Crystal Palace in disarray after Tony Pulis exit

Tony Pulis left Crystal Palace on Thursday evening after crisis talks with co-chairman Steve Parish

It was around 7pm on Thursday evening, as the London sky darkened, primed to welcome the onset of evening, when Tony Pulis, incensed and disillusioned with Crystal Palace’s transfer market actvity, informed Palace co-chairman Steve Parish of his decision to depart Selhurst Park during a lengthy meeting. It was a sudden shock which reverberated on the out-skirts of Selhurst Park, especially with an opening day trip to Arsenal hours away. Pulis could hardly have delivered his verdict at a worse moment.

Pulis-Parish animosity

The former Stoke City manager had keenly pursued several transfer targets, with only four, in Brede Hangeland, Fraizer Campbell, Chris Kettings and Martin Kelly, going through to completion. Pulis had been determined to add Gylfi Sigurdsson, who moved from Tottenham Hotspur to Swansea City, and Steven Caulker, who snubbed Palace in favour of a move to London rivals Queens Park Rangers, to his over-achieving squad, but his interest in the duo failed to materialise. On Thursday, Pulis had overseen the signing of Kelly from Liverpool in a £1.5m deal and trained at the club’s Beckenham training complex, and yet dissatisfied with his squad less than 48 hours before an arduous away trip to the Emirates Stadium, Pulis exited.

Wilfried Zaha, unsettled at Manchester United, was another target Pulis coveted, but a deal for the England international seems unfeasible. Palace are in disarray, with assistant manager Keith Millen, who had excelled in the aftermath of Ian Holloway's resignation, taking charge on Saturday. The club had asked members of Pulis's coaching staff, including Gerry Francis and David Kemp, to remain at the club for the Arsenal match before departing, the integral duo overseeing a spirited Palace display, imprinted with Pulis's philosophy, tainted by Aaron Ramsey's late winner.

Prior to his appointment at Selhurst Park, Pulis was wary of taking the plunge at Palace, with key figures in English football, the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and QPR manager Harry Redknapp, advising him to acquiesce to Parish's wishes. The density of the squad concerned Pulis, yet after releasing a plethora of players he regarded as surplus to requirements, disputes over transfer funds with co-chairman Parish further fuelled unease in Pulis.

The former Stoke boss warrants admiration for transforming Palace’s fortunes, in replacing Holloway in November, who seemed destined for a return to the Championship. His January deadline-day acquisitions of Scott Dann, Joe Ledley, Tom Ince and Jason Puncheon were pivotal in retaining Palace’s Premier League status, and following an exceptional tenure at Selhurst Park, Pulis will not be in managerial limbo for long.

Possible replacements

Parish and sporting director Iain Moody have begun compiling their managerial wish-list, with the likes of David Moyes, Neil Lennon, and particularly Malky Mackay believed to occupy the upper echelons of Palace’s short-list. The prospect of Moyes, unceremoniously dismissed by Manchester United in April, assuming the reins at Palace seems distant, with the Scot believed to prefer a sabbatical to recover from an enervating tenure at Old Trafford.

Lennon, having resigned from his post as Celtic manager, has publicly expressed his desire to manage in the Premier League, yet Mackay seems to be the preferred choice of both Parish and Moody. Mackay is determined to facilitate a return to the Premier League, and given his connections within Palace, a potential appointment seems perfectly viable.

Palace sporting director Moody worked alongside Mackay at Watford and then at Cardiff, before both were dramatically sacked by the Welsh club’s charismatic owner, Vincent Tan. His coherent professional relationship with Moody could be integral to a possible appointment at Palace, with the former Cardiff head of recruitment highly influential in Palace’s upper echelons.