Former Crystal Palace defender Danny Gabbidon believes the Premier League strugglers can still stay up but replacing Patrick Vieira with Roy Hodgson would be a ‘brave move’, speaking on BBC’s Match of the Day 2.
Does a ‘new manager bounce’ still apply when you are re-hiring the ‘old manager’?
According to Sky Sports, Roy Hodgson is in contention for a shock return to Selhurst Park, two years after bidding an emotional farewell to Crystal Palace.
Bringing back 75-year-old Hodgson in place of a man who was supposed to take Palace to a whole new level would, in the eyes of some, smack of desperation. But this is the position Crystal Palace now find themselves in; a desperate one.
Sunday’s 4-1 thumping at a Bukayo Saka-inspired Arsenal means The Eagles have now won just one of their last 15 Premier League games either side of the World Cup break. Four defeats in their last four.
Hodgson’s results-driven nature could, in theory, help turn some of those many draws into narrow wins; Gabbidon insisting that Crystal Palace’s next manager will have one task and one task only.
Will Roy Hodgson return to Crystal Palace as Patrick Vieira replacement?
“I think if Roy comes in, it is all about keeping Crystal Palace in the Premier League,” says the former Wales international, who wore red and blue between 2012 and 2014.
“You look at Palace over the last year or so, they’ve tried to transition into a better style of football, bring in younger players. I looked as if Patrick was doing a good job in that respect.
“If Roy comes in, a different type of manager. It’s a brave move by the hierarchy to get rid of Patrick. Can Roy come in and keep Palace in the Premier League? I think they can (stay up).”
Crystal Palace, in their next six games, will face almost every one of their relegation rivals; Leicester City, Leeds, Southampton, Everton, Wolves and West Ham United. Palace boast a better defensive record than all-but one in the Premier League’s bottom eight, with Gabbidon pointing out that improvements must be made in the attacking third.
“It’s really tight at the bottom,” Gabbidon adds. “You see Crystal Palace defensively this season and they’ve been pretty good. It’s at the other end where they’ve struggled.
“If a manager can come in and get the team to score a few more goals, I think they will be OK.”
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