Big Sam ready to put feet up

– Sam Allardyce announced this week he was stepping down as Crystal Palace manager after just five months at the helm of the Premier League club for family reasons.

The 62-year-old, who was previously in charge of England for just one game, said he had “no ambitions to take another job”, admitting he was turning his back on a club that had offered him a “chance of rehabilitation”.

Allardyce took over from Alan Pardew in December on a twoand-a-half year deal and led the Eagles to eight wins in 21 games. They finished 14th in the league.

“In some ways, this has been a very difficult decision to make, but in others it has been a simple one,” Allardyce said in a statement following talks with club chairman Steve Parish.

“I will always be grateful to Crystal Palace and Steve Parish for giving me the opportunity to go out with my head held high.

“More than that, they gave me a chance of rebuilding my reputation after what happened with England. I felt I needed another shot at being a Premier League manager and showing that I still had the ability to achieve something significant.”

Allardyce said his reason to depart Palace had been principally to spend more time with his family.

“It’s been a privilege to have worked for them for the past five months. But there comes a time when you have to take stock of what direction you want your life to take – and that’s been the simple part for me,” he said.

“I want to be able to savour life while I’m still relatively young and when I’m still relatively healthy, even if I’m beginning to feel all my 62 years.

“While I’ve got the energy, I want to travel and also spend more time with my family and grandchildren without the huge pressure that comes with being a football manager. I owe that to my wife and family.” – AFP