Former England boss Roy Hodgson has made a return to the Premier League dugout at the age of 75 for a second spell at Selhurst Park until the end of the season with 10 games left to combat the threat of relegation after the club sacked former gaffer Patrick Vieira.
The former England manager will come out of retirement for a second time as he takes over the reins from Vieira – who had incidentally succeeded him in 2021 but was given his marching papers last Friday after a run of 12 matches without a win.
The shockingly dismal form left Palace chairman Steve Parish rightfully anxious regarding the threat of relegation hanging over over the club with Under-21 coach and former captain Paddy McCarthy at that juncture overseeing a 4-1 thumping away by Arsenal.
The understanding prior to that game was that talks were already in the advanced stage to bring back Hodgson immediately after Vieira’s sacking, with the Palace chairman certain that the former England boss is the best option to navigate Palace to safety until a suitable permanent candidate is appointed.
Hodgson – a boyhood Palace fan who took over in Sept 2017 and kept the club in the Premier League for four consecutive seasons – was brought in on a similar short-term deal last January to try and save Watford, then in the bottom three, from relegation, which he failed to achieve. However, Palace have faith that his knowledge and experience with their club will make a difference.
Palace have gone through the paces of overhauling their squad since Hodgson’s most recent departure although he has worked previously with a number of key players including Wilfried Zaha, whom the club are hoping would commit to signing a new deal.
All things considered, Palace are still 12th in the table despite their woeful run of form, just three points ahead of West Ham who occupy the final relegation place with two games in hand.
Hodgson’s first game in charge will be at home to relegation rivals Leicester City on April 1.