Crystal Palace Hiring Roy Hodgson Is Depressing And Short-Term

Despite sitting a full five places above the relegation zone and with ten realistically winnable games remaining, Crystal Palace decided it had seen enough.

Yet to win a game in 2023 and having lost its last four matches manager Patrick Vieira was fired.

A bold appointment when he was hired two years ago, Vieira has won plaudits for evolving a Crystal Palace team known for being dogged into something more dynamic.

Players such as Wilfried Saha, Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise dazzled in the frontline, while Marc Guéhi and Tyrick Mitchell earned international caps for their impressive displays at the back.

The trouble was this season, particularly at the start, performances earned plaudits but vital points required for survival were not collected.

Last month [February 2023], Vieira was asked by journalists if he was concerned about his side ending up in a relegation battle, as the side was only six points clear of the bottom three, and his answer reflected the wider trend.

“I wasn’t worried before the game and I’m not more worried after the game,” he said after a last-minute equalizer cost Palace a win against Brentford.

“The Premier League, when you look at the table, has been challenging and tough. Our main focus is about the way we perform and how we can improve. I was quite happy with the performances of the last couple of games we played.

“The disappointment is there because we scored the first goal and we conceded in the last minute of the game. That is the frustration. It showed as well that we need to improve and there are still a lot of things to improve to turn those performances into a win.”

Since Vieira made those comments the situation has not worsened slightly, but not to the extent where things were terminal.

Three out of the following five games were lost, however, Palace played both Liverpool and Manchester City in that difficult run. Its defeats in the other two games were by a single goal and, especially against Aston Villa where they were denied by a marginal offside call, easily could have gone the other way.

But the Palace hierarchy was unnerved by the narrowing of the gap to the relegation places to three points.

Several teams have multiple games in hand which, if they won, could drop the Eagles towards the relegation zone. However, survival remained very much in the club’s own hands as there remained several clubs between them and the drop.

There must be grave concerns at Palace that we can’t understand because Vieira’s replacement is the most short-term choice available.

Roy Hodgson, the man Palace replaced with the Frenchman, had been brought back to the club on a temporary contract.

Assisted by his longtime deputy Ray Lewington and current first-team coach Paddy McCarthy, the South London team believes the 75-year-old’s existing knowledge can make the difference.

“We are obviously in a very challenging period but we believe that Roy’s and Ray’s experience, knowledge of the club and players, alongside Paddy can help fulfill the immediate requirement of keeping us in the league,” said Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish as the appointment was confirmed.

Hodgson for his part was clear on the brief. “Our sole objective now is to start winning matches, and to get the points necessary to ensure our Premier League status,” he added.

Premier League clubs who panic have a habit of making ultra-conservative choices, but this one beggars belief.

Was Vieira treated unfairly?

Hiring Hodgson is remarkable not least because he is effectively in retirement.

“I’ve enjoyed my time doing the job. It’s a very demanding world,” Hodgson said after picking up an honor for his services to soccer at Buckingham Palace in May 2022.

The coach was speaking after a disappointing short-term spell as Watford manager, which had ended with relegation at of all places Crystal Palace.

“I took that job on and came out of retirement,” he explained, “now that job has unfortunately ended. I don’t think I shall be putting my name forward anymore for further sorties in the world of Premier League football.

“I think I’ve earned the right to step back and enjoy some free time and spend some time with my wife and son,” he added.

But around ten months after he made those statements Hodgson is back and, although I think it’s fair to assume, unlikely to be sticking around.

The choice means in the likely event Palace survives, it will be seeking a new younger manager to develop the project, someone essentially like Vieira.

This begs the question; why sack him? If the club was not playing badly and had an exciting group of younger players who still had the potential to grow with their coach could the club not have invested in that possibility?

After all, as former teammate and current Burnley manager Vincent Kompany pointed out, the club was not exactly below expectations in its performance.

“If you are rational and someone is underachieving in comparison to their resources, then I think it is fair enough that the club should make a decision,” he said after the decision was announced.

“But I think if you are overachieving, which is what they (Palace) are doing, then I think whoever is making the decision, has got to come forward and say ‘I made the decision because I think at the end of the season, we will be safe because of that decision. Because actually what you have done, is take out a manager who was overachieving.”

Maybe the downward trajectory would have continued, but is hiring a 75-year-old to arrest the decline for a couple of months going to solve that? The answer overwhelmingly is no.