Sam Allardyce set to be named Crystal Palace boss after training ground talks

Sam Allardyce apologised and said "entrapment has won" after losing the England job in September

Former England manager Sam Allardyce is set to be named as Crystal Palace manager, replacing Alan Pardew.

Pardew was sacked on Thursday with the club 17th in the Premier League after a run of one win in 11 games.

Allardyce travelled to Palace's training ground on Friday to complete talks with chairman Steve Parish.

As he arrived, the 62-year-old described the Palace job as a "fantastic" opportunity to return to top-flight management.

Allardyce could be in place to take training on Saturday, before Palace's Boxing Day game with Watford.

Parish said Pardew's "expansive style of football hasn't worked" and told BBC Sport on Thursday they would now "wind the dial back the other way".

Caretaker manager Keith Millen took Friday's news conference and told the media that if Allardyce was appointed, he would "sort the players out".

• Pardew sacked after a 2016 to forget: Stats, reaction and analysis

• Watch - Recap Pardew's troubled last 12 months

• Football Daily podcast: 'Allardyce a good fit for Palace'

Allardyce has been out of work since leaving his role as England manager by mutual consent after 67 days and just one game, in the wake of a Daily Telegraph investigation.

However, the former Bolton, Blackburn, Newcastle and West Ham boss saved Sunderland from the drop last season despite them being second from bottom when he joined.

Parish, who co-owns the club with American investors Josh Harris and David Blitzer, said that Palace are "talking to a number of people to make sure we get this right", with the club now focusing on staying in the top flight.

"Relegation is so costly and I feel, with no blame attached, we got ourselves in a rut and need a change," he said.

Key facts & figures

• Allardyce has never been relegated as a manager and secured promotion to the Premier League with both Bolton and West Ham.

• Allardyce has a 33.6% Premier League career win percentage.

• Only Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, Harry Redknapp and his Sunderland successor David Moyes have managed more games in the top flight (467).

What does Allardyce offer?

Allardyce is known for having an instant impact on sides when he joins them - shown below after he arrived at Blackburn Rovers (2008-09) and Sunderland (2015-16).

The graph also shows the dip in form immediately after Allardyce has left (Newcastle 2007-08) and Blackburn (2010-11).

Allardyce has become associated with a preference for direct football during his career.

As the graphs below show, during his season at Sunderland after joining in October 2015, they were among the most prolific long passers in the division and strong at set pieces.

Reaction

Ex-Palace chairman and owner Simon Jordan told BBC Radio 5 live: "Sam Allardyce is as good as it gets at guaranteeing a team doesn't get relegated.

"There's not exactly a plethora of top-quality managers around there, and Sam is a top, top manager."

Former Palace striker Clinton Morrison said: "If you need a man to get you out of the trouble Palace are in you don't look past Big Sam."