Pardew unaware of fan walkout

Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew insists he is unaware of plans for a fan walkout during his side’s clash with Chelsea on Saturday.

Some Palace supporters are reportedly set to vacate their seats in the 21st minute of this weekend’s fixture to mark 21 Premier League defeats for the club this calendar year.

But Pardew’s focus is on ensuring his players do all they can to prevent that number from growing.

“I wasn’t aware of that if I’m honest but my view on that is that this team is fighting for the Palace shirt and I’ll make sure it fights to the last minute of every game,” he told a news conference.

Pardew knows he has a job on his hands to get a result against league leaders Chelsea, though, and is impressed with how their manager Antonio Conte has adapted to English football.

“Coming from Serie A, it’s a different type of football. Conte’s got to grips with the Premier League. He inherited players used to it,” he added.

“He’s been helped by his players having history in the Premier League, but he’s done a fantastic job. They look unbeatable at the moment.

“He’s coached that system [three at the back] and knows it very well. He’s got it pretty much nailed down.

“His man management [has been good]. [Eden] Hazard and [Diego] Costa are a different proposition to last year and they’ll admit that. [Cesc] Fabregas too.”