Pulis slams ´disappointing´ Cardiff conduct

Crystal Palace boss Tony Pulis insists Cardiff City’s “disappointing” complaints will not overshadow their likely Premier League survival.

Cardiff are reported to have spoken to the Premier League about Palace’s conduct, alleging that their teamsheet was leaked ahead of a 3-0 home defeat against the London club earlier this month.

Pulis’ men have won four league encounters in a row, culminating in a 3-2 victory at UEFA Champions League-chasing Everton on Wednesday.

That run has seen them rise to 11th, 10 points above the relegation zone, and with four matches remaining, Palace could yet finish in the top half – an unthinkable feat when the Welshman assumed the reins in November.

Pulis said on Friday: “Cardiff (will do) whatever they’ve got to do. It’s been disappointing that they’ve been dropping stuff out to the press.

“If we have to go up and meet the Premier League or whoever it is that we have to meet, then we’ll do it in the right and proper manner. We won’t do it any other way. I think that’s important.

“As a manager and as a coach, I log every session that I do. And I’ll be taking those sessions up to the Premier League to show that I picked my team on Monday before we played Cardiff on the Saturday.

“And that team was worked with for a week. And there was no changes in it whatsoever.

“I don’t want to go into it (further). I think the important thing is that we talk about other things. It’s been such a great achievement.

“We’ve managed to bring this club together. The supporters, the atmosphere, the people in the boardroom, whether you’ve been a young supporter or an older supporter, everybody has come together as one.

“The players have really taken on board what we’ve tried to do. You can lead horses to water but you need them then to drink the water. And they’ve done that. They’ve been absolutely fantastic.”

Palace go to West Ham on Saturday seeking their fifth Premier League win in a row for just the second time ever.

And Pulis is expecting a difficult challenge.

“We know it is going to be a tough game,” he added.

“I have got tremendous respect for (manager) Sam (Allardyce) and for West Ham. It’s a fabulous football club, great tradition. I love going to Upton Park. It’s one of the grounds, very, very close to the pitch…and there’s always a great atmosphere there.

“They have got a lot of Premier League experience. I think the fact that (striker Andy) Carroll is back…they played with two wingers, (Matt) Jarvis and (Stewart) Downing, who are decent players…it’s a tough game for us.”