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Survival specialist Allardyce making his mark at Palace

By The Associated Press

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — With his brief and humiliating experience as coach of England’s national team behind him, Sam Allardyce is back on familiar ground in the Premier League and doing what he does best: Turning around the fortunes of a struggling team.

“Big Sam,” as he is known in soccer circles, is a master at keeping clubs in the Premier League, so it was no surprise that Crystal Palace turned to him late last year as the south London club plunged toward the relegation zone.

He made a slow start to life at Palace, but results over the last month have been typical of Allardyce: Three games, three gritty performances, three clean sheets and — most importantly — three wins.

Palace has pulled four points clear of the bottom three.

Another team saved by Allardyce? Not quite, but he certainly has Palace — the worst performing team in all four professional leagues of English soccer in 2016 — heading in the right direction.

The pragmatic, no-nonsense manager has done that by getting back to basics, starting at the back where Palace was extremely shaky under previous manager Alan Pardew.

Fortunately, Allardyce had a transfer window to shake up the squad and two signings are starting to prove their worth.

France center back Mamadou Sakho was brought in on loan from Liverpool, where he was out of the team because of fitness issues and after getting a provisional ban for a failed doping test that was later dismissed by UEFA. Sakho has slotted into a newly formed five-man defense and Palace hasn’t conceded a goal with him in the team.

Luka Milivojevic, a holding midfielder from Serbia, joined from Olympiakos and has been stationed in front of the defense for the wins over Middlesbrough (1-0), West Bromwich Albion (2-0) and Watford (1-0), offering great protection.

It hasn’t been pretty but Palace is grinding out crucial points.

The hard work might just be starting, though.

On Saturday, Palace plays at first-place Chelsea in the first game of a difficult 10-match run-in in the Premier League that includes trips to Southampton, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United as well as home games against Arsenal, Leicester and Tottenham.

That four-point cushion could come in very handy for Palace, which is 16th in the 20-team league.

Allardyce is looking to rebuild his reputation that was damaged by an ill-fated 67-day spell in charge of England, which ended in September when he was forced out because of unguarded comments he made to undercover reporters posing as businessmen.

His last firefighting role in the Premier League was at Sunderland, which he joined in October 2015 when the team was next-to-last in the league and preserved its place in the top flight. Having never been relegated from the Premier League as a manager, he has also established Bolton, Blackburn and West Ham as top-flight teams during his 26 years in management.

Here are other things to look out for this weekend:

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ARSENAL’S FUTURE

The future of manager Arsene Wenger and forward Alexis Sanchez are up in the air and Arsenal is struggling for form on the field.

Arsenal’s only wins in eight games since January have been against Premier League struggler Hull and non-league teams Sutton and Lincoln in the FA Cup.

The team has dropped to sixth in the league, six points behind fourth-place Liverpool, which occupies the final Champions League qualification spot. Arsenal has qualified for the Champions League every year since 1998.

With his latest deal due to expire at the end of this season, Wenger gave no new hints about his future plans Thursday, saying: “It’s a subject that at the moment is not sorted completely out.”

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MERSEYSIDE DEBY

Liverpool has established a reputation under manager Juergen Klopp for playing well against the league’s top sides and being less fluent against the rest.

So where does Everton fit in these days?

Everton has climbed to seventh in the standings after seven wins in its last 10 games and even has an outside shot at Champions League qualification.

Liverpool hasn’t lost any of its last 13 Merseyside derbies since a 2-0 win for Everton in October 2010.

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Steve Douglas is at www.twitter.com/sdouglas80

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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