The chairman of Crystal Palace, Steve Parish, has seriously considered firing Roy Hodgson following the team’s historic loss to Brighton on Saturday, but he is having difficulty finding a suitable successor at this point in the season.
After the devastating 4-1 defeat that was Palace’s hardest against their arch-rivals since a 5-0 loss in 1956, the former England manager has come under renewed pressure.
Parish—who was photographed with the loans manager Mark Bright at the Amex Stadium and who sacked Patrick Vieira in March last year following a 1-0 loss against Brighton—has been looking for potential replacements in recent weeks given Hodgson’s difficulties. However, despite a terrible run of just four wins in their past 17 league matches, Parish has still not decided to sacking the former England manager.
Following Arsenal’s 5-0 defeat last month, Hodgson is thought to have nearly been sacked, with supporters raising banners criticizing Parish and his other board members. Before that game, when they won 3-2 against Sheffield United in the Premier League, Palace had a ten-day break, and it was thought that it was a “opportunity missed” by the board members to leave the 76-year-old out.
Steve Cooper, who was fired by Nottingham Forest in December, and former Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui have been mentioned as possible successors. However, it is thought that they would be hesitant to take over with so little time to prepare for a stretch of games that includes Chelsea at Selhurst Park on Monday night, followed by trips to Everton and Burnley at home the following weekend.
Despite being active in the January transfer window, it is understood that the Palace chairman has not discussed Hodgson’s future with the club’s largest shareholder, John Textor, since the Brighton loss. The two are not even thought to have spoken this week. However, it’s thought that for a few weeks, the American, whose company Eagle Football also owns the French team Lyon, supported Palace’s appointment of a new manager.
In addition, Hodgson has come under fire for his choice to substitute Michael Olise at halftime with his team already behind 3-0, as the France Under-21 forward was suffering from his third hamstring injury of the year. He is almost certainly going to spend the near future in the treatment table alongside Eberechi Eze and the captain, Marc Guéhi, who suffered a knee injury against Brighton.
Despite being the Premier League’s oldest manager to date, Hodgson stated following the Brighton loss that he was still up for the position. “Yes, that is not at all problematic,” he replied. “I know the players and the team are giving it their all, but I’m still very much behind them.”
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