London: Crystal Palace on Monday sacked manager Frank de Boer after a dismal start to the Premier League season in which they have lost all four of their matches without scoring a single goal.
“Crystal Palace Football Club have this morning parted company with Frank de Boer,” said a statement on the club’s website.
“We would like to thank Frank for his dedication and hard work during his time at the club.
“A new manager will be appointed in due course and we wish Frank the very best of luck for the future.”
The south London club have been strongly linked with a move to appoint former England boss Roy Hodgson to replace the departing Dutch manager.
Palace chairman Steve Parish on Sunday took to Twitter to rally fans around the team, without giving unequivocal backing to the former Ajax and Inter Milan boss.
In an exchange with supporters on social media following Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Burnley, Parish wrote: “People are frustrated, I’m frustrated, so are the management and players. We know we are better than this ...”
Parish also wrote: “We are 4 games in, it’s a terrible start but we have to stick together.”
Palace have so far conceded seven goals with defeats to Huddersfield, Liverpool, Swansea and Burnley.
De Boer said after the match at Turf Moor: “I am just focusing on what I can control and so are my staff and my players. (The future) is for other people to decide but while I’m the manager of Crystal Palace I will give 100 per cent.”
De Boer’s reign is the shortest in the Premier League era in terms of matches played. Les Reed lasted seven games in 2006 before being sacked by Charlton Athletic while American Bob Bradley survived only 11 last season at Swansea City. Frenchman Jacques Santini was also sacked by Tottenham Hotspur after 11 games in 2004.
It is the second time the Dutchman has lasted fewer than 100 days in a job having suffered a similar fate at Inter Milan last year where he was sacked after 85 days in charge.
Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Burnley, where Palace wasted several good chances to break their duck, left them joint bottom of the table having failed to register a goal.
The last English top-flight club to lose their first four games without finding the net was Preston North End in 1924.
De Boer, who replaced Sam Allardyce, presided over home defeats by newly-promoted Huddersfield Town (0-3) and Swansea City (0-2) and away losses to Liverpool (0-1) and Burnley.
His only victory came in the League Cup against second-tier Ipswich Town.
