ALAN PARDEW has been confirmed as the new manager of Crystal Palace this morning (Saturday). The former Newcastle United, Southampton, West Ham and Reading boss, who was in the stand at Villa Park on New Year's Day to see the Eagles pick up another point with a goalless draw, has put pen to paper on a three-and-a-half year deal at Selhurst Park. Pardew, who scored the winning goal for Palace against Liverpool to help the Eagles reach the FA Cup final in 1990, is now set to take charge of Palace for the first time in the FA Cup third round tie at Conference Premier side Dover Athletic tomorrow (Sunday).

The 53-year-old told the club's website: "I am absolutely delighted to be the new manager of Crystal Palace. Everyone knows my history here, what's important now is to move the club to the next level. 

"I believe with the backing of Steve [Parish] and the board I can help achieve that and create some new exciting history for the club."

Chairman Steve Parish described Pardew as a manager with a "great track record" and "great affection" for the club.

CASH-PRESSED Croydon Council is being asked whether it wants to make some money by moving into the hotel trade.

The offer comes from hotel chain, Travelodge, which has written to the council asking whether it would be prepared to enter a development partnership to build a new hotel in the borough.

It comes on the back of three deals the chain has recently completed with Reigate and Banstead, Cherwell and Breckland Councils.

Under the scheme, the council would be left with two choices after the hotel was completed - either retaining the ownership of the hotel and using rental income from Travelodge or selling the premises, with Travelodge as its operator, and keeping the development profits to benefit the community.

Travelodge already has three hotels in the borough in central Croydon, South Croydon and Crystal Palace.

No site has yet been identified for the new hotel but Peter Gowers, Travelodge chief executive, said: "We are delighted to be working with leading local authorities to help local communities realise the income potential, job creation and other community benefits that a Travelodge-backed development scheme can bring to their area. "There are considerable further growth opportunities for Travelodge in the borough and we are looking forward to adding further hotels to the portfolio as we extend the programme over the years ahead."

The hotel chain made a similar approach to the council in October 2013 but the proposal received a lukewarm reception from the then Conservative council leader, Mike Fisher.

Councillor Alison Butler, the present Labour cabinet member for homes and regeneration, said: "It is an unusual proposal but we are always keen to listen to and discuss plans which would benefit the town and the people of the town."

But, she added: "If this involves borrowing money to finance the hotel, I can think of other things we might want to borrow for before this."

She pointed out that there were already a number of other hotel chains who recognised Croydon's regeneration potential and were interested in moving to the town.

NEW Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew has hailed the club's fans on the back of his appointment, urging them to keep up the level of noise they're renowned for at Selhurst Park.

The 53-year-old was announced officially as the new man at the Eagles' helm on Saturday morning.

Pardew has described the fans as a "big power source" and hopes to have an electric atmosphere for his first game back in SE25 against Tottenham next weekend.

"Fans love you when you've done something good at a football club, and I think they remember that era I was in and they admired the spirit and the way we approached games," he said.

"I think they would like to see a little bit more of that and hopefully I can bring that back.

"This football club has done incredibly well over the last couple of years and they're a little bit sticky at the moment.

"We need to find a route out of that and hopefully bring back to those fans, who are so noisy it's unbelievable.

"That's the really big bonus about this football club, the fans in the last couple of years, especially that little corner that goes on and on and on.

"We can't use that or we'll take a big power source that we have at home."

By Mark Ritson (Twitter @MR_LWMedia)

ALAN Pardew says he wants to bring "at least two players" to Crystal Palace during the January transfer window.

The new Eagles boss has been in talks with the Palace board of directors over previous and fresh targets on arrival to the club.

Pardew admits he knows that those targets will need to be realistic without forcing co-chairman Steve Parish to splash too much cash, but the work has already started to enhance the current squad.

"Without putting pressure on the chairman, I think it's difficult for the manager to keep talking publicly about players and putting unnecessary pressure on the board," said the new manager.

"We have had discussions where I think we're going to need a player or two at least and that's what we're going to try and do."

The south Londoner also admitted he has to find a way of getting Palace to play without complicating too much, with the side building a reputation for being solid at the back and hitting opposition sides on the break.

It's something Pardew hopes to take on to the next level, describing it as a "general graduation and evolution of our system".

"To change something into expansive football is not going to suit us and we're going to find that teams are technically more dominant than us in the Premier League," he said.

"We have to find a different way, and the moment that way isn't bearing the results we want.

"A few tweaks here and there, a general graduation and evolution of our system, and that's as how much I would put on it."

