Sam Allardyce joins Crystal Palace on two-and-a-half year deal

Sam Allardyce has agreed a deal to become Crystal Palace's new manager after Alan Pardew was sacked on Thursday.

Allardyce, 62, spent Friday afternoon thrashing out terms with Palace chairman Steve Parish before agreeing on a two-and-a-half-year contract. He will take training tomorrow and is expected to be in the dug-out for Palace's Boxing Day match at Watford. The former England boss is back in football just three months after he was forced to leave his job with the FA after he was judged to have made inappropriate comments about "getting round" rules on third-party ownership of players. The news was confirmed by the club on Friday evening. Parish said: “We are delighted to be able to make an appointment so quickly and fortunate that someone of Sam’s calibre and experience was available”. https://twitter.com/CPFC/status/812381977378779138 Former boss Pardew was axed this week after a dreadful run of form of just one win in 11 games left the club 17th in the Premier League and facing a relegation battle. The club's chiefs were unhappy with the situation given the significant outlay they made in the summer - in particular more than £30m spent on ex-Liverpool striker Christian Benteke. Allardyce has previously managed Notts County, Bolton, Blackburn, Newcastle and West Ham. https://twitter.com/CPFC/status/812386148521680896 He also took over at Sunderland last season when they were second bottom of the table, eventually leading them to safety before he left to take the England job following Roy Hodgson's exit. Palace's owners will be hoping for a similar impact from the former defender at Selhurst Park. https://twitter.com/JOE_co_uk/status/812365101869240320