THE SAM OLD STORY
Allardyce hopes his survival skills can keep Palace in Prem
SAM ALLARDYCE has been here before.
And he hopes that will make a big difference in Crystal Palace’s crucial survival battle against Hull.
The Eagles seemed certain of safety a few weeks ago after a run of six wins in eight, which included stunning victories against Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool.
But three successive defeats since their trip to Anfield means they are still looking nervously over their shoulders.
The south Londoners need just one more point to guarantee staying up. But another defeat would drag them further into danger and take their bid for survival down to a nerve-jangling final day.
Allardyce admits that whorver deals best with the pressure at Selhurst Park on Sunday will be decisive and is relieved to have some positive experiences to lean on ahead of a momentous day.
He said: “There has been a few. Middlesbrough at home in the last game of the season when I was with Bolton. It was our second season in the Premier League, and we needed to win to stay in the league. We were 2-0 up at half-time, Michael Ricketts came on as a sub for Middlesbrough and made it 2-1 and pretty nervous for us.
“We’d sold Michael in December and we got nervous about him scoring another goal. That was a tense time but our players managed that situation brilliantly.
“Last year, the back-toback wins for Sunderland was probably the best. The comeback against Chelsea to win 3-2 and the 3-0 thrashing of Everton on the Wednesday night.
“If our players have that mentality, we shouldn’t have a problem. It helps me help