By Mark Ritson (Twitter @MR_LWMedia)

COLUMNIST Alex White on why he is delighted with the appointment of Alan Pardew....

THE appointment of Alan Pardew isn't a cheap one but could turn out to be a shrewd one from the Palace board - and a real statement of intent.

A lot of people have raised their eyebrows at Pardew leaving Newcastle whilst they're in a comfortable league position to come to relegation scrapping Palace, but it makes perfect sense to me. 

From day one Pardew was unwelcome in the north east and the fans didn't support him. The fans expected a lot from their side and I personally think Pardew worked wonders under the pressure, under the owner and ultimately with the squad that he had to deal with and proved his worth and ability at this level.

Most fans will be delighted with the news of Super Al's imminent return to Selhurst Park. The biggest worry back in the summer when Tony Pulis left was that there were not many ideal replacements for us to approach. That was evident in the appointment of Neil Warnock in the first place.

Right now I believe the Palace post to be an attractive job - the club has fantastic potential. As long as Alan feels he can keep us up this season he will know he has a very exciting long-term prospect on his hands. 

Pardew will have the freedom to put his own identity on the team and have the full support of fans and owners alike. If we back Alan in this January window we will stay up with ease - as a squad we are more than good enough. It wouldn't be a massive struggle to think of 5/6 worse teams in this divisio,n we just need to add bulk and options to the side to ensure survival.

Pardew seems the perfect fit for us. If you take the last four managers of this club, there has been a certain type of manager who has been successful and certain type of manager who isn't. 

Holloway and Warnock are similar in their approach; in and around the camp they enjoy personal relationships and like to be a player's best mate. Like Freedman, Pulis was assertive and expected a certain standard from his players. The players didn't particularly like Tony but they feared him and bought into his philosophy and that's what made him successful into turning us into a force.

Pulis knew exactly what we were good at and worked towards our strengths rather than trying to turn us into something we're not. Pardew seems to lean towards the Pulis mould as opposed to the Holloway/Warnock mould and that is what we need to get the best out of these players. Ultimately, the difference in standard from Warnock and Pardew is that they are leagues apart and their records prove that.

Super Al's Red 'n' Blue Army!

A NURSERY manager from Addiscombe lost almost seven stone in just seven months after seeing unflattering images of herself on Facebook.

Kathleen Philpott, 38, weighed 17 stone 10 pounds at her heaviest before deciding to grasp the initative and join a dieting club in March 2013.

Changes to her social life and a strict regime set by her LighterLife club in Purley led to her reducing her weight to under 11 stone.

Kathleen said: "I would look at Facebook and see myself on there and I thought 'I have to change this'.

"I've lost nearly seven stone. A lot of food was taken completely and replaced by shakes. I am maintaining the management of it.

"My health has been a lot better as well as in terms of my personal confidence. I still occasionally go to support groups and you can go back whenever and there's no judgement on you for doing so. It's fantastic.

"They don't persecute you for that."

Kathleen has since met a new partner, something she puts down to her weight-loss improving her confidence.

One of her biggest vices in the past was Krispy Kreme donuts and going out with friends for drinks – something she says has worked out a lot cheaper since she lost the weight.

Kathleen added: "I did a lot of social things such as going out to eat or out for drinks and people don't say anything to you because they don't want to offend you.

"I've become a lot more conscious of how much I drink and consume. Because I'm a lot smaller, I don't have to drink as much anymore and it helps save money."

CRYSTAL Palace goalkeeper Julian Speroni says the Eagles will respect Conference Premier opponents Dover Athletic on Sunday in the FA Cup but wants to progress smoothly into the fourth round.

It is a potential banana skin for Palace in front of the watching nation, with the game on BT Sport and the hosts currently on a 16-game unbeaten run in all competitions.

Speroni may be rested for the clash, with Wayne Hennessey getting some rare game-time, but the Argentine hopes to play and says Palace's attitude will not change.

"It's another tough game, it's away from home, it's on television, it's a big occasion, it's the FA Cup," he said.

"We want to win the game, we want to stay in the Cup and we want to do well.

"We will face the game with the same attitude and focus and see what happens.

"Anything can happen. Sometimes you expect a game to turn out a certain way and it's totally different.

"One result isn't going to change who we are or our attitude towards training and games.

"You have to respect everybody, you'd be stupid not to do that.

"This is the beauty of the FA Cup. As a footballer you want to play every single game but we have a new manager in charge now and it is up to him to make (tactical) decisions.

