New Crystal Palace manager Tony Pulis calls on fans support to assist Premier League survival campaign

The Eagles sit second from bottom with just two wins to their name but Pulis praises the club's supporters and says they can help keep the side in the top flight

Tony Pulis has called on the fans support to keep Crystal Palace in the Premier League (GETTY IMAGES)

Tony Pulis has called on the Crystal Palace fans to help him keep the Eagles in the Barclays Premier League.

The former Stoke manager was unveiled at Palace on Monday after penning a two-and-a-half year deal at Selhurst Park, with the club currently sitting 19th in the table.

A seven-year spell at Stoke came to an end at the culmination of last season but Pulis has now returned to top-flight management as he looks to continue his record of never being relegated throughout his managerial career.

The 55-year-old's time at Stoke saw him guide the club from the second tier in to European competition and an FA Cup final, with the partisan home support inside the club's Britannia Stadium often heralded as a factor in their success.

Now Pulis believes Crystal Palace fans can do their bit if he is to become the first manager to keep the Eagles in the Premier League for more than one season.

"I just think the supporters of this football club have picked the baton up. I think it has been wonderful," he said.

"I think they appreciate what the club has done and where it has come from over the past couple of years. There is a rapport between the supporters and the team which is so, so important.

"We need that. I kept saying when I was at Stoke how important that was and what a great part the supporters of Stoke City played in taking that club forward in the early years of the Premier League.

"The Palace supporters have been exactly the same, you have to give them a performance to get behind. You have to give them something to shout about but we certainly will need them. I have absolutely no doubt that they will stick with the team."

Pulis takes over from caretaker manager Keith Millen, who took four points from his four games in charge after previous boss Ian Holloway left the club.

Palace found themselves bottom of the table when Holloway's tenure came to an end despite bringing in as many as 16 new faces over the course of the summer.

However, Pulis has already been identifying areas he feels need work and could dip his toes in the transfer market when the January window opens - although for now he is focused solely on the Eagles' forthcoming fixtures.

"I have spoken to Steve (Parish, co-chairman) about different things in different areas of the team and things that I think we need," he said.

"I haven't come in to this job without looking at the team and looking at games they have played before or monitoring things that have happened.

"There are certain areas where you think that if the right player comes along you might want to improve in those areas but we have got six vital, vital games to get through before we start thinking about that."

PA