Sunday 26 April 2015 14:42, UK
Alan Pardew has turned Crystal Palace's season around by improving the players' belief, according to Eagles midfielders Jason Puncheon and Yannick Bolasie.
Palace were 18th in the Premier League table when former Newcastle manager Pardew took over the reins at Selhurst Park in January, but are now 11th after impressing in the second half of the season.
I'm enjoying (the No 10 role)... I think it suits me a bit more. I'm relishing it and trying to take it in my stride.
According to Puncheon, who is himself playing with more confidence in a central role, the upturn in fortunes is down to Pardew getting the most out of his players.
Speaking to Ben and Kammy on Goals on Sunday, Puncheon said: "I think he (Pardew) has just improved the belief in individuals, getting the most of out of people. You see Wilfried (Zaha) - he's up and down the pitch, getting back.
"Yala (Bolasie) is doing really well, and somebody like Glenn (Murray)... he didn't have an opportunity at the start of the season but he's come in and he's done well.
"We work on a lot of the things we do in the game, in training. He takes away all the attackers and they go and do separate things to the defenders, and it is working.
"I'm enjoying (the No 10 role), especially when you've got two wide boys like Yala and Wilf to link the play. I think it suits me a bit more. I'm relishing it and trying to take it in my stride."
And Bolasie, who has been linked with a move away from Selhurst Park after some impressive performances on the wing, admits Pardew has helped him on a personal level too.
"It has been a long season, to be honest, for myself personally," the DR Congo international said. "But I've really enjoyed it, and under Pardew I definitely think I've improved a lot."
Two defeats in their last two matches has taken the shine off Palace's remarkable season, but the mood in the camp is still high.
The players are looking up rather than down, but how far can they go? Is Europe a genuine possibility in the years to come?
"Why not?" Bolasie notes. "Looking at our form in the table under Pardew, it's been ridiculous, to be honest. We've all set a high standard, and to lose the last two games, it's been disappointing."
