NEW Crystal Palace manager Tony Pulis has caused an early stir in his reign as Selhurst supremo by suggesting the Eagles are the biggest club in south London.

The former Stoke boss was finally confirmed as Ian Holloway’s replacement last weekend and is set to make his Eagles managerial debut later today in the dug-out at Carrow Road.

But although it took him a while to finally agree to take the job on having been made the early favourite, Pulis used the time to look into the club’s history, location and potential – leading him to conclude neighbours Charlton and Millwall are not as big as Palace.

He explained: “I spoke to Ian Holloway a couple of times before I took the job and I’ve spoken to other people who have been at the football club - I spoke to Dougie (Freedman), I spoke to Lennie Lawrence.

“The chairman has done his homework, I’ve done my homework and the big thing here is I think the club has just got enormous potential.

“What has happened is it has got promoted and then unfortunately got relegated straight away, so it has never had time to get a foothold in the Premiership to get the financial impetus that you need to take it on to that next level.

“I think that is most probably the thing that has held it back a little bit.

“But as a football club potentially, and I might get criticised for this, it is the biggest club in south London.

“I think it could be the biggest club in south London.

“It has got the biggest catchment area.”

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