Christmas came early for Sam Allardyce. The former England manager has been appointed as the new boss at Crystal Palace, following the dismissal of Alan Pardew earlier this week. "Big Sam" agreeing on a two-and-a-half year deal, taking over a club that is sitting 17th in the table, one point above the drop zone.

Palace appoint former England boss Sam Allardyce as manager.

This appointment signals the return to football for the 62-year-old, who was recently dismissed as the head of the English national team after just 67 days in charge, following a newspaper investigation which featured a video of him offering advice on how to "get around" FA rules on player transfers.

Allardyce's first game in charge of Palace is Monday, as the Eagles travel to face Watford. Allardyce is no stranger to the Premier League, previously managing at Sunderland, West Ham, Blackburn, and Newcastle among other stops.