Crystal Palace news: Alan Pardew one defeat away from sack, Sam Allardyce in the frame

A seventh straight Premier League defeat would lead to the end of the Pardew era at Selhurst Park

Alan Pardew's position at Palace looks to be on the line (Getty)

Alan Pardew is on the brink of being sacked by Crystal Palace, and will be replaced by Sam Allardyce if Palace lose to Southampton tomorrow.

Palace have lost six Premier League games in a row, and only goal difference is keeping them out of the relegation zone. The club’s American majority shareholders David Blitzer and Josh Harris, along with chairman Steve Parish, have been agonising all week over Pardew’s future, and whether he is the man to turn the club around.

But senior figures at Selhurst Park have decided in the last few days that unless Pardew can instantly turn their form around, he will have to be replaced as manager. If Palace lose to Claude Puel’s in-form Southampton then that will be the end of Pardew’s two-year tenure at the club.

Palace have identified Sam Allardyce, who resigned as England manager in September, as the man to replace Pardew. Despite his ignominious spell as England boss, Allardyce has enjoyed great success stabilising struggling teams in the Premier League, most recently with Sunderland and West Ham United. With the financial rewards for staying up being stronger than ever, Allardyce’s security is attractive to Palace’s owners.

“I’m a realist,” Pardew said at his press conference today. “I understand the situation with the Premier League. I have got to make sure the next result is a positive one for us. That pressure I will put on myself. I have to get results. That’s the position I’m in. Steve and I always have meetings, and we speak almost every day. That relationship is strong, and I want to repay the faith he’s shown in me, and to repay the faith in the fans who travelled to Swansea.”