Alan Pardew a fan of Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri
Thursday 22 October 2015 23:19, UK
Crystal Palace boss Alan Pardew feels Claudio Ranieri's reputation as the 'Tinkerman' is a little harsh on the Leicester City manager.
Before his appointment as the successor to Nigel Pearson at Leicester in the summer, Ranieri's reputation in England was of an eccentric individual, overly concerned with squad rotation.
His arrival at Leicester led to widespread predictions that the Foxes would be relegated with him in charge, and recollections of his regime at Chelsea until 2004 when he made frequent changes to his team.
But those predictions have been far from the truth and, after a fine start to the season, Pardew believes it is time the Italian is given greater credit.
"I think it was a little bit unfair," said Pardew, whose Palace team head to Leicester on Saturday one place below their opponent in sixth in the Premier League.
"I used to go to a lot of Chelsea games when he was manager and he was rotating players and trying to motivate them by changing their position.
"It is what managers can do. And he was one of the first to really use the whole squad and keep the group together by using the whole squad. I don't really have a positive or a negative about it.
"As a manager, you have to call it as you see it. He has certainly not tinkered with this Leicester team. They have been pretty settled since he has been there."
Significant Premier League attention has in recent weeks surrounded the bitter relationship between Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger, yet, despite the intense pressure each manager is under and the potential rivalries that exist, Pardew said that Ranieri is unusually widely liked.
"I think every manager who meets him and every coach who comes across him will have great respect for him because he always gives you time," he said.
"I have seen him in the background at football grounds for the last 12 months in the Premier League when he didn't have a job. He was always prepared to give you an opinion and a helping hand and a nice manner."
