De Boer wants safety first a Palace
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Crystal Palace unveil their new manager hoping he can build a cushion of safety
Its a shame Sam Alladyce’s time as England manager ended in such a sordid manner. For that he can only have himself to blame and no doubt he will do every time it pops into his mind.
It’s was his moment and a chance to silence a loud section of football who labelled the former Bolton and West Ham boss a long ball specialist.
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Despite the awkwardness of it all big Sam went back into football and took on struggling Crystal Palace for one last adventure and showed how good his speciality really was, except it wasn’t long ball, it was avoiding relegation.
Alladyce has now retired having gotten Palace to safety with a seven point gap. Just to give perspective, two more wins and they would have finished 8th ahead of Southampton.
Just 12 points separated 8th and the relegation zone while Everton enjoyed a 15 point gap in 7th defining a little slot in the league. An area that isn’t near Europe and which offers safety from the drop.
This must be what Steve Parish was referring to at a press conference to announce the signing of Frank De Boer: “We need to build a cushion,” said the Palace Chairman. “Frank’s number one brief is to reduce mine and the fans’ anxiety this season.”
Keen to echo his new bosses wishes, the former Netherlands defender is looking for a relegation free first season but with his brand of total football.
“The aim is to be a solid Premier League team, not to struggle with relegation.
“I have my own type of coaching and style of play. We will try and play dominantly, with and without the ball, and play attractive football. They have a fantastic fan base here.”
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Like Alladyce, De Boer comes to Palace with a little baggage following his sacking from Inter Milan in November after just 85 days in charge, but he still has a remarkable cv with four consecutive Eredivisie titles in six years with Ajax.
Now the former Barcelona player is heading into arguably the most competitive leagues in the world with one of its regular strugglers. However he is confident of growth.
“I had a good feeling about the club and the prospect of managing a team in the Premier League was exciting,” added De Boer.
“This club can grow further and further. They spend a lot of money and there is the possibility to do something well with that money.
“I’ve not met the players yet. We will look at one or two signings, but I think it is necessary to see all the players here first.”
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