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Could Sam Allardyce lead Crystal Palace to their best Premier League season?

Crippy Cooke in Editorial, English Premier League 26 Apr 2017

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Crystal Palace manager Sam Allardyce could be leading the side to their best ever finish in the Premier League this season.

Crystal Palace recently stunned Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield to go seven points clear of the Premier League relegation zone and cut the deficit to the sides in the top-half of the table.

The Eagles have five games remaining and could well surpass their 48-point total amassed under then-manager Alan Pardew should they pick up three wins and two draws, or four wins.

Miraculous turnaround from February has saved their season

Crystal Palace are currently 12th in the Premier League with 38 points from 33 games this season, coming off the back of four wins and a draw from their last half a dozen outings. The Eagles were 19th in the division with 19 points from 25 games after defeats to Sunderland and Stoke City in early February, but the run of form that followed has all but led them to safety.

(25/2/17) Crystal Palace 1-0 Middlesbrough
(4/3/17) West Bromwich Albion 0-2 Crystal Palace
(18/3/17) Crystal Palace 1-0 Watford
(1/4/17) Chelsea 1-2 Crystal Palace
(5/4/17) Southampton 3-1 Crystal Palace
(10/4/17) Crystal Palace 3-0 Arsenal
(15/4/17) Crystal Palace 2-2 Leicester
(23/4/17) Liverpool 1-2 Crystal Palace

Sam Allardyce’s men don’t have the easiest run-in, but they do have momentum on their side. Title-chasing Tottenham Hotspur are sure to provide stiff competition as they won’t let up in their pursuit for the Premier League crown, but travel-sick Burnley could be lax days later as they are all but safe in the top-flight.

Crystal Palace’s remaining Premier League games
(26/4/17) Crystal Palace v Tottenham Hotspur
(29/4/17) Crystal Palace v Burnley
(6/5/17) Manchester City v Crystal Palace
(14/5/17) Crystal Palace v Hull City
(21/5/17) Manchester United v Crystal Palace

There’s always a risk the Eagles could take their foot off the gas given their Premier League status looks retained for another season, but the Palace boss isn’t allowing his players to take their foot off the gas. “We have got an opportunity to get there (to 38 points in the Premier League) and get beyond it. It is a big week for us to see how many points we can get. So let’s get as many as we can to take pressure off ourselves,” said the 62-year-old.

Crystal Palace are 2/1 to finish in the top-half of the Premier League this season. Despite such a poor run of form in 2016, they are now on course for their best top-flight campaign since the league’s inception. Can they surpass 48 points in the table to set a new record, or will they fall just short come May?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Crippy Cooke


Crippy Cooke has somehow written for the Telegraph, Independent, Huffington Post, Zoo Magazine, Daily Mail, ITV Football, MSN Sport, Yahoo Sport, London24 and Bleacher Report among others, despite knowing less about football than your average Fan TV member . The weekly accumulator enthusiast is saving up his winnings to pay for a much-needed hair transplant but grows more on his chin than his head. He lives and breathes football and somehow makes a living writing from it.

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