I’m boss blasts Sam

than theirs. They are paid to play but I’m the manager and the system and tactics are my expertise, not theirs.

“When I set them out they have to put it into practice. In possession, they make the decision where and when they pass the ball. If they get that more correct than they have been, we’ll produce more results.

“The biggest problem for me is we keep losing, but it’s our responsibility to deliver. My message is, ‘Just stop the goals lads’. It’s not a difficult question for them to answer or a difficult task for them to do for me.”

Quite what response Allardyce, right, will get from that outburst remains to be seen. Indeed, it was not pretty and to that end he has called on his side to win ugly to help avoid the drop.

“We must show more will, more spirit, determination and fight,” he said. “We are going to have to be a bit uglier if we are to get out of this situation, deal with the pressure and deliver our best performances home and away, starting with Boro.” Boro boss Aitor Karanka could have been forgiven for wondering what might have been had he chosen Palace ahead of Boro when he had the chance to join the Eagles in November 2013 after Ian Holloway’s exit. Since then, Neil Warnock and Pardew have been and gone, while Boro remain stable. “It was the right choice then and I still think so today,” said Karanka, whose side could tumble into the drop zone for the first time this term if they lose. “To start my managerial career, I needed a team and a club who could offer me confidence and, at that time, Steve Gibson gave me that confidence. “To start without any Premier League experience would have been difficult. But three years later, the only thing I can say is I was right.”