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Tony Pulis leaves Crystal Palace: Eagles lift the lid on Pulis exit by 'mutual consent' with Keith Millen to take charge against Arsenal

Pulis shocked the club when he quit just 48 hours before their opening Premier League match against Arsenal

Friday 15 August 2014 14:01 BST
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Tony Pulis wants to strengthen his Crystal Palace side with players that are willing to 'roll their sleeves up'
Tony Pulis wants to strengthen his Crystal Palace side with players that are willing to 'roll their sleeves up'

Crystal Palace have described manager Tony Pulis' departure as being by 'mutual consent'.

First-team coach Keith Millen will take temporary charge for the Eagles' opening Barclays Premier League match against Arsenal on Saturday.

Pulis was appointed manager in November and led Palace to survival, an achievement that earned him the Premier League manager of the season award just three months ago.

The Eagles picked up just seven points from their opening 12 games but Pulis' arrival instigated a remarkable turnaround as the team finished 11th in the table and 12 points clear of the drop.

Pulis' departure reportedly stems from disagreements with co-chairman Steve Parish over the club's transfer policy.

Rec-cap last season's managerial sack race below:

Palace have so far signed Martin Kelly from Liverpool, Fraizer Campbell from Cardiff and Brede Hangeland from Fulham but failed to finalise deals for the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson, who returned to Swansea, and Steven Caulker, who joined QPR.

Pulis' relationship with Parish was strained during the initial period after he took charge, but the former Stoke boss insisted at the end of last season he was not unhappy at the club.

"That's nonsense,' Pulis said.

"In the first couple of weeks Steve and I had our moments but the longer the season has gone on the closer we've got.

"Our relationship, which I think is the most important at a football club, has got more and more solid.

"I had a fantastic relationship with my last chairman at Stoke - the way we thought and worked things out was one of the main reasons why that club was so successful.

"It's something you have to nurture and bend at times to make it work and that's what Steve and I have done."

Former Cardiff boss Malky Mackay has been installed as the early favourite to succeed Pulis, with Tim Sherwood, Neil Lennon and David Moyes also considered possibilities.

PA

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