Crystal Palace are still winless in the League under Sam Allardyce and with each passing day, the pressure is increasing on Big Sam along with the players involved. They are now in the relegation zone and it is difficult to pinpoint in which area they have improved since Alan Pardew’s sacking, even though the former Newcastle United manager had won just 6 times in the entirety of last year.
With the club seemingly unable to use the sufficient resources available to them, there are being questions raised whether the current players are suitable for the system or not. The Eagles have the likes of Cabaye, Townsend, Zaha, Puncheon and Benteke along with Remy up top but goals have been shockingly hard to come by.
Allardyce has spoken about strengthening the squad which has serious issues in the fullback areas and in defence and midfield as well, on paper. But result wise, it is clear that the attack needs refurbishing which puts serious doubts on whether they can fix all these issues in January itself or not.
And with the cut-throat competition and the level of teams in and around them, Sam will know that he needs to act fast or they will get stuck in the bottom 3 in no time. As Swansea’s 3-2 history-making win at Anfield showed, there will be no pushovers or guaranteed scapegoats and one has to fight his own battle.
With the summer activity already underway at the Selhurst Park with the signing of Jeffrey Schulpp, there are reports of an exit with Andros Townsend linked with another shock move to Newcastle United on a loan move. The former Tottenham star was signed by Newcastle United as a last-ditch attempt to avoid relegation but failing to do so, he had moved to Palace. And barely 6 months after the move, he is ready to go back to St. James’ Park, where things are looking rosy in the Championship for the Magpies.
Sam Allardyce has pinpointed Stewart Downing as a potential replacement and with the Englishman having fallen down the pecking order at the Riverside Stadium, might be available for a move. The midfielder prospered under the former Sunderland boss during their time together at West Ham, where he was used to good effect in a central role.
Middlesbrough head coach Aitor Karanka has included the player in his starting line-up only once since early November after revealing he had shown him videos to explain why he was no longer in the team. But Allardyce will be more than happy to bring him on board as the winger will bring in much-needed balance and experience to the faltering Palace squad.
