ALAN PARDEW believes the nature of the Premier League table means Crystal Palace have a great chance to go one step further in the FA Cup than they did in 1990 when he was a player.
 |
| Pardew has been in FA Cup finals as a manager and as a player |
The current Palace boss was part of the side that lost the FA Cup final replay to Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United 25 years ago, drawing the original game 3-3 before losing 1-0 in the replay.
But with
"Chelsea and Man City were in a better place in the league last year, so I think there is a better chance for the likes of ourselves, Everton, Stoke and even Newcastle," Pardew said.
"They could win this competition and if we don’t win it I hope they do."
WILL SOUTHAMPTON BEAT CRYSTAL PALACE IN THE FA CUP?
PLAY OUR FREE PREDICTOR GAME NOW TO WIN A 3D TV AND PS4!
Pardew was never able to take his Newcastle side past the fourth round of the FA Cup despite his exploits as a player in the competition.
And the 54-year-old blamed the timing of FA Cup third round for his lack of success, coming straight after the busy Christmas period when players are often at their most tired.
Having said that, Pardew did take his West Ham side to the final of the competition in 2006 only to lose out on penalties to Steven Gerrard's Liverpool, the second final defeat of the Londoners career.
"It’s a competition I love and I’ve spoken about many many times," Pardew added.
"My favourite memories are etched in my mind - Charlie George scoring and going on his back, Kevin Keegan scoring, Ian Rush hitting the camera. I can reel them all off.
"So to actually be part of that folklore by winning is something that's just missed me on on two occasions, and on the third occasion I hope it doesn't.
"You need a bit of luck. When we got to the final as Crystal Palace our draw was fairly easy. We got lucky in the draw and capitalised on that.
"This first game is tough for us and we’ve got to come through. We had a tough draw in the League Cup and were well beaten by Manchester City and we have to put that right."
 |
| Pardew was part of the midfield that saw Lee Martin's goal in the replay win the cup |
Palace are also seventh in the Premier League, meaning they cannot afford to lose concentration on that competition either, but Pardew stressed that the game at Aston Villa on Tuesday is well out of his mind.
"I have an eye on Tuesday because we all have very important Premier League game, and we're playing a team who are bottom of the league so we have a chance in that game to get another away win there," Pardew said.
"But it doesn’t take our focus away from the FA Cup, and I’ve explained that to the players.
"This game is top of our agenda this week, above Villa and Manchester City."
Post a Comment Blogger Facebook Disqus