Sam Allardyce completed a move to Selhurst Park just days after the departure of Alan Pardew, who had been sacked after a poor run of form this season, which has left the Eagles sitting close to the relegation zone.
The former England manager is looking to get it right at Crystal Palace after he left his last job in controversial circumstances but now back in the Premier League, he wants to take the Eagles to the heights in which it has the potential to reach.
Speaking to Sky Sports reporter Geoff Shreeves, Allardyce has been talking about what attracted him to the club when they approached him to take over from Pardew and where he thinks the club can go.
“Players, club, ambition, it has all that. Palace have been established in the Premier League and want to go a bit further,” he said.
“They’ve got some new investment from new owners that have taken a partnership with Steve, money has been invested and hopefully more money in the future will be because investment is the way forward at every business and football club.
“If we get recruitment right, the atmosphere right and the players here play to their full potential, we should get out of trouble. But there is no guarantee of that.”
Crystal Palace have been the worst performing team in 2016 within the 92 Premier League and Football League clubs, the Eagles have lost 22 games in total and have only previously had two calendar years in which they have performed worst.
Allardyce has never managed a team to relegation, having kept up Bolton Wanderers, Blackburn Rovers, West Ham and Sunderland in his 20-year managerial career. Having lost eight of their last 10 games, the new manager has to change things quickly.
“Part of this job is finding quickly what the faults are making them better. It’s very important to establish that as quickly as possible,” he said.
“Obviously, first and foremost, I have to improve the players on the field in terms of getting a result. From 2015 where they were fifth in the league to 2016 it’s become difficult.
“The team struggled to score goals but were defensively sound, now the team seems to score a goal but are quite weak defensively.
“I’ve got to try and balance that situation here we don’t want to take away from the flare and goal ability but make sure when we are scoring a goal it is winning us a game.”
Sam Allardyce will join Keith Millen in the dugout for the Boxing Day trip to Vicarage Road where the Eagles take on Watford in the lunchtime kick-off in the Premier League. Allardyce first took training on Christmas Eve.
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