Crystal Palace sack Pierre Sage after 16 games at bottom of Premier League
Sage’s departure follows a run of four straight league defeats. The club says it will update supporters on the search for a new manager in due course.
Crystal Palace sacked manager Pierre Sage on Thursday, 12 November, after 16 games in charge, according to theguardian.com. The club were bottom of the Premier League following a 3–1 defeat by Liverpool on the preceding Sunday, and say they will provide an update on appointing a successor in due course.
- Palace had seven points from 10 league matches and had conceded 24 goals, the most in the division, The Guardian reported.
- The club’s statement thanked Sage and his staff; The Guardian reported that his backroom staff would also leave.
- Thomas Frank is in advanced talks to succeed Sage, according to The Guardian. Palace have not announced a new manager.
Why Crystal Palace dismissed Pierre Sage
The Guardian reported that Palace’s decision was made on Sunday evening, after the Liverpool defeat, but that negotiations over compensation for the remainder of Sage’s three-year contract delayed his departure. Sage had been appointed in mid-June to replace Oliver Glasner, and Palace had paid more than £4 million to buy him out of his Lens contract that summer, the report said.
The immediate pressure came from a sustained run of poor results. Palace had lost four consecutive league games, and the Liverpool match was their fifth defeat in an eight-match sequence across competitions, The Guardian reported. Their only win in that run came against Fulham in the Carabao Cup. The Independent also reported that Palace took seven of a possible 30 league points during Sage’s tenure and sat two points from safety going into the November international break.
The Independent said Sage’s 16 matches covered all competitions. Before joining Palace, he had led Lens to a Ligue 1 runners-up finish, won the Coupe de France and Trophée des Champions, and qualified for the Champions League, the outlet reported. Palace’s difficult start was also unfolding alongside European fixtures: The Guardian placed the club 21st in the Europa League’s 36-team table at the time of its report.
What it means for Palace’s managerial search
The Guardian reported that Thomas Frank, who has been out of work since Tottenham dismissed him in February, is in advanced talks with Palace. Frank had spoken to the club in the summer and was keen for a new challenge, the report said. The Independent also named Frank as a possible candidate and said former Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche was available. Neither outlet reported an appointment.
Palace said in the statement quoted by The Guardian: “An update on the process of appointing a new manager will be provided in due course.” The Guardian reported that the club hoped a successor would take charge before the following Saturday’s trip to Coventry; whether Frank will take the role remains unsettled.
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What this story rests on
2 sources from 2 organisations: 1 newspaper or magazine, 1 news outlet.
- 1Crystal Palace sack Pierre Sage and in advanced talks to appoint Thomas FrankThe Guardian · theguardian.comNewspaper or magazine
- 2Pierre Sage sacked by Crystal PalaceThe Independent, republished by Yahoo Sports · sports.yahoo.comNews outlet
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