Alan Pardew has given Crystal Palace a big lift, says Scott Dann
Monday 7 December 2015 12:04, UK
Scott Dann has praised the impact of manager Alan Pardew at Crystal Palace, and says he will strive to improve the club further.
Pardew is approaching a year at Selhurst Park, leading them to a 10th-place finish last term, while their 22 points from 14 games this season has them in seventh.
Ahead of the Monday Night Football trip to Everton, captain Dann says Pardew has brought huge positivity to the club since arriving in January.
He told Sky Sports: "He's given everyone a lift, everyone around the club and the fans. He brought that positivity into the team when we were struggling a bit and it has gone on from strength to strength.
"He wants to make sure we keep on pushing each other, and ourselves, to get better. And that's what we're tyring to do as a club, and obviously he's a big part of it."
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Pardew has warned Wilfried Zaha about diving but believes the winger is capable of earning an England recall for the European Championships.
Zaha picked up a yellow card in Crystal Palace's 5-1 win over Everton last weekend which means he is suspended for the trip to Everton and Alan Pardew has warned the winger about any future incidents.
And Dann says that while he has some sympathy with his team-mate, the midfielder does not need to dive.
"It's a tough one with players like that because there are times when they get fouled and you don't get the free-kicks, and it's never nice to see people dive and I think Wilf knows he made a mistake at the weekend.
"But on the flipside he gets kicked every week and doesn't get some decisions. It's probably not the right thing to do, so hopefully he'll learn from it and keep playing the way he is.
"He doesn't need to dive because he can go past people with ease. He's made a mistake and held his hand up."
Watch the extended interview with Crystal Palace captain Scott Dann on Sky Sports News HQ on Monday
