Roy Hodgson reappointed Crystal Palace manager aged 75
Crystal Palace have reappointed Roy Hodgson as their manager until the end of the season, following the sacking of Patrick Vieira on Friday. Hodgson had previously managed the team and expressed surprise at being offered another opportunity to lead them.
He returns to Palace with Ray Lewington as first-team coach and Paddy McCarthy as assistant manager.
The team are currently 12th in the Premier League, but only three points above the relegation zone. Hodgson’s first game in charge during his second spell will be at home to Leicester on 1 April.
The 75-year-old has managed six clubs in the Premier League and has already held the record for being the competition’s oldest manager.
‘Hodgson a safe pair of hands in relegation battle’
Analysis by Alex Howell, BBC Sport
Crystal Palace have turned to Roy Hodgson as a safe pair of hands to try to fight off the threat of relegation.
Following the sacking of Patrick Vieira, it was understood Hodgson was one of the names being considered by the Palace hierarchy and you can grasp their thinking.
After taking over at Palace in 2017, Hodgson kept the Eagles clear of relegation for the four seasons he was in charge.
However, some supporters are not keen to see the former England manager return, due to the style of football that was played towards the end of his previous spell in the Selhurst Park dugout.
There are also reservations about how his time at Watford ended following his short-term appointment last season, when he was unable to stop the Hornets being relegated from the Premier League.
Under Vieira, Palace were not conceding a lot of goals. The team’s problem is at the other end of the pitch, with the Eagles struggling to put the ball in the back of the net.
The advantage of hiring Hodgson is he already knows a number of Palace’s key players.
Getting Wilfried Zaha scoring again will be Hodgson’s biggest target, with the Eagles’ hopes of staying in the top flight heavily reliant on their talisman. Zaha is the only player in the squad who has scored regularly in the league over the past four seasons.
It could be argued that there is a lot more talent in this current Palace squad than the one Hodgson left in 2021. With players like Joachim Andersen, Marc Guehi, Cheick Doucoure, Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze, it will be interesting to see the style of football he implements as Palace look to extend their stay in the top flight to 11 seasons.
