Pardew: Palace on an ´upward curve´

Crystal Palace are on an “upward curve” after strengthening their squad during the close-season, manager Alan Pardew believes.

Pardew guided Palace away from the Premier League relegation zone in the second half of last season after replacing interim boss Keith Millen in January, ending the campaign 10th.

The former Newcastle United boss has since added the likes of Yohan Cabaye to his ranks, with the ex-Paris Saint-Germain midfielder netting on his debut in last Saturday’s 3-1 opening-day win at Norwich City.

Pardew commented: “The signing of Yohan was a benchmark. It shows that any world-class player can come here. 

“We’re on an upward curve, but we know it can change pretty quickly, so we need to be fully concentrated.

“Our strength is a counter-attacking side, but that is not going to be enough against some teams, we need to be more than that. 

“We don’t threaten through the middle enough, but that is something that will change this season.”

Pardew also criticised calls for an increase to the home-grown quota in the Premier League, saying it could actually damage the development of English players.

“Everyone is getting carried away, if English players are good enough they’ll break through. If you starting putting these rules in place, you’ll disrupt the whole thing,” he added.

“If they are good enough they’ll play, if not they’ll go into the Championship to learn their trade. It would be a disastrous move for the Premier League.”