We almost feel sorry for Sam Allardyce after the pasting he’s been getting

Few top-flight managers have had a fall quite as dramatic as that suffered by Sam Allardyce over the last six months.

The former England manager lasted just one game as an international boss, and his return to club football with Crystal Palace has not gone as planned. Since replacing Alan Pardew just before Christmas, 'Big Sam' has tasted victory just twice, in an FA Cup replay against Bolton Wanderers and in a Premier League trip to a Bournemouth side with just two points from five league games in 2017. The visit of Allardyce's former team Sunderland to Selhurst Park was a chance to build on that win at the Vitality Stadium, but things went very, very wrong. And very quickly. https://twitter.com/CPFC/status/827896835415097344 https://twitter.com/CPFC/status/827905218557988864 https://twitter.com/CPFC/status/827905953152565248 https://twitter.com/CPFC/status/827906433664557056 Before the game, Sunderland had just four points and six goals to their name in 11 away games, so it's safe to say few expected a result of this magnitude. Former Palace winger Yannick Bolasie certainly didn't see it coming, as this tweet shows. https://twitter.com/YannickBolasie/status/827906575302025217 The result leaves the Eagles firmly in the relegation mix, with only goal difference keeping them off the bottom of the table. Allardyce arguably has a bit of a target on his back among rival fans, and that was evident in the comments about the former West Ham and Bolton manager on social media. https://twitter.com/janhopis/status/827906111525240837 https://twitter.com/kevinmccauley/status/827906621187702784 https://twitter.com/DavidHartrick/status/827907535994777605 https://twitter.com/GameofThrowIns/status/827907324966817792 https://twitter.com/BigJimmy_V/status/827928510450765824 https://twitter.com/AllenGC90/status/827907061002489858 Allardyce came out and apologised to Palace fans after the game, but it will be a long few months ahead. He has a big task to turn things around, but may be helped when a couple of new signings come into the fold. Mamadou Sakho isn't quite match-fit after completing a loan move from Liverpool, while £11m midfielder Luka Milivojević missed the defeat to Sunderland due to visa delays. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp9l5zVXE3w