"I always want to play. It will be up to the manager if he wants to play me or Wayne."

By Mark Ritson (Twitter @MR_LWMedia)

JOE Ledley wants to "get the job done" at Dover Athletic in the FA Cup on Sunday but is under no illusions as to how tough it could be.

Dover are unbeaten in 16 games in all competitions and go into the tie full of confidence in hope of springing a Cup shock.

Ledley accepts there will be pressure on Palace to advance to the next stage and hopes it's a chance for the squad to score some goals again.

"Everyone is expecting us to win at Dover, so there is pressure whenever we cross that line," he said.

"They have an opportunity to play against a Premier League team. They will be up for it and it's going to be their cup final.

"Hopefully we can match them with the enthusiasm and go down there and put in a performance, get a win and get the job done.

"It will be difficult with the games we've played. We haven't won for a long time and it's a chance for some of the players to get some goals.

"It doesn't matter who you're playing or what competition it is, you always go out there and give 100 per cent.

"That's why we're professional footballers and that's what you've got to do. You have to go out there and fight for every game.

"It will be a difficult game at Dover."

By Mark Ritson (Twitter @MR_LWMedia)

AN abstract image featuring Croydon's Skyline project during the Millennium celebrations forms part of a online gallery produced by Royal Mail which went live this weekend.

The gallery has been put together by Royal Mail to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its special stamp programme.

It shows every new stamp issued since July 1965.

The Croydon image forms part of a series issued in February 2000 to mark the Millennium and represents Skyline, a council project to encourage the lighting of major buildings in the town centre.

Other stamps in the series called Fire and Light show a blazing Millennium beacon, lightning over Edinburgh and the Snowdon mountain railway in Wales.

The Croydon stamps, plus all the others issued by Royal Mail, can be seen by visiting www.rmspecialstamps.com

THE family of a Croydon bar worker not seen since New Year's Eve are increasingly concerned about his whereabouts.

Lucas Leonelli, 18, lives in Shirley and was last seen in Croydon High Street on December 31 by a girl he worked with in Yates's. 

He has since been reported missing to the police and relatives have set up a Facebook page to appeal for information. 

Lucas, who is from Brazil, lost his mobile phone on December 29, a statement on the website says. 

He has a strong Brazilian accent, sometimes wears thick black-rimmed glasses and speaks fluent English. He plays the guitar.

According to his family Lucas, who came to the UK in April 2014, only knows the Croydon area so his family believe he is somewhere nearby.  

Anyone who knows of his whereabouts is asked to call the Metropolitan Police on 101 quoting reference 8799 and January 1. 

CRYSTAL Palace cruised into the fourth round of the FA Cup with a comfortable victory at Conference Premier side Dover Athletic this afternoon.

It was one-sided for the majority, with the hosts barely testing Eagles goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey.

Defender Scott Dann scored Palace's first couple of goals in the first half, before Dwight Gayle and Kevin Doyle wrapped it up with further finishes.

For Dover, they just didn't look like causing a famous upset in the FA Cup.

The Eagles went very close to opening the scoring after just 40 seconds.

Wilfried Zaha did well on the left and delivered into the box, which saw Glenn Murray force a flying save from Andrew Rafferty from his header.

Barry Bannan had a shot saved at the near post soon after, and he could have instead squared to Zaha unmarked.

Murray was then denied twice in quick succession from Rafferty, first seeing his shot saved low down by the stopper before a close range header was clawed away.

The pressure mounted and it was only a matter of time before the visitors took the lead – which they did in the tenth minute.

A ball came in from the left, flicked on by Murray and there was centre-back Scott Dann unmarked for an easy tap-in at the back post.

Dover did their best to get into the contest with some neat passing but the ball would eventually fall back into Palace's hands – and once they had it, it was very hard for the hosts to get it back.

There were penalty shouts at either end in the space of 30 seconds, before Dover had another one for handball against Martin Kelly following a cross, but referee Andre Marriner gave a corner instead.

However, Palace deservedly doubled their lead after 34 minutes through Dann again. A corner was sent direct to the far post and there was the defender to powerfully head home through a crowd of players.

And right-back Joel Ward nearly got in on the act a minute later when he forced Rafferty into a good stop at his near post.

Dover's Tom Bonner nearly latched on to a long ball forward but Wayne Hennessey raced out to gather before the half-time whistle was blown.

Kevin Doyle replaced Murray at the break, and the Irishman forced Rafferty to tip the ball over for a corner.

And Dann, on a hat-trick, rose again to power a header towards goal, but it was easy for Rafferty this time.

