YOU’RE NOT LISTENING TO ME
Big Sam livid as Eagles won’t ‘stick to game plan’
SAM ALLARDYCE has demanded his Crystal Palace flops finally start listening rather than ignoring him.
Allardyce’s proud record of never having been relegated from the top flight is on the line with the Eagles.
Big Sam has failed to halt the slide after taking just four league points out of a possible 24 since his arrival on December 23.
But the troubleshooter has squarely laid the blame at the door of his underperforming players for failing to make the impact many expected.
Second-bottom Palace face a crunch clash with fellow strugglers Middlesbrough today and Allardyce said: “The players are responsible.
“The advice I’ve given over the years has to have been pretty good because I’ve been managing at this level for such a long time now.
“I’m trying to pass that experience on to them. I’m a bit frustrated they haven’t grasped that yet. Maybe it’s because it’s been going on so long now.
“Where I am struggling is the players keeping the message and sticking to the game plan. If they do that, we’ll have a better chance as a result.
“My experience and qualifications are betters than theirs. Players are paid to play. I’m the manager, so the system and tactics are my expertise, not theirs. “We all have to change and pull in the right direction, and do what the coaches are saying.” Palace were the lowest points-scoring team in English football in 2016. And so far this year they have not fared much better, besides a 2-0 win at Bournemouth at the end of last month. At the same stage of last season, Sunderland were in a very similar position, but Big Sam plotted the Wearsiders’ escape. Saving Palace could prove a taller order and he added: “We were supposed to beat Sunderland and Swansea. But we didn’t cope mentally. So we have to cope better. “If we want to get out of it, we have to deal with the pressure and deliver our best performance.”