Friday 7 August 2015 08:24, UK
Alan Pardew believes the trust Crystal Palace have given him this summer has vindicated his decision to leave Newcastle in January.
The 54-year-old surprised many when he left St James’ Park with the Tyneside club sitting comfortably in mid-table.
Pardew succeeded Neil Warnock at Selhurst Park and led the London side to a 10th-place finish, while Newcastle were ultimately almost relegated.
He is already more popular in his new surroundings than he ever was at his former club and admits he is relishing the control he has been given.
Palace have made four new signings, with Yohan Cabaye, Alex McCarthy, Connor Wickham and Bakary Sako arriving for a combined £22.5m while Chelsea’s Patrick Bamford has arrived on loan.
Pardew said: “I've been pretty frustrated in the last two or three years in the transfer market, so I'm pretty pleased this year.
“I said to Steve Parish, the chairman, that it was an important year for us to make a statement. It's all well and good having those conversations but you need the backing.
“This is the first time, and one of the reasons I came to this football club, I have full control with the chairman over transfers. I'm really pleased with the business we've done.
“The thing about a football manager is he has a philosophy and a way of playing. At Newcastle, at times, it was difficult for me to implement the transfers into my agenda because the agenda was different.
“Here the agenda is much easier for me. The chairman says I can buy to my philosophy, so we're buying players like Sako and Bamford, Connor Wickham because I want us to go forward, I want us to be an exciting team.”
