Steve Parish and Crystal Palace seeking a manager to ‘stick around’

Search for a new manager goes on after defeat to West Ham

Steve Parish (Getty)

Barry Davies made an emotional return to Match of the Day on Saturday, at the ground where he gave his first commentary for the show in 1969.

Bert Head was manager at Selhurst Park then. In the intervening 45 years Crystal Palace have had 27 managers and are now seeking another as they try to avoid an eighth relegation in that time.

The new man will be the fifth appointment in four years for co-chairman Steve Parish and, including current caretaker Keith Millen, the 10th under whom Julian Speroni has played.

“It’s not ideal because you want continuity,” said the goalkeeper. A swift decision on Tony Pulis’s replacement is needed but Speroni added: “You can’t rush because you can get it wrong.”

Parish said: “Finding the right person isn’t easy but I hope to have someone for the early part of this week. I have to get the right manager who’ll stick around a bit longer.”

Parish must have looked enviously at the growing evidence of stability at West Ham United. Sam Allardyce has seemed on the verge of being fired ever since he arrived at Upton Park but somehow he and the owners have made it work and he is now into his fifth season at the club.

It promises to be one of the best if the opening eight days are any guide. Unlucky to lose at home to Tottenham in their opening match, they enjoyed what Allardyce described as a “perfect” day in south London, playing entertaining football, scoring excellent goals, and involving five summer signings, all of whom showed promise in their 3-1 victory.

Ally McCoist, revealed in The Independent as being under consideration for the Palace job, yesterday said there had been no contact but did hint that he would not be surprised to be considered. “It is flattering, and maybe Rangers’ story, coming through the divisions, catches the attention,” he said.

Millen expects to be in charge for tomorrow’s Capital One Cup tie against Walsall, and still wants the job on a permanent basis.