Crystal Palace left with 'no choice' but to sack Pierre Sage - 'You can't survive that'
Crystal Palace will be left with "no choice" but to sack Pierre Sage in the wake of their embarrassing defeat against rivals Brighton.
The Eagles fell to a 5-0 defeat at the Amex on Sunday, leading to increased calls for the manager's head, with large sections of the supporters now having turned on the boss.
Previous Palace managers including Patrick Vieira and Roy Hodgson both moved on shortly after defeats agains the Seagulls, and their latest boss could be set to suffer the same fate.
Former Man United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that there isn't a manager in the Premier League who could survive a 5-0 defeat against their biggest rivals.
Sage had been under intense scrutiny from the Crystal Palace board even before their trip to Brighton, with defensive frailties and dressing room concerns raising red flags.
Following a 5-0 defeat, however, there is a growing feeling that his position is untenable and it is now a matter of when rather than if the Frenchman will lose his job.
Will Crystal Palace sack Pierre Sage?
Football Insider revealed last month that Sage was fighting for his job at Crystal Palace amid growing concerns from the hierarchy about a tough start to the season.
Shortly after that, the Eagles put together a strong run of form to ease the pressure on the boss, and sources now say Palace are keen to give him time.
However, after back-to-back defeats against Lyon and Brighton, there is a growing feeling that time may have run out for Sage who is now very close to losing his job.
"It was a disastrous result for Crystal Palace and that will be very difficult to come back from," Brown told Football Insider.
"I don't care who you are, which club you're in charge of, if you go away from home against your biggest rivals and get beat 5-0, you can't survive that.
"Especially when there has already been pressure on his position and there are obviously doubts from the higher-ups at the club, a defeat like that is the beginning of the end.
"Whether it happens now or a bit further down the line, I'm sorry to say it but I think he's a dead man walking now, because that is almost impossible to come back from.
"The fans aren't happy, the players won't be happy, the board won't be happy, so I don't see how Sage can stay in the job for much longer in all honesty. They have no choice."
Who is being lined up to replace Sage?
Amid growing pressure on Sage's future at Selhurst Park and an expectation that he will soon lose his job, discussions have taken place about potential replacemetns.
Internal talks have been held about Palace's next steps should they pull the trigger, with the chief decision-makers in South London already eyeing different targets.
Football Insider revealed on 19 October that Sean Dyche, Rob Edwards and Thomas Frank are currently the leading candidates to replace Sage at Crystal Palace.
Sources say Palace sporting director Matt Hobbs is pushing for Edwards' appointment, having previously worked with him at Wolves, with the boss currently out of work.
Dyche, meanwhile, is a favourite of Palace ally Iain Moody, while Frank was a leading contender for the position before Sage's appointment during the summer.