Sam Allardyce will make his return to football at Crystal Palace after agreeing a two-and-a-half year deal to take charge of the Selhurst Park club.

Allardyce, who was dismissed as England manager after just 67 days in September has been installed as Alan Pardew’s successor after agreeing a deal worth around £2.5 million per year that will run until 2019.

The 62-year-old will take charge of the team at Watford on Monday when he will begin the task of steering the club away from the lower reaches of the table following a dismal run that has brought eight defeats in the last ten games.

Allardyce’s qualities had attracted the attention of the Palace hierarchy last month and talks were concluded at the club’s training ground yesterday. Allardyce’s brief stint with England was brought to an end when the manager was filmed speaking to undercover reporters about the third party ownership of players but has been given the all clear to continue working in football and his record of turning bthe fortunes of clubs around, most recently at Sunderland last season, convinced chairman Steve Parish he was the right man for the job.

“You generally get a new job when there are difficulties at the club and it’s my job to try and get a few more result on the board over Christmas and January to make everybody feel a little more comfortable. Recently Palace has been very impressive the way the club has grown and held their Premier league status. I hope I can bring some joy between now and the end of the season.

Sam Allardyce career in pictures Show all 21 1 /21 Sam Allardyce career in pictures Sam Allardyce career in pictures February 1989 Allardyce joins West Ham as a player-coach under Brian Talbot before leaving for Limerick as player-manager. Getty Sam Allardyce career in pictures January 1997 After stints at Preston North End and Blackpool, Allardyce took over at Notts County where he won the old Division Three title. Getty Sam Allardyce career in pictures October 1999 Allardyce remained with Notts County until mid-October 1999, when he left to take charge of Bolton Wanderers. Getty Sam Allardyce career in pictures October 1999 Allardyce returns to Botlon, whom he turned out for during his playing career, after Colin Todd's departure. Getty Sam Allardyce career in pictures May 2001 After suffering defeat in the 1999/2000 play-off final, Allardyce leads Bolton to the Premier League by winning the 2000/01 play-off final against Preston. Getty Sam Allardyce career in pictures May 2002 Allardyce keeps Bolton up on the final day of the season. Getty Sam Allardyce career in pictures February 2004 Bolton suffer a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat in the League Cup final by Middlesbrough. Getty Sam Allardyce career in pictures May 2005 Allardyce leads Bolton to a club-record sixth-place finish in the Premier League to qualify for the 2005/06 Uefa Cup. Getty Sam Allardyce career in pictures April 2007 After eight years with Botlon, Allardyce resigns with the club in fifth position, with a move to another Premier League club on the horizon. Getty Sam Allardyce career in pictures May 2007 After seeing a move to Manchester City collapse, Allardyce was named Newcastle manager as Mike Ashley completed his takeover of the club. Getty Sam Allardyce career in pictures January 2008 Allardyce lasts less than eight months as he is sacked after failing to beat Wigan and Derby. Getty Sam Allardyce career in pictures December 2008 Big Sam isn't out of the game long as he returns to management later that year to take charge of Blackburn Rovers. Getty Sam Allardyce career in pictures December 2010 Two years into his reign at Ewood Park, Allardyce is sacked following the takeover by Venky's Getty Sam Allardyce career in pictures June 2011 Following West Ham's relegation in 2011, Allardyce is identified as the man who can get them back into the Premier League at the first attempt. Getty Sam Allardyce career in pictures May 2012 Allardyce wins the Championship play-off final for a second time to gain promotion to the top flight. Getty Sam Allardyce career in pictures May 2015 After West Ham fail to extend his contract, Allardyce says goodbye to the fans on the final day of the season. He's later replaced by Slaven Bilic. Getty Sam Allardyce career in pictures October 2015 Allardyce replaces Dick Advocaat at Sunderland with the Black Cats 19th in the table and his task to keep them in the Premier League. Getty Sam Allardyce career in pictures May 2016 Allardyce keeps Sunderland up with a game to spare, ultimately relegating their closest rivals and his former club Newcastle in the process. Getty Sam Allardyce career in pictures July 2016 Allardyce is named England manager on a two-year deal, claiming he has reached "the pinnacle" of English football. Getty Sam Allardyce career in pictures September 2016 Sam Allardyce resigns as England manager following an undercover investigation by The Telegraph that captured him advising fake Far East investors how to get around FA regulations. Getty Sam Allardyce career in pictures December 2016 Allardyce returns to football two months after his departure from England, replacing Alan Pardew as manager of Crystal Palace. Twitter/@CPFC

“The club itself seems to be very ambitious and I like the look of the squad and that’s the reason I am here. The club can forward from here and I can help take it forward. I’m looking forward to working with the forward players but I’ve got a job stopping the goals going in the other end first. We have to stop conceding goals and making sure the goals we score win us games. That’s what we have to try and turn around.

“January is a difficult window. We will look at who is available but we also have to protect the players we have got. But certainly we will try and recruit and give the squad more strength in depth. I think the players are good enough but hopefully we add more depth.”