Crystal Palace are sleepwalking into relegation danger. A team that were three points outside the top three at Christmas have gone backwards at an alarming rate since the turn of the year and are now in a precarious position at the wrong end of the table.

It is safe to assume American investors Josh Harris and David Blitzer would never have thought this season would end with a battle to stay in the Premier League.

Palace were sixth when they bought into the club last December and the prospect of dropping into the Championship would have been the last thing on their mind.

But despite the slump it is understood Harris, Blitzer and chairman Steve Parish remain supportive of Alan Pardew and have no desire to make a managerial change.

There is no suggestion that Pardew, who has agreed a new contract in principle that will be signed when safety has been secured, is under pressure from above.

The 54-year-old said recently he is not feeling under any extra pressure and he also has the support of the supporters.

Pardew has enough credit in the bank. Palace recorded 63 points from 38 games in 2015 and only six clubs had a better record during his first year in charge.

But there is no escaping the fact that Palace have lost their way and Pardew knows results need to improve after a hugely disappointing run.

Palace are 16th in the table and just seven points above the bottom three. They are drifting towards trouble after a run of 13 games without a win that has seen them take four points from 39 available.

They remain the only club in English football’s top four divisions yet to register a league victory this year.

By the time Palace play West Ham after the international break it will be over 100 days since their last win in the top flight, a 2-1 success at Stoke on December 19.

The consequences of relegation would be huge.

The club have ambitious plans to redevelop Selhurst Park, increasing its capacity to 40,000, as well as making improvements to its training ground and academy.

Premier League finances would surely be central to that, especially with the new £5.14billion television deal coming in next season.

Parish, Harris and Blitzer want Palace, now in their third successive season in the top flight, to become an established Premier League club.

Illustrated: Every Premier League No10 19 show all Illustrated: Every Premier League No10 1/19 Eden Hazard, Chelsea @okayboss 2/19 Andy King, Leicester @okayboss 3/19 Andre Ayew, Swansea @okayboss 4/19 Cameron Jerome, Norwich @okayboss 5/19 Harry Kane, Tottenham @okayboss 6/19 Jack Wilshere, Arsenal @okayboss 7/19 Sergio Aguero, Manchester City @okayboss 8/19 Marko Arnautović, Stoke @okayboss 9/19 Matej Vydra, Watford @okayboss 10/19 Mauro Zarate, West Ham @okayboss 11/19 Max Gradel, AFC Bournemouth @okayboss 12/19 Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool @okayboss 13/19 Romelu Lukaku, Everton @okayboss 14/19 Sadio Mane, Southampton @okayboss 15/19 Siem De Jong, Newcastle @okayboss 16/19 Victor Anichebe, West Brom @okayboss 17/19 Wayne Rooney, Manchester United @okayboss 18/19 Yannick Bolasie, Crystal Palace @okayboss 19/19 @okayboss 1/19 Eden Hazard, Chelsea @okayboss 2/19 Andy King, Leicester @okayboss 3/19 Andre Ayew, Swansea @okayboss 4/19 Cameron Jerome, Norwich @okayboss 5/19 Harry Kane, Tottenham @okayboss 6/19 Jack Wilshere, Arsenal @okayboss 7/19 Sergio Aguero, Manchester City @okayboss 8/19 Marko Arnautović, Stoke @okayboss 9/19 Matej Vydra, Watford @okayboss 10/19 Mauro Zarate, West Ham @okayboss 11/19 Max Gradel, AFC Bournemouth @okayboss 12/19 Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool @okayboss 13/19 Romelu Lukaku, Everton @okayboss 14/19 Sadio Mane, Southampton @okayboss 15/19 Siem De Jong, Newcastle @okayboss 16/19 Victor Anichebe, West Brom @okayboss 17/19 Wayne Rooney, Manchester United @okayboss 18/19 Yannick Bolasie, Crystal Palace @okayboss 19/19 @okayboss

The prospect of going down will send a shiver down the spine.

Bizarrely, during their spell of poor League form, Palace have beaten Southampton, Stoke, Tottenham and Reading to reach an FA Cup semi-final against Watford. Pardew wants to make history at Palace by winning the club’s first major trophy but he knows the run to Wembley does not paper over the cracks. He knows it has not been good enough. Palace have looked better in recent games but some encouraging performances against Sunderland, Liverpool and Leicester have brought only one point.

There were a few dissenting voices in the stands after Palace lost to Leicester on Saturday but Pardew still has the backing of the fans. He will expect criticism if things do not improve soon but he knows one good result will stop the rot. Palace need to grind out two wins from their remaining seven games to be sure of safety and one win may even be enough.

A concern is that Norwich have taken four points from their last two games and are threatening to build momentum. Palace are at home to Norwich on April 9, which is now a massive game. It would be foolish to write off Sunderland, managed by Sam Allardyce. The same should be said of Newcastle under their new boss Rafa Benitez.

But Palace need to wake up from their slumber — and fast.