And just four games in they are struggling to keep their manager in a job.

Frank de Boer’s side put in another pitiful display in front of goal against Burnley to leave the Dutchman clinging on to his job last night after only 77 days at the club.

The pointless Londoners have yet to score this season. Yesterday they had 23 attempts on goal although just five were on target.

Even a first half shoulder injury which forced Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton off didn’t help them find the back of the net.

When the manager is fighting for his job, he could do with his players digging in on the pitch.

The only thing Chung-Yong Lee did was dig the grave a bit deeper for his manager though with a third-minute howler that gifted Chris Wood his second goal for the Clarets on his first Premier League start.

Scott Dann didn’t do his boss a favour either with an early contender for miss of the season late on to leave De Boer’s future looking bleak.

Sam Allardyce only managed one point from his first five games before he led Crystal Palace away from the drop zone last season so maybe the former Ajax star should be given some slack.

His side showed some signs here that he could be getting it right. But it’s painfully slow progress and he might not be given the time to see the job though.

Concentration was key yesterday with so much at stake after De Boer changed his formation to 4-3-3.

But Lee didn’t have any of it when he aimed a ball back to his defence only for it to fall at the feet of Wood to finish with a superb first-time shot which he curled around the on-rushing goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey.

If Lee had played that pass at the other end it would have been a wonderful assist, instead it was a woeful mistake.

Palace had two quick-fire chances to make amends but Matthew Lowton cleared Dann’s strike off the line before Christian Benteke fired just wide.

Burnley’s Sam Vokes then went close at the other end in a frantic start to the game but the pace soon slowed before James McArthur headed wide a Yohan Cabaye corner.

The home side suffered a huge blow when keeper Heaton was forced off following an awkward fall as he collected a cross in the 36th minute.

Nick Pope replaced him for his first league start for the Clarets.

But the Premier League rookie didn’t look out of place as he stopped a deflected Andros Townsend shot soon after coming on.

After the break, Palace dominated possession with Benteke flashing a header wide before substitute Levi Lumeka did the same and then Jeffrey Schlupp lashed over.

Ashley Barnes forced Hennessey into a good stop at the other end as Burnley looked to seal the win.

But a second was not needed as Pope denied Benteke with his outstretched foot before James Tarkowski cleared another Dann strike off the line.

Defender Dann then had the best chance for Palace but he somehow headed Cabaye’s cross wide from the edge of the six-yard box when it was far easier to score.

He should have at least hit the target.

De Boer put his head in his hands after the miss before trudging back to his seat on the bench as the TV cameras turned to chairman Steve Parish looking glum in the directors’ box.

Palace face Southampton on Saturday. Whether De Boer is in the dugout at Selhurst Park remains to be seen.