Crystal Palace chairman Simon Parish has revealed his role in Sam Allardyce's appointment at Everton.
Parish does not begrudge Allardyce returning to the Premier League six months after quitting Selhurst Park and hinting that keeping the Eagles up would be his last job in football.
Parish proved that by supporting Allardyce's application to take charge at the Toffees.
He said: “I was asked by Everton what I thought and I said he was a brilliant manager to work with. Delegating, gets a good team around him, works well with them."
Parish added: “He has the luck of the devil. He sits in the stand and they win 4-0 (against West Ham) from being abject, so bring me a lucky general.
“I love this football club but I'm not deluded. Everton is a massive, massive club and from where he was at England with his reputation somewhat tarnished, unfairly in my view, I'm proud I was part of picking him up. I enjoyed working with him. He was 100 per cent honest with us, I don't begrudge him."
Meanwhile, Joel Ward says there can be no relaxing, despite results now on the upturn.
The Eagles are off the bottom of the table for the first time since losing to Burnley on September 10, but Ward insists that is no relief.
“Until we're well out of it and looking down, there's no relief so we'll continue to keep our heads down, keep working hard until we're out of it and up where we should be. We're not going to rest or look at what is, or what could have been."