James McArthur: Alan Pardew has changed Crystal Palace’s mentality

Four successive wins have altered the mood at Selhurst Park, and Scotland midfielder believes the club can look forward to more than just avoiding relegation in the future

• Pardew’s Palace miracle continues with Burnley comeback

For James McArthur it was the first impression that counted. Precisely what was expected from the new regime was made clear in the away dressing room at Villa Park on New Year’s Day as Crystal Palace players peeled off shin-pads, casting them into the detritus of empty bottles and spent tape on the cluttered floor, in the exhausted aftermath of an ugly goalless draw. Instinct was to feel satisfied at a point gained on the road given the relegation scrap this campaign has become. Enter Alan Pardew, however, and the bar was immediately raised.

“It was the first time we’d met him since the appointment and we were all sitting there thinking it was a good draw, but he came in and just said: ‘Well done lads, a decent point, but you need to be winning games like that,’” says McArthur, recalling the hush which descended as the new manager set out his stall. “He told us we had to be doing more, working harder, taking more risks. It really impressed me and it’s kicked everyone on. Performances had been good, but it was suddenly obvious it’s not acceptable to be going out and getting the odd win or draw, here and there. He is ambitious. We needed a philosophy and to be a wee bit more expansive in games. He’s brought that to us already.”

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source Sport | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1wI35l5