Crystal Palace have now won two games out of two since deciding to sack Patrick Vieira and bring Roy Hodgson back to Selhurst Park.
The south Londoners have recorded a 2-1 win over Leicester and a stunning 5-1 victory against Leeds since opting to hand the Frenchman his P45 in SE25.
It has been a stunning start for Hodgson in his second stint at Crystal Palace, although Garth Crooks has some issues with the 75-year-old’s return.
What’s the story?
Well, the BBC Sport pundit went off at a tangent when including Michael Olise in his Team of the Week.
Crooks began to discuss Crystal Palace’s fixtures and claimed it was harsh of the Eagles to sack Vieira just as a favourable run of fixtures was coming his way.
The 65-year-old wrote: “I couldn’t possibly have selected a team this week without acknowledging Crystal Palace’s 5-1 victory away at Elland Road. The standout player in this impressive display was Michael Olise.
“Leeds had no answer to the player’s ability, balance and composure on the ball. However, what I find difficult about this result is that the man responsible for building this young exciting team was sacked just when Palace were about to play all the teams currently below them in the league. Admittedly they had struggled against the teams above them but Palace were always capable of going to Elland Road and producing a victory, even if it wasn’t as impressive as this one.”
Having already faced Leicester and Leeds under Hodgson, Crystal Palace take on Southampton, Everton, Wolves, West Ham, Tottenham, Bournemouth, Fulham and Nottingham Forest between now and the end of the season.
Crystal Palace were right to sack Patrick Vieira
The point Crooks makes has been mentioned a lot since Vieira was sacked.
While it is a logical one to make, there was nothing to suggest that Crystal Palace would have played so well in these so-called easier fixtures based on what we saw under the Frenchman in 2023. The side was devoid of confidence.
According to Opta, Crystal Palace became the first team on record to go three consecutive Premier League games without taking a single shot on target, while they were also the only side in England’s top four leagues without a win before Vieira left.
Additionally, the talented Eberechi Eze was being wasted, and the immediate improvement in performances from him as well as his teammates since Vieira departed suggests something had to be wrong under the 46-year-old.
While we can understand where Crooks is coming from, he is miles away from the reality of the situation.
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