Around the hour-mark, Stuart O'Keefe should have wrapped it up with a third, collecting Zaha's square pass on the edge of the box but he placed over the crossbar.

It was turning into a training ground exercise at this stage, with the Eagles comfortable and spraying the ball around.

Dover brought on the tricky Christian Nanetti for Sean Raggett but Palace continued to dominate play.

Dann headed wide from a corner soon after, but then it was game over as far as Dover were concerned as the Eagles grabbed a third.

Gayle got it, latching on to a pass, beating his marker and driving a left-foot shot home at Rafferty's near post.

Jerome Thomas came on for Gayle with 18 minutes remaining, while Adrian Mariappa also got some game-time, replacing Ledley.

In a rare attack for Dover, Nanetti burst down the right and picked out a team-mate on the far left, and despite winning a corner, it was easy for Hennessey to claim in the end.

In fact, it was easy for the custodian all afternoon, catching everything in the air that came his way.

Palace grabbed a fourth with three minutes remaining when Thomas delivered from the left and Doyle claimed an easy tap-in.

Dover will be disappointed not to have really given Palace a scare, with hardly any efforts on goal throughout the 90 minutes.

For the Eagles, they march into the next phase of the world's famous cup competition.

Palace: Hennessey, Ward, Kelly, Dann, Delaney, O'Keefe, Ledley (Mariappa 75), Bannan, Zaha, Gayle (Thomas 72), Murray (Doyle 46).

Subs Not Used: Kettings, Hangeland, Guedioura, Puncheon.

Dover Athletic: Rafferty, Raggett (Nanetti 57), Orlu, Bellamy (Wynter 69), Murphy (Modeste 81), Cogan, Payne, Deverdics, Sterling, Essam, Bonner.

Subs Not Used: Francis, Reid, Hook, Lock.

Referee: Andre Marriner

Report by Mark Ritson, at Crabble Stadium

NEW Palace boss Alan Pardew was delighted with his players' attitudes in their comprehensive victory at Dover Athletic in the FA Cup last Sunday.

The manager hailed Scott Dann for his performance among two goals to get Palace going in the first half, describing the centre-back as "the best player on the pitch", with his passing catching the manager's eye in particular.

Dover never really troubled the south Londoners throughout the 90 minutes, mustering just one shot all game, with none on target.

"We applied ourselves really well and we ticked all the attitude boxes that you'd want to tick," said Pardew.

"I made a point to the players that we needed to show a little exuberance and class in terms of our passing and they used that instruction really well.

"We grew in confidence as the game went on and we never looked in trouble really. I don't think our goalkeeper had very much to do, and at any level that's very difficult to achieve.

"Scott Dann is a fabulous player and I've always thought that. The pleasing thing about Scott, for me, wasn't his two goals but his passing.

"He was by far the best player on the pitch in terms of his distribution."

By Mark Ritson (Twitter @MR_LWMedia)

CRYSTAL Palace centre-back Scott Dann says the Eagles will be confident whoever they get in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

The south Londoners eased through to the next phase of the world's famous cup competition with a 4-0 win against non-league outfit Dover Athletic on Sunday.

And with the draw for the fourth round on Monday, Dann doesn't have anyone in particular in mind for the weekend of January 23/24.

"I am not fussed, to be honest," he told the Advertiser.

"It's only early days in the competition, it's always nice to go as far as you can.

"First and foremost, we need to concentrate on the league but obviously when the next round comes around we're obviously in the hat, so we're delighted with that.

"Whoever we play, we'll be confident."

By Mark Ritson (Twitter @MR_LWMedia)

A TEENAGER from Croydon who had not been seen since New Year's Eve has been found "safe and well". 

Lucas Leonelli's family reported the 18-year-old, who works at Yates's bar in Croydon High Street, as missing and set up a Facebook page to appeal for information. 

This afternoon (Sunday) they updated the page to say he had been found.

"He logged in to Skype today, and our cousin talked him into meeting up with her and going to stay with her for a while," the post said.

"Thank you to much for all of your help. It may well be that he saw the page or one of the online articles through one of you sharing this information and for this I am grateful." 

COMMUTERS returning to work after their Christmas break are facing huge disruption this morning.

East Croydon station was said to be 'carnage' by one Twitter user as services from London Bridge are either being cancelled or delayed by at least half an hour.

Services in the opposite direction to Gatwick and Redhill are also being disrupted.

