Neil Warnock has said that Alan Pardew is the ideal choice to succeed him as Crystal Palace manager.
Warnock was sacked by the Eagles on Saturday following a run of poor results, and it appears that Pardew will take charge at Selhurst Park after compensation was agreed with Newcastle United.
Warnock, who was dismissed just seven months into his reign, believes that Palace chairman Steve Parish had lined up the 53-year-old well before his sacking.
He told talkSPORT: "When I went in to get my desk tidied [Palace coach] Ronnie Jepson said to me, 'gaffer they have got somebody else, it can't as come as quick as that.'
"I suppose in Premier League football they go over a matter of weeks and I know the chairman knows Alan well. When we were at Newcastle for my first game, I remember pulling Alan after the game and saying, 'this is the club for you, this is your next club'.
"I think Alan is a great appointment. He will be given a long contract, which is needed because the infrastructure at Palace is very poor, Premier League-wise, and he will get the chance [to change things]."
Pardew played for Palace between 1987 and 1991.
Steven Toplis
