Wilfried Zaha's call-up to Ivory Coast's African Cup of Nations squad is a hammer blow.
For all the misinformation about Zaha's attitude and antics, the former England international is undoubtedly Palace's most dangerous player and well-liked within the club. He is a rare talent who can create from nothing and has improved his defensive discipline, but Allardyce must free him from the overly conservative shackles he has been strangled by in recent fixtures. Zaha could be Allardyce's Okocha but for fans of this club he is far more than even that.
Without him there will be far less energy and creativity in attack, but on a more basic level there will be less width and more predictability. Allardyce teams have traditionally been fairly predictable, like a Tony Pulis side, but that hasn't made them any easier to play against over the years. Paradoxically, given Sam's ability to work with more functional players, Zaha's absence might not make Palace worse. It will certainly make them less fun, though.
For the disgraced England manager, attempting to rehabilitate his reputation in south London, banners reminding him of the reason for losing his dream job and only a luke-warm reception from the fans at Selhurst were a reminder of how much he has to do to get his own career back on track.
Events on the field were an even starker reminder of what he must do to get Crystal Palace there.
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