Crystal Palace: A Premier League Job Nobody Wants?

What the Eagles are ideally looking for is a new manager who has experience of keeping a club of similar standing up. Martin O'Neill was probably the biggest name available, but has instead opted to make his anticipated step into coaching at international level with the Republic of Ireland. That left two other logical candidates €“ who both happen to be Welsh.

Tony Pulis

Pulis did sterling work at Stoke City, establishing the club as Premier League mainstays. He was eager to return to management after leaving the Potters by mutual consent in May. According to the tabloid rumour mill, Pulis expected Palace to pay him a similar salary to the £1.5 million per year he was on at Stoke, plus a bonus if he kept the club up. Eagles chairman Steve Parish appears to have gone rather cool on him since. One other explanation besides these wages demands may surround the approach Pulis takes to football. His Potters team were more about grinding out results than style. There is also the fact he had an abysmal record at bringing academy players through to the first team at the Britannia Stadium €“ a cornerstone of the usual business model in South London. In a television interview prior to Palace's home game with Arsenal, Parish pledged to consult former manager Neil Warnock about who was right to fill the vacancy. Short of swapping the pundit's chair for a second stint in the Selhurst dugout himself, there are few options out there that even come close to the criteria. So, who else...?