Pierre Sage: Crystal Palace make new sack decision after 'bizarre' update

Pierre Sage has made significant strides towards relieving the pressure on his position as Crystal Palace manager.

Following a 3-1 win against Oliver Glasner's Nottingham Forest last time out, the Eagles continued a strong run of form despite some question marks about their performance.

Palace have now lost just one of their last six games across all competitions since picking up their first win of the season against Fulham, and are improving every week.

Former Man United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that the continued speculation about Sage's position is "bizarre" and backed him to remain at Crystal Palace.

The Eagles have had concerns about the manager both on and off the pitch in the early stages of his tenure, but a recent upturn in results has eased those frustrations.

Ahead of a tricky run of fixtures against Lyon, Brighton, Besiktas and Newcastle, the Eagles are hopeful of continuing the gradual improvements they have made under Sage.

What is the latest on Pierre Sage's future?

Brown told Football Insider on 24 September that Crystal Palace must back Sage in his decisions, particularly concerning his man management which has been questioned.

Despite some concerns behind the scenes, the boss has so far been proved right in his decision-making, and will expect to be supported in his ideas by the club hierarchy.

After a strong run of results at Selhurst Park, there is a growing feeling that Sage can make a success of his Crystal Palace tenure, despite ongoing claims of unrest.

"I do find it a bit bizarre that Pierre Sage keeps being brought up in these types of conversations," Brown told Football Insider.

"Crystal Palace are on a very strong run of form, they've only lost one of their last six games, and they've been picking up some good wins like the one against Nottingham Forest.

"They might have struggled in that game, but if you can score three goals and come from behind to win 3-1 when you're playing badly, then that's not a bad thing at all.

"Everybody would like to be performing at their top level in every game, but if you can't do that and you can still find a way to win, that has got to be taken as a positive.

"Sage is the man Crystal Palace chose to lead them into this new era after Glasner left, it was always going to be difficult to adapt, but things are now going well for him.

"They clearly saw something in him to have brought him in, so it was always a bit strange that there was all this speculation about him, especially now that they're winning games.

"It doesn't make sense to me that they would bring him in as their top managerial target, and then sack him after five or six games.

"Now that their results have taken a positive turn, I think they'll all be looking towards the future with more of a positive outlook and they'll be hopeful this can continue."

Why has Sage come under pressure at Crystal Palace?

As previously mentioned, questions have been asked of Sage's techniques with regard to man management and his treatment of players publicly and behind the scenes.

So far this season, the likes of Jaydee Canvot, Dwight McNeil and Evann Guessand have all been axed from the first-team squad by the boss after below-standard performances.

Football Insider revealed on 16 September that Sage was "fighting for his job" at Selhurst Park due to concerns about dressing room issues, which the board flagged as a concern.

However, he has since been proven right in his decisions as both McNeil and Canvot returned to action with strong performances and remain valuable assets.

Those uncertainties about the manager's calls have now been dismissed, and with a run of positive results being put together, Sage has earned the backing of the board.