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'Deeply uninspiring' - The Football Show on Roy Hodgson's return to Palace

Football journalist Gavin Cooney joined The Football Show to discuss Crystal Palace and Roy Hod...



Football journalist Gavin Cooney joined The Football Show to discuss Crystal Palace and Roy Hodgson.

Roy Hodsgon was fired by Crystal Palace less than two years ago.

Roy Hodsgon has been hired by Crystal Palace for the remainder of this season.

It's as if Crystal Palace spent the last 18 months on a roundabout, the results weren't as consistent but the excitement was there and the potential for more was there. And now they've take the same turn off that roundabout that they used to get on it.

Maybe it's a fair decision based on the league table. Palace are 12th in the league and that should suggest that they are safe. But this season that means they are only three points above the relegation zone.

West Ham and Leicester will feel that they should be in the top-10, not the bottom three. So the relegation battle is a real threat to Palace.

Still, it doesn't make it any easier to understand the return to Hodgson. Gavin Cooney suggests it's simply a return to a more comfortable philosophy.

"Parish politics!" Cooney said.

"Which is that you can't see beyond the man in front of you. Which is Roy Hodgson back at Crystal Palace to replace Patrick Viera. We all praised Steve Parish only 18 months ago you know. They had Hodgson and they had a certain style of play.

"It wasn't very exciting, but it would guarantee Premiere League [football]."

Steve Parish is the co-owner and chairman of Crystal Palace. He made the decision to move on from Roy Hodgson less than two years ago and now he's the same man who has reverted that decision for the remainder of this season.

"He made the brave move to appoint Patrick Viera and it went really well last season. FA Cup semi-finals and they played some great football in the league as well. And then at the first sign of trouble they ditch him to bring back Hodsgon just for a stay in the Premier League card.

"I've never seen such a neat distillation of panic...deeply uninspiring I have to say."

Will Smallbone should feature for Ireland against Latvia.

 

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