Allardyce impressed with Palace ambition

New Crystal Palace boss Sam Allardyce is impressed with the club’s ambition, as the former England manager is back in the game less than three months after being sacked from the national job.

Allardyce took the Selhurst Park hotseat on December 23, an early Christmas present to those Palace fans who had become dejected by the south London side’s abysmal 2016.

With the worst record of all 92 Football League clubs in the calendar year, Alan Pardew was finally dispensed with, and Allardyce parachuted in to save their season.

But the former Bolton man does not see the club as one in crisis, and admitted his admiration for the recent work done by chairman Steve Parish.

“Recently [the club] has been very impressive the way it’s grown, the fact that they’ve held the Premier League status over a number of years now and the fact that the fans, and the stadium when you’re there, [creates] a very, very good atmosphere and a very passionate one,” he said.

Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images

“I hope we can bring some joy, particularly over Christmas and New Year, but also in the long-term and over the course of the season.

“The club seems to be very ambitious, certainly the chairman and the owners, they want to take the club in the right direction.

“I like the look of the squad and that’s probably the reason that I’m here: I feel the club can go forward from here and I hope I can help it go forward. It seems to be very ambitious.”