Crystal Palace sack Pierre Sage with Thomas Frank in advanced talks over job

The Eagles have won just two Premier League matches all season and sit bottom of the Premier League table after a run of four consecutive defeats.The 3-1 home loss to Liverpool on Sunday was ultimately the final straw for chairman Steve Parish and the club hierarchy, with Eddie Nketiah’s injury-time penalty a mere consolation on another dark day at Selhurst Park. Palace have won just once in their last eight games across all competitions - in the Carabao Cup last 16 against fellow strugglers Fulham last month.End of the road: Pierre Sage has been sacked by Crystal Palace after less than five months in chargePAThat dismal run of results included a 5-0 hammering at high-flying rivals Brighton, as well as a 2-0 defeat by Tottenham, albeit after Jean-Philippe Mateta’s early red card.“Three members of Pierre’s coaching staff – Jamal Alioui, Damien Della Santa and Sandy Guichard – have also left the club.“The club would like to place on record its thanks to Pierre and his staff for their efforts during their time in South London, and wish them well for the future.“An update on the process of appointing a new Manager will be provided in due course.”Former Spurs and Brentford boss Frank is the frontrunner to take over from Sage, in what would be a first foray back into management since his sacking by Tottenham back in February, when he was dismissed after only eight months at the helm and two wins in 17 games.Palace only appointed Sage on a three-year contract in June to replace Oliver Glasner, who won the FA Cup, Community Shield and Conference League during a memorable two-and-a-half year spell in south London before leaving at the end of last season following the expiration of his deal and eventually joining Nottingham Forest.Sage - who previously managed Lyon - left Lens for Selhurst Park after a year in charge that saw him deliver the first Coupe de France success in the club’s history and a second-place finish in Ligue 1 behind reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain, earning him manager of the year honours in the French top-flight.Read MoreHowever, he was unable to carry that success into a short-lived maiden stint in the Premier League, struggling to get his ideas across as Palace first contemplated his potential dismissal as early as September.Top choice: Crystal Palace are set to appoint Thomas Frank as their new managerAFP/GettyStandard Sport understands that Palace’s players became increasingly disillusioned with Sage’s methods and lack of communication, with the club possessing the worst defensive record in the division with 24 goals conceded in 10 games.Sage is reported to have turned down the chance to quickly rejoin Lens, with Dino Toppmoller and Yannick Cahuzac having both been sacked by the club since his initial departure from the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in the summer.Palace were interested in appointing Frank over the summer and he is now expected to take on the job, admired for his impressive work in establishing Brentford as a Premier League force despite that difficult spell with Tottenham.Eddie Howe, Frank Lampard, Sean Dyche, Kieran McKenna, Vitor Pereira, Kim Hellberg, Vitor Matos and Tony Popovic were among the other managers to be linked with succeeding Sage.