Palace sack manager De Boer
CRYSTAL Palace yesterday sacked manager Frank de Boer after a dismal start to the Premier League season that has seen them lose all four of their matches without scoring a single goal.
“Crystal Palace Football Club have this morning parted company with Frank de Boer,” said a statement on the club’s website. “We would like to thank Frank for his dedication and hard work during his time at the club.
“A new manager will be appointed in due course and we wish Frank the very best of luck for the future.”
The south London club have been strongly linked with a move to appoint former England boss Roy Hodgson to replace the departing Dutch manager.
Palace Chairman Steve Parish on Sunday took to Twitter to rally fans around the team, without giving unequivocal backing to the former Ajax and Inter Milan boss.
In an exchange with supporters on social media following Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Burnley, Parish wrote: “People are frustrated, I’m frustrated, so are the management and players. We know we are better than this . . .”
Parish also wrote: “We are 4 games in, it’s a terrible start but we have to stick together.”
Palace have so far conceded seven goals with defeats to Huddersfield, Liverpool, Swansea and Burnley.
De Boer said after the match at Turf Moor: “I am just focusing on what I can control and so are my staff and my players. [The future] is for other people to decide, but while I’m the manager of Crystal Palace I will give 100 percent.”
Dream home debut for Wood
The Eagles are the first team to lose their first four top-flight matches without scoring a goal since Preston in the 1924-25 season.
The Dutchman lasted just 85 days as coach of Italian club Inter despite an impressive record with Ajax.
Chris Wood’s dream home debut for Burnley cost De Boer his job in Palace’s 1-0 defeat on Sunday.
New Zealand international Wood marked his first appearance for Burnley at Turf Moor following his club record £15 million ($19 million) move by firing home the winner early in the first half.
The former Leeds striker punished a woeful backpass by Palace’s South Korean winger Lee Chung-yong. With Parish watching from t he stands, De Boer saw Palace waste a string of chances to at least snatch a point.
Desperate to spark Palace into life, De Boer made three changes and reluctantly switched to a 4-4-2 formation in a bid to kick-start his season. But it took just three minutes for his plans to go horribly wrong.
Lee, making his 100th Premier League appearance, turned and played the ball back in the direction of the non-existent Palace defence.
Wood reacted superbly, intercepting the pass and slotting past Palace goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey first time from the edge of the area.
Palace were almost level within a minute when Scott Dann took aim from the right side of the box and his deflected shot was booted off the line by Matthew Lowton.
Two minutes later Palace came close again when Andros Townsend lofted a pass to Christian Benteke, who steered his header inches wide of the far post with keeper Tom Heaton beaten.
Burnley suffered a setback just past the half-hour when Heaton was forced off with a shoulder injury after landing awkwardly, giving a Premier League debut for 25-year-old Nick Pope.
Jeffrey Schlupp blazed over as Palace applied late pressure.
But Benteke was denied by Pope in the 78th minute, then Dann headed wide from no more than 4 yards out to ensure a final dismal afternoon for De Boer at Palace.