Crystal Palace told they must back Pierre Sage amid 'dressing room fall-out'

Crystal Palace have been told they must back Pierre Sage to manage the situation amid suggestions of an unhappy dressing room.

The Eagles have endured a slow start to the Premier League season under their new boss, but have now lost just one of their last five games across all competitions.

Despite impressive results against Fulham, Middlesbrough, Lech Poznan and Leeds, however, whispers of discontent behind the scenes have not yet been dismissed.

Former Man United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that Sage is putting the building blocks in place at Selhurst Park despite "ruffling a few feathers" in the early stages.

This comes as Crystal Palace board are believed to be concerned about Sage's man-management style after his public criticism of players and decision to drop them from his squad.

Any dressing room issues appear to be individual, however, with the players' performances in the 0-0 draw against Leeds showing no signs that the manager had lost support.

Why is Pierre Sage facing issues at Crystal Palace?

Brown warned Football Insider on 16 September that Sage is taking a "huge risk" with his man-management style as he could quickly lose the support of his players.

However, evidence on the pitch has shown more signs of success rather than any issues, with returning players stepping up their displays after the manager's criticisms.

That has done little to stem the concerns from the Selhurst Park hierachy, but they have been urged to give the manager time rather than rushing into a decision.

"Crystal Palace are going to need to be patient with Pierre Sage," Brown told Football Insider.

"It's been clear over the last couple of weeks that there are promising signs, they've had some very impressive results, even if things didn't exactly start as they'd hoped.

"The manager needs time to get his ideas across, not just on the pitch but in the dressing room as well, because it's all about how the players respond.

"It's not the chairman's job to dictate how the manager treats his players; if Sage believes this is the way to do things, then they should let him do it unless there's a clear reason otherwise.

"As things stand, I'm not seeing any signs that the players aren't in support of the manager. In that draw against Leeds, they showed plenty of fight and were the better side.

"I think it would be a very rash decision to sack him now, and even if their concerns are lingering, it's up to him to prove them wrong and show that these positive signs should be the focus."

Which players are causing problems for Sage?

The big talking point surrounding Sage is about his treatment of the players, after Evann Guessand, Dwight McNeil and Jaydee Canvot were slammed and dropped from his squad.

The boss explained that their performances have not been good enough, and was proven right as both McNeil and Canvot shone upon their returns to the pitch recently.

Gussand, however, is believed to be causing problems for the manager, who recently explained that the Aston Villa loanee has not responded the way he had hoped.

The 25-year-old has not featured in any of the Eagles' last five games since he was left out against Fulham, and is not believed to be a major part of Sage's plans going forward.

As a result, Brown told Football Insider that Guessand could return to Aston Villa in January as he is unlikely to play a big role at Palace with Sage at the helm.