HOW SPORTSMAIL BROKE THE STORY Sportsmail's Chief Sports Reporter MATT LAWTON was first with the news that Big Sam was thinking over his future in Tuesday's Daily Mail – and confirmed he was quitting Palace on MailOnline. That's why Lawton is Sports New Reporter of the Year. Advertisement

Sam Allardyce stunned Crystal Palace by resigning as their manager, suggesting in a statement that it could be his last job in football after a dramatic, physically and mentally draining season.

As Sportsmail revealed on Monday night, Allardyce was due to meet club chairman Steve Parish with a strong chance that their discussion would conclude with his departure after only five months in charge.

And although a statement issued by Allardyce insisted the meeting at Parish's London offices was entirely amicable, it nevertheless came as a shock to the club.

Hours after Sportsmail also revealed the news that he had indeed decided to quit, Allardyce gave a number of reasons for resigning, among them a desire to enjoy the good years he has left with his family in what almost sounded like a retirement speech.

Sam Allardyce has decided to leave Crystal Palace after meetings in recent days

He recently admitted the Palace job helped him get over the misery of his England sacking

Crystal Palace finished the season in 14th

'In some ways, this has been a very difficult decision to make but in others it has been a simple one,' he said. 'I will always be grateful to Crystal Palace and Steve Parish for giving me the opportunity to go out with my head held high having helped keep the club in the Premier League.

'More than that, they gave me a chance of rebuilding my reputation after what happened with England.

'I felt I needed another shot at being a Premier League manager and in helping to achieve something. Palace gave me the chance of rehabilitation.

'That's why it's hard walking away now. I think the club are heading in the right direction with a hugely supportive board of directors, a great squad of players and some of the most passionate fans I've ever met. It's been a privilege to have worked here for the past five months.

Palace were wallowing at the bottom when Allardyce took over, and it took a while to improve

Allardyce met with Palace chairman Steve Parish recently to discuss transfer strategy

SAM ALLARDYCE: MANAGERIAL CV Clubs: Limerick, Preston, Blackpool, Notts County, Bolton, Newcastle, Blackburn, West Ham, Sunderland, Crystal Palace National team: England Honours: League of Ireland First Division (1992), Championship play-off winners (2001, 2012), Third Division champions (1998) League record: P981, W383, D258, L340 Advertisement

'But there comes a time when you have to take stock of what direction you want your life to take — and that's been the simple part for me.

'I want to be able to savour life while I'm still relatively young and when I'm still relatively healthy enough to do all the things I want to do, like travel, spend more time with my family and grandchildren without the huge pressure that comes with being a football manager.

'This is the right time for me. I have no ambitions to take another job, I simply want to be able to enjoy all the things you cannot really enjoy with the 24/7 demands of managing any football club, let alone one in the Premier League.

'Steve Parish has been superb during our conversations today. I know it came as a shock to him that I would walk away but our discussions have been incredibly civilised with no recriminations and no falling out.

'This is not about transfer targets, finances or anything along those lines. This is me taking the decision I believe is right for my family and myself. I would like to thank everybody for their messages of support since the news broke. I've no doubt I will miss management but I certainly have no regrets at this decision.'

The pressure of football management has already taken a toll on Allardyce's health. Now 62, he had to undergo heart surgery eight years ago.

The last season has probably been the toughest of all, the circumstances of his painfully premature departure from the Football Association after only one match and 67 days as England manager leaving him physically and mentally shattered.

Palace winger Andros Townsend posted this on Twitter following Allardyce's announcement

Allardyce finally managed to dig the Eagles out of the mire and secure Premier League status

Palace, he said in an interview with this newspaper only last week, gave him the opportunity to recover when they invited him to replace Alan Pardew last December. But what became another battle to avoid relegation, albeit yet another successful one, must have also been draining.

Add to that the concerns he privately had about the club's plans for the future, concerns he chose to play down in the statement he issued on Tuesday night, and he went into Tuesday's meeting with Parish leaning towards resignation.

The two years that remained on his contract, and the fact that he would only be due the sizeable bonus he earned for keeping the club in the top flight, was not an issue that concerned him on this occasion. Allardyce was certainly in no mood to part on bad terms and remains grateful to Palace for giving him the opportunity to rehabilitate himself.

Palace were 17th when he took charge and finished the season in 14th place. On Sunday he hinted at possible concerns over possible transfer plans, though Tuesday's statement suggested this was not a factor in his decision.

While the truth is probably somewhere in between, Allardyce has gone with seemingly no immediate plans to return to football.