Crystal Palace are 18th in the Premier League and can arguably expect a harder second half to the season than the first. The club has its buzz back following the arrival of cult hero Alan Pardew and has a lot of work to do to save themselves given the mess Neil Warnock created. Here are five things he has to do in order to change the fortunes of the club.

Use a proper striker

It’s no surprise that in the past few matches Wilfried Zaha has been given the nod to lead the line the team have failed to score. He’s not a striker. There needs to be some serious questions asked about Dwight Gayle, Frazier Campbell and Kevin Doyle if they have all been dropped at the expense of Zaha, a winger who hasn’t got the footballing brain or the physical attributes to be a striker. Pardew needs to either utilise the genuine frontmen we have got, particularly now Glenn Murray has returned, or sign one. Campbell has failed immensely and his reputation with the fans isn’t helped by his lack of effort and positional awareness. It would be best for all parties if he was to make way to allow another to arrive.

Play Hennessey

This will make the majority of Palace fans spit out their drinks but there is no shame in admitting that it is time to drop our legendary goalkeeper when it’s at the hands of a superior player. Julian Speroni is still a brilliant ‘keeper and certainly makes some saves that you didn’t even think were possible but he is inferior to Hennessey in terms of his height, distribution and handling of crosses. It’s a tough call for Pardew as Parish and co will be pressing for sentimentality but Palace may not have been in such a worrying position had Hennessey been in goal. Of course, if we secure survival with games to spare then place Manos de Dios back into the spotlight for the final few games, but it’s at the stage where they need to do everything possible to secure our Premier League status.

Utilise the wingers

Crystal Palace have had a reputation for their dynamic and explosive wingers for many year, but in the last games under Warnock he almost completely removed the widemen, and under caretaker Keith Millen we bypassed them with unimaginative long-ball tactics. Yes, we lack a centre forward, but if our wide players are exploited in the way they should be, they and everyone else will naturally score more because we are creating an abundance of chances. Recently we haven’t been doing that and Pardew needs to rectify this if he is going to give us a threat in front of goal.

Rejuvenate Zaha

It’s no secret Zaha has been far from his best. His rotten time at Manchester United and Cardiff seems to have shot his confidence. He seems disinterested, weak and afraid to take on his man. There was a time where the fanbase would be split as to who was the better winger out of he and Yannick Bolasie but it would more likely be 100 per cent in Yannick’s favour these days. Bolasie, like Zaha, thrives in the spotlight. His scintillating play comes with his confidence and his ego and Pardew will need to work hard to revitalise the Zaha we all used to know and love. He still has a great part to play in this team and will need to up his game if he is to help keep the club up.

Make Selhurst a fortress

You can blame the pitch, you can blame our luck or you can blame the referee but it is no secret that our home form is unacceptable. We have picked up a disappointing eight points from a possible 27, which is sickening, particularly when we have already played Sunderland, Aston Villa, Burnley and Stoke at home. Last season we made sure that Selhurst Park was a place to be feared and without that home form we would never have stayed up. Survival is based around a strong home record and Pardew needs to act fast in order to overcome the hoodoo before it’s too late. 

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