Former Liverpool star could be set to land Premier League managerial role

Crystal Palace manager pressure grows as Pierre Sage fights to steady Premier League slide Crystal Palace have drifted alarmingly close to the trapdoor and the noise around Selhurst Park is getting louder. A 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle United, followed by boos at full-time, has sharpened the focus on Pierre Sage and on whether the club's owners will stay patient if results continue to sour.

According to talkSPORT, Palace are already looking at possible replacements. Clubs can preach calm all they like, but once names start circulating, the ground beneath a manager tends to feel less secure by the day.

The numbers paint a grim enough picture. Palace have won only twice in their first eight league matches and have already lost five.

Sitting 17th in the Premier League after eight games is bad enough, but the manner of it matters too. They have conceded 19 goals, more than anyone else in the division, and that kind of defensive collapse leaves little room for debate.

Sage arrived with a decent reputation after impressing in France, where he led Lens to second place in Ligue 1. Yet English football has a habit of exposing problems quickly.

Palace's players look as though they are wrestling with his methods, and a season carrying European football has only piled on more strain. There is enough attacking threat to suggest they should not be where they are, but structure, balance and confidence all look in short supply.

Pierre Sage under pressure The manager himself is trying to project calm. I think they do [believe in me].

It's normal [to be under pressure] because we don't have the results. The noise is a consequence of the team and we don't have [the points] we expect.

"Inside, we just are really focused on the solutions, how to be better and how to create the conditions to compete. I don't have to convince people around the club, I just have to convince the players to do their best and continue their improvement."