Frank de Boer was on borrowed time at Crystal Palace well before his sacking

The decision to sack Frank de Boer was made thousands of feet in the air as the Crystal Palace hierarchy flew back to London after losing to Burnley.

Ironically, the Dutchman's career is now at rock-bottom after losing his job after just 77 days in charge.

A disaster. A car crash. A mistake. Just some of the descriptions used by figures close to Selhurst Park to sum up De Boer's appointment.

The Dutchman arrived in south London intent on rebuilding his ruined reputation after being fired after just 83 days in charge at Inter Milan.

No such luck. De Boer's gone; Roy Hodgson will be confirmed as Palace's new manager in the next 24 hours.

The news of De Boer's departure is hardly a shock; it's been coming ever since Palace lost at home to Swansea before the international break.

The only surprise is that De Boer was given Sunday's game against Burnley. 'When not if,' said one Sportsmail source two weeks ago.

Losing at Turf Moor on Sunday didn't seal the Dutchman's fate - it's been coming for weeks.

From the boardroom to the dressing room; everyone knew De Boer was on borrowed time.

Finally he's been put out of his misery. But how has it come this so swiftly?

Behind the scenes manager and club have not seen eye to eye regarding the club's transfer policy.

Ask those close to De Boer and they'll tell you Palace did not make enough effort to sign the players he'd identified, that the club didn't trust his judgement.

Ask those at Selhurst Park and they may suggest the players De Boer wanted had costly mistake written all over them.

Who's telling the truth? It's probably somewhere in the middle; but what is for sure is that manager and club weren't singing from the same hymn sheet with regards to the transfer policy.

Players, too, weren't entirely convinced by De Boer's methods. Many believed his communication skills left a lot to be desired, often leaving players confused about his instructions.

Similarly, certain members of the squad were unsure of the Dutchman's tactics. He arrived vowing to dominate the ball. Pass, pass, pass; just like Ajax.

Sounds credible in theory; but putting it into practice in the Premier League - with the squad Palace have at their disposal - is easier said than done.

Sam Allardyce had them playing percentage football. De Boer tore up the former England manager's successful blueprint instantly.

For instance, De Boer's decision to play Luka Milivojevic as a centre-back in pre-season bewildered players.

Signed by Sam Allardyce in January, Milivojevic played a crucial role in Palace's midfield as they avoided the drop last season.

Moving him into a back-three didn't make sense to the Serbian. Nor did it to a number of his team-mates.

The squad's concerns have inevitably made it back to chairman Steve Parish.

Ultimately, though, the key behind De Boer's sacking is the results.

Four games, four defeats. No goals.

There's no escaping those numbers. The numbers certainly don't stack up for Crystal Palace.