Sam Allardyce and Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish hope the clear-the-air talks they held with their players this week will pay off when they face Stoke on Saturday.
Home truths were told and Allardyce allowed Parish to speak to the squad after their humiliating 4-0 loss to Sunderland at Selhurst Park.
Allardyce then ordered his players to turn up for training at 7am the day after that defeat as they were made to watch the match.
‘That was him releasing his frustration on the basis he is a Crystal Palace fan and he wanted to talk to the players,’ Allardyce said of Parish.