Crystal Palace Sack Manager Pierre Sage

Crystal Palace have sacked their manager, Pierre Sage, with the club sitting bottom of the Premier League.

The decision ends a short spell in charge. BBC Sport reports that Sage had been in charge for five months and managed the club in 16 games.

Being bottom means Palace had the fewest points of the 20 clubs in the Premier League, England's top division, when the decision was made. Each club plays every other club twice in a season, so there is still a long way to go. Even so, the bottom of the table is the place every club least wants to be, and the pressure on the manager grows with every result that goes the wrong way.

To be sacked means the club ends the manager's contract before it runs out. Managers pick the team, plan training and set the way the side plays, so they usually carry the blame when results dip. It is a hard job with a short shelf life, and it is rarely a surprise to the people inside the club when change comes.

For Palace's supporters, the next question is who takes charge now. The club will need a new face at the training ground and on the touchline, and that person will inherit a squad still looking for its first run of wins. The coming matches will show whether a change of manager brings a change of fortune.

Football managers come and go often, and every change has the same basic shape: a team that is struggling, a decision made, and a new name to judge. For the fans who fill Selhurst Park on match days, the hope is always that the next appointment turns the season around.