Neil Warnock: Crystal Palace sack manager after Southampton defeat
Neil Warnock has become the first Premier League manager to be sacked this season after being dismissed by Crystal Palace.
The 66-year-old joined the Eagles for a second time in August 2014, following the departure of Tony Pulis.
However Palace's 3-1 defeat at home against Southampton on Boxing Day left them in the relegation zone.
Assistant manager Keith Millen will be in charge for the trip to Queens Park Rangers on Sunday.
But it is understood that Palace are looking to appoint permanent successor as soon as possible.
A club statement read: "The club would like to put on record its thanks to Neil for all his hard work and energy over the past four months."
Pulis left 48 hours before the start of the season after guiding Palace to an 11th place finish and being named Premier League manager of the Year.
Warnock won just three of his 16 Premier League games in his second spell in charge, giving a win percentage of 18.8% compared to Pulis's 42.3%.
Palace are now looking for a fourth manager in 14 months since Ian Holloway's sacking in October 2013.
Analysis - Phil McNulty, chief football writer
Crystal Palace's decision to appoint Neil Warnock was always laced with risk - a manager arguably out of his time in Premier League terms and favouring an abrasive style best suited to the rigours of the Championship.
And so it has proved, making his sacking an inevitability if Palace wanted to avoid the sort of relegation threat Tony Pulis saved them from so brilliantly last season.
How Palace chairman Steve Parish must wish he could have come to some sort of agreement to keep Pulis - and how he must wish he could lure him back now. Sadly for Palace, this seems a non-starter.
It means Parish, as when he appointed Pulis to succeed Ian Holloway 13 months ago, must look for another manager to invigorate a team struggling desperately.
Longest waits for a Premier League managerial change from the start of a season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Date | Team | Manager |
1992-93
|
15 February
|
Chelsea
|
Ian Porterfield
|
1995-96
|
2 January
|
Bolton
|
Roy McFarland
|
2014-15
|
27 December
|
Crystal Palace
|
Neil Warnock
|
2010-11
|
7 December
|
Newcastle
|
Chris Hughton
|
Reaction - Mark Bright, former Crystal Palace striker
"I had never heard Selhurst Park as quiet as it was yesterday. There seemed to be a lack of confidence. The manner of the defeat was really disappointing.
"[Palace chairman] Steve Parish will want to make a decision pretty quickly this time. He will want someone who can make an immediate impact.
"The players showed how good they were last season and if they can have a structure and some direction from the new manager they can keep us up."
Bright was speaking on Football Focus