Twitter user Lizzie Place (@Lizzie_Place) said: "East Croydon this morning is pure chaos. #standsill"

A MAN from Thornton Heath has been charged with murder following the death of a man in Waterloo. 

Mark Dwayne Patten, 30, of Galpins Road, Thornton Heath, will appear in custody at Camberwell Magistrates' Court today (Monday) charged with the murder of 43-year-old Menelaos Aligizakis. 

Mr Aligizakis, who has not been formally identified, suffered serious head injuries and was found on Waterloo Road at 2.45am on Saturday. 

Ambulance crews were called but he was pronounced dead at the scene. 

A spokesman for Scotland Yard said: "While the victim has not been formally identified, detectives are satisfied he was 43-year-old Menelaos Aligizakis." 

A MAN was taken to hospital this morning after he was found sitting in a car in Croydon with a barbecue.

London Ambulance Service's hazardous area response team (HART) responded to calls in the early hours of this morning to reports of a man sitting in his car with the cooking equipment.

It is unclear whether the barbecue was alight but he has been taken to a south London hospital.

London Ambulance Service's HART team tweeted at approximately 5am this morning: 

TWO contenders for the Croydon South parliamentary seat will go head to head in a debate tonight (January 5), ahead of May's general election.

Conservative Chris Philp and Labour's Emily Benn have been invited to take part in the contest by the Coulsdon and Purley Debating Society.

The two prospective candidates, who are both Oxford graduates, have been tasked to discuss the economy, at the  Old Coulsdon Centre for the Retired in Grange Park, Coulsdon Road at 8pm.

Mr Philp was selected as the Conservative candidate for Croydon South in November 2013, succeeding incumbent Sir Richard Ottaway, who has held the seat since 1992. He stood as the Tory candidate for Hampstead and Kilburn in 2010, losing by 42 votes to former actress Glenda Jackson.

Meanwhile, Emily Benn, granddaughter of Labour stalwart Tony Benn, was elected as a councillor for West Thornton in last May's council elections. She was selected to contest Croydon South, which has been held by the Tories since its creation in 1974, in July last year.

The Coulsdon and Purley Debating Society run regular debates on various topics at the centre on the first Monday of every month.

CRYSTAL Palace have begun work on their pitch at Selhurst Park.

Players were complaining at how soft the turf was and struggling to find grip, with the grass cutting up with ease throughout the Autumn and early Winter.

Following the Boxing Day clash with Southampton, Palace didn't have a game for two weeks at home, therefore making it a good time to get the repair work under way before this Saturday's clash with Tottenham.

COLUMNIST Dan Gibbs thinks the reason for Alan Pardew's move from Newcastle to Crystal Palace is clear - he did it for love...

AFTER what seems like a lifetime of waiting, Palace have finally announced that Alan Pardew Is to be our new man in charge.

Super Al Is returning home and unlike Neil Warnock's appointment four months ago; the vast majority of Palace supporters are happy with the move.

Being born myself in 1994, Pardew's time as a player is one I can't recall but the older generation will remember his playing days at Palace very fondly; particularly that winning goal at Villa Park.

So while it is mostly always a good idea for a past player to return one day as manager to their old club, I have had to base my opinions of Pardew on his managerial career in my lifetime.

A few things spring to mind; that ludicrous head-butt against David Meyler in March, that slow motion video of him telling Manuel Pellegrini exactly what he thought of him and a bizarre video of him on the touchline giving that 'happy face' gesture. He is certainly a character.

I think Pardew is the right man to succeed Warnock. He offers a lot of passion in his coaching style and gets his team believing in themselves and, with the characters in our dressing room, I think they'll be a perfect match.

Going to a club of Newcastle's stature was a daunting prospect for Pardew when he first signed and in the five years he spent there, despite not winning anything, he has done a great job in keeping Newcastle away from any relegation battles on a relatively small budget.

He also made some great signings, bringing in players like Papiss Cisse, Moussa Sissoko, Yohan Cobaye, Hatem Ben Arfa and Demba Ba. If Palace could attract those kind of names, that's a big step forward for our club.

Of course the aim this season is to stay up, but long term Pardew could be the man to establish this club as a regular in the Premier League.

Many people pondered the question: Why would Pardew leave a club like Newcastle to go to Palace? I think the answer is relatively straightforward. He's suffered abuse from the Newcastle supporters for years and to be given the opportunity to escape and go to a former club where he is loved by the fans ultimately proved too hard to turn down.

Pardew will have missed the fans chanting his name, that bit of warmth from the stands and at Palace he will get that. This could be the start of something special.

In Pardew we trust.