December 28 – He may have only been England manager for 67 days but he was only out of the game thereafter for less than three months.
If you want to make sure you retain your Premier League status, turn to Sam Allardyce which is exactly what Crystal Palace did over Christmas in the knowledge that he has never been relegated from the top flight.
In September, the 62-year-old was forced to stand down after just one England game as a result of a newspaper sting in which he made remarks over how to get round transfer regulations to make rule-breaking payments to intermediaries and third party owners.
Although he is unlikely ever again to acquire his dream job, his comments and the inevitable questions regarding his own integrity in the transfer business at least, seem to be of little concern to Crystal Palace. For Allardyce it is a speedy return to day-to-day management – a return that he admitted happened even quicker than he had anticipated – and in his first game in charge in succession to Alan Pardew, Palace gained a point in an away draw at Watford.
“It’s the best league in the world, I don’t think anybody doubts that. As difficult and as pressurised as it is, it’s where I’ve been comfortable for many years now,” said Allardyce who inherited a team with loads of talent but low on confidence with just one win in 11 Premier League matches.
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