The chairman of Crystal Palace, Steve Parish, has seriously considered firing Roy Hodgson following the team’s major loss to Brighton on Saturday. However, he is facing difficulties in finding a new manager who is willing to step in during this point in the season.
The previous coach of the English team is facing increased scrutiny following the crushing 4-1 loss, which marked Palace’s worst defeat against their main rivals since a 5-0 defeat in 1956.
Parish has reportedly been considering new options for manager, after a string of poor performances under current manager Hodgson. This comes after Parish had previously fired Patrick Vieira in March of last year. Despite this, it is unclear if Parish will ultimately make the decision to let go of Hodgson, as he has yet to take action despite the team’s recent struggles, with only four wins in their last 17 league matches.
It is rumored that Hodgson was close to losing his job following the 5-0 loss to Arsenal last month, which resulted in fans displaying banners criticizing Parish and the rest of the board. After a 10-day break following that game, Palace won 3-2 against Sheffield United in the Premier League. However, it is believed that the board saw this as a missed chance to let go of the 76-year-old.
Steve Cooper – sacked by Nottingham Forest in December – and the former Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui have been mooted as potential replacements but are believed to be reluctant to take over with so little time to prepare for a run of fixtures that includes Chelsea at Selhurst Park next Monday night before a trip to face Everton and home fixture against Burnley on successive weekends.
The chairman of Palace did not consult with the club’s largest shareholder, John Textor, about Hodgson’s future after the Brighton defeat. They have not spoken this week, even though they have been involved in the January transfer window. However, Textor, who also owns the French club Lyon through his group Eagle Football, has been in favor of Palace hiring a new manager for a few weeks now.
Hodgson has faced much backlash for his choice to substitute Michael Olise at half-time while his team was already losing 3-0. This decision came after the France Under-21 player suffered his third hamstring injury of the season. It appears likely that Olise will now join Eberechi Eze and captain Marc Guéhi, who also sustained a knee injury against Brighton, on the injured list for the foreseeable future.
After the loss to Brighton, Hodgson stated that he remains committed to his position as the Premier League’s oldest manager. He reassured, “I have no issue with that at all. I continue to fully support the team and the players, as I know they are giving their best effort.”
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Yesterday, the Palace supporters’ group Holmesdale Fanatics wrote on X: “Another disgraceful performance. No fight, no pride. Our club has become unrecognisable from everything we once stood for. Weak leadership at all levels is causing this and strangling the Palace identity and spirit. Fans deserve better.”
Source: theguardian.com
