Roy Hodgson sees a potential comeback to Crystal Palace after Viera’s sacking. Paddy McCarthy and Darren Powell takes over for the clash against Arsenal on Sunday.
Former Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson is being considered to take over the managerial role after the club sacked Patrick Viera on Friday.
Crystal Palace has not won in the Premier League since the New Years’ Eve. They are now on a 12-match winless run with six draws and five defeats. Currently sitting at 12th place in the table, they are only three points above the relegation zone. Their last victory came against AFC Bournemouth last year in an away game at the Vitality Stadium.
Frenchman Viera’s stint ended after a winless run in all competitions. In his last match as a manager, Crystal Palace succumbed to a goal to nil defeat against Brighton. Reports from the club management confirmed that he was sacked.
Palace next takes on Arsenal on Sunday at the Emirates Stadium. Paddy McCarthy, Under-21 boss at the club, and former Crystal Palace player Darren Powell will take over on a temporary basis for the match.
Roy Hodgson is Back ?
Roy Hodgson, 75, is the frontrunner to be the club’s manager after he managed Palace for four seasons before stepping back from football in 2021. He returned to Premier League for a short period last season at Watford, leaving before the Hornets were relegated.
He said last season he would not take another Premier League role after his time at Watford.
The former Liverpool and Fulham manager knows the current Crystal Palace squad well, having worked with them before, and this chemistry could possibly exude a positive energy to keep the Eagles from dropping into the relegation zone.
Former Crystal Palace striker, Clinton Morrison, criticized the decision to sack Viera. He said that the club might recede from the progress they made under Viera if they consider Hodgson. He added that Palace wanted the team to evolve under Viera, and they rightfully did so, but going back to Hodgson is a backward step for the club.
Although he understands the prime objective of the club is to avoid relegation until the end of the season, the former Eagles Striker said that lack of options could be another factor that influenced the club to take more time.
Crystal palace have faith in Paddy McCarthy
Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parrish clarified that they are not looking past the match against Arsenal on Sunday.
According to Sky Sports, Parrish said that the decision was made in the best interest of the club. He felt things weren’t going right, so a change was needed. Adding further he implied that the club had to change something to get out of the rut.
Everybody in the club loved Patrick and he had the players with him, running for him and giving their best but the results never came said the club’s chairman.
Parrish said that no contacts were made to any candidate while Viera was still in the post. He insisted that he is solely focused on giving Paddy McCarthy and assistant Darren Powell support ahead of Sunday, but he indicated that they would start working through their list of candidates as soon as the international break starts.
But Palace officials cleared that the club was considering a short-term stint to avoid relegation, and the former England manager remains a favourite due to his familiarity with the players
