Crystal Palace manager Sam Allardyce has revealed that he has hired a psychologist to help his players in their fight against relegation from the Premier League.

The Eagles are currently 19th in the table and most recently suffered a 4-0 mauling at home to relegation rivals Sunderland.

Following the defeat Allardyce brought in psychologist Lee Richardson, who has worked with the manager regularly since his time at Blackburn Rovers.

"Sometimes there is a stigma attached to such a person because they can get into players' heads and help them to operate on a different level," Allardyce told reporters. "They can look at the underlying deep problems and help out when things are not going right like now. It gives us another string to our bow in how we deal with pressure.

"I have used one for over 20 years and he has definitely made me a better manager. It has certainly helped me. Lee is very important in what we are trying to achieve. The idea is to help the lads focus.

"The players had their own meeting last week, but we need help mentally. You can see from results over the last 12 months that there has been a deep underlying problem and Lee will be as vital as a first-team coach or assistant manager in getting into the players' minds, improving concentration and focus. Because of him I can now deal with the pressure, but I admit, previously it hasn't taken this long to turn things around."

Next up for Palace is a trip to Stoke City this afternoon.