ALLARDYCE HAILS GREATEST ESCAPE

SAM ALLARDYCE reckons saving Crystal Palace’s Premier League status has been his greatest escape yet. Palace were 17th and in freefall with only one win in 11 games when Allardyce replaced Alan Pardew in December. But the 62-year-old has maintained his record of never being relegated from the Premier League. He ranked his achievement with Palace higher than survival acts with Bolton, Blackburn and Sunderland. Citing a brutal 10-game run-in that has pitted Palace against Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs and Manchester City, Allardyce said: ‘I said to myself this would be the hardest one, given the quality of the teams we had to play on the run-in. ‘But quick changes made behind the scenes, and the concentration on recruitment in January, were the big elements on our turnaround. The signings made a difference, increased the confidence, and we stopped conceding goals. I’m really pleased. ‘It’s not something I’d planned — the achievement of Sunderland, the disappointment of England, and then the saving of Crystal Palace. Without the board’s support in January and our shrewd recruitment, we might not have done it. But we have.’ Marco Silva, the Hull manager, meanwhile refused to commit his future to the club. Silva, who arrived on an 18-month deal in January which includes a relegation exit clause, said: ‘I enjoyed these four months in the Premier League. Now it’s time to see what is best for the future of the club, and for my career as well.’ Silva blamed Hull’s relegation on a chaotic summer, after Steve Bruce walked out and they started the campaign with a threadbare squad. ‘We started to lose in pre-season. It’s not good to be signing six or seven players in January, and losing two. You should be doing that in June.’