For better or worse, media coverage of Palace and West Brom tends to focus on managers Alan Pardew and Tony Pulis, especially in a week like this, when the two sides play each other.
Pardew has returned to Selhurst as a local hero. Pulis did a remarkable job as Palace manager but never managed to create much of a rapport with the fans.
They are certainly contrasting characters and as I took my seat in the Old Stand on Saturday lunchtime I thought I would pay particular attention to their performances.
To start with, Alan Pardew is far more conscious of making a smart appearance. The beautifully coiffed hair and tailored clothing rather showed up Pulis’s insistence on wearing the club shop track suit and cap.
Pardew is confident in his surroundings. The immediate rendition of ‘Alan Pardew’s Red and Blue Army’ told us he was not in Newcastle anymore.
The away section seemed quiet and under-populated. We heard that some of their allocation remained unsold. While he did exactly what was required at the Hawthorns last season and kept them up, it seems clear that Pulis is not in Stoke anymore.
Everyone was polite at the start. The Old Stand gave Pulis a warm if not rapturous reception. Pardew gave his now customary raised hand to water bottle circular applause move to the Holmesdale and Old Stand faithful.
They then shook hands warmly then took position in the coaching areas where they remained for the next 90 plus minutes of action.
The first half saw Pards determined to remain calm.
The home crowd of course were less calm, remembering past performances by referee Jon Moss, especially once James McClean seemed determined on bullying Pape Souare out of the game, and Yacob invented clashes in midfield.
Pardew’s calm extended to charm, as he offered sympathy to Jonny Evans after his early departure and to Chris Brunt, who as well as having to mark a rampant Wilf Zaha, got a nose bleed for his troubles midway through the first half.
Pulis hit default angry ranty mode from the off, and not just because of Jon Moss. His anger remains at a consistent ranty Warnockian level throughout a game, even if it is unclear why he is angry at any particular point. If he was shouting at a player he seemed to be ignored.
It took a while but Pardew finally got upset at the constant Baggie time-wasting, particularly from Myhill but also Yacob, who had taken on the pantomime villain role for the day. But Pardew could not sustain the anger for long returning to zen-like calm when only two minutes were added at the end of the half; he seemed to forget all the delays and let it pass.
There was a game to win after all.
While Palace were passing the ball around nicely and Zaha was almost tearing West Brom apart, thanks to the excellent service from Yohan Cabaye and Jason Puncheon Palace had not created enough chances.
Nor had West Brom. They seemed set up to win a physical contest, but lacked much guile, apart from the odd positive run from James Morrison.
Salomon Rondon has looked good in other games, but seemed happy to engage in an old school bruising battle with Brede Hangeland behind referee Moss’s back (which Brede rather enjoyed I think), and failed to trouble Wayne Hennessey in goal.
The second half saw the tension rise as Palace failed to turn dominance of territory and possession into goals. I had previously thought Pardew’s nervous tick was running his hands through his hair. New evidence gathered in the first twenty minutes of the second half now suggests it is a two-fingered prod of his forehead.
He seemed to consult his notes for inspiration and prod his head even harder as Palace were unable to create clear cut chances in the second half. And it seemed no-one on the staff dared join him in the box.
Pulis watchers will know that his tick is the removal and swift re-insertion of the baseball cap. He does permit companionship in the form of ex-Palace goal hanger and Bobby Davro lookalike David Kemp, but seemed to ignore Kemp in much the same way his team ignored his random ranting.
My theory about Pardew’s forehead tick could not be tested further once we had taken the lead. He was about to make an understandable tactical change with Sako stripped and ready on the sidelines and the numbers 10 and 27 punched into the board, when Bolasie headed in the first goal.
Sako meekly returned to the bench.
West Brom had been set up for a draw and with Berahino already subbed and Ricky Lambert and Anichebe ignored, Pulis seemed to have returned to the limited tactical approach he was criticised for at Stoke.
Pardew began to enjoy proceedings. As Frazier Campbell was brought on for his feisty cameo, the fourth official joked ‘are you sure this time?‘
Shortly after came the moment that proved Pardew really was not at Newcastle anymore. As the ball went out of play near the dugout he said ‘not yet’ to the ball boy who had picked up the ball. He paused briefly as the boy froze, then said ‘go on’, indicating the boy should give Chris Brunt the ball. As the boy threw the ball back Pardew grinned and winked at the crowd.
Shortly after that came Brunt’s foul on Wilf in the area that had seemed inevitable from the start and a second goal.
By that stage, Pulis had stopped shouting and just crossed his arms and sulked in defeat.
The handshake on the final whistle was brief but polite. As Pulis himself admitted afterwards, it had been a very poor performance. The 500 or so fans who had turned down the trip had been proved wise before the event.
Tony Pulis is definitely not in Stoke anymore.
