Wednesday 16 May 2018 11:21, UK
This could have been the day Sam Allardyce announced his England World Cup squad, instead he's been sacked by Everton.
Despite guiding Everton away from trouble and finishing eighth in the Premier League, Allardyce's unpopularity with the fans made his position untenable.
Here, Press Association Sport takes a look back at the 63-year-old's recent highs and lows...
Following England's embarrassing exit from Euro 2016 with defeat against Iceland, the Football Association agreed a compensation deal with Sunderland to appoint Allardyce on a two-year deal after Roy Hodgson's decision to stand down.
Allardyce's first game as England manager ended in victory, thanks to a late Adam Lallana goal in a World Cup qualifier away to Slovakia. But it proved to be his one and only match as England manager, as Allardyce resigned 67 days into the post after the Daily Telegraph released secretly filmed footage of him making controversial remarks about a variety of subjects, including side work and circumventing FA regulations.
Following the departure of Alan Pardew, Allardyce was appointed as the new manager of Crystal Palace on a two-and-a-half-year contract, with the Eagles just a point above the drop zone. Palace won their first match under Allardyce against his former club Bolton in the FA Cup in January and a first Premier League victory followed at Bournemouth at the end of the month.
The resurgent Eagles made it four wins in a row when they beat leaders Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bridge to sit 16th and four points clear of the bottom three. After defeat at Southampton, Allardyce's men went on to defeat Arsenal and Liverpool.
Palace secured their place in the Premier League with a 4-0 victory over Hull, who were relegated to the Championship as a result. Palace ended the season with a 2-0 defeat at Manchester United but in 14th place, seven points clear of the relegation zone.
However, Allardyce unexpectedly announced his departure from Palace a few days later - five months to the day since his appointment - saying he has "no ambitions" to take another job.
After appearing to rule himself out of the post following Ronald Koeman's sacking, Everton's failed pursuit of Watford boss Marco Silva saw them return to Allardyce, who agrees to take over at Goodison Park. Allardyce makes a good start, with Everton racking up four wins and three draws from his first seven games in charge to move well away from the relegation zone.
After the positive start, results became more inconsistent and the prospect of European football drifted away. Despite moving up to eighth place, there are protests from fans about Allardyce and his style of play while chairman Bill Kenwright apologises after a fan survey includes a question about the manager.
Three days after Everton finish the season with a 3-1 defeat by West Ham, Allardyce was sacked by Everton - on the same day his replacement as England manager, Gareth Southgate, names his World Cup squad.
