Sports
Palace Manager Allardyce in shock resignation
After driving Crystal Palace away from relegation, Sam Allardyce has resigned as Crystal Palace manager just five months after he joined the Premier League club.
According to the BBC, the 62 year-old said he is retiring from the stressful demands of being a football manager ‘especially in the Premier League’
Allardyce replaced Alan Pardew in December on a two-and-half-year deal with the club one point above the relegation zone.
But the 62-year-old, who had an ill-fated one-game spell as England boss, led the club to eight wins in 21 games to guide them to a 14th-place finish.
“I have no ambitions to take another job,” Allardyce said in a statement.
“I want to be able to savour life while I am still relatively young, and when I am still relatively healthy enough to do all the things I want to do, like travel, spend more time with my family and grandchildren without the huge pressure that comes with being a football manager.
“This is the right time for me. I simply want to be able to enjoy all the things you cannot really enjoy with the 24/7 demands of managing any football club, let alone one in the Premier League.”
Although it took Allardyce six games to get his first victory, the former Bolton, Blackburn, Newcastle and West Ham boss maintained his record of never being relegated from the Premier League.
But the decision to throw in the towel comes as a shock since he had revealed his intentions to improve the Eagles squad following Sunday’s 2-0 defeat by Manchester United.
Fall from England job
Allardyce left his post as England manager by mutual agreement in September after only one match in charge.
It followed a Daily Telegraph investigation claiming he offered advice on how to “get around” rules on player transfers.
The FA said Allardyce’s conduct “was inappropriate”. He did apologise, adding that “entrapment had won”