Crystal Palace

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Crystal Palace fan and comedian Kevin Day speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live following news that Roy Hodgson is set to be sacked as manager:

"With our dysfunctional management structure you never know what is happening from one day to the next. [Sporting director] Dougie Freedman could be out in Germany talking to Oliver Glasner or he might be testing some Riesling’s for the boardroom. Who knows? It is impossible to predict.

"The timing of it is really strange. Every Palace fan will acknowledge what he has done for Crystal Palace and what he has done for football.

"I interviewed him for about two hours before Christmas for a podcast and he was brilliant. He's articulate, he's intelligent, he's clever, he's witty. But, it was clear to me and everyone in the podcast that he is disillusioned with the modern game and with each game that goes by, it is the things he says after the games that make you wonder if his heart is in it.

"No Crystal Palace manager would have survived the debacle of the Brighton game. Losing in the way we did, with fans fighting amongst each other and fighting with the players. How he survived that is beyond me. Because he did survive that, a lot of the more moderate Palace fans would have assumed that he would be here until the end of the season and there is no point sacking him now.

"[Oliver Glasner] is clearly a good manager but he is from a completely different environment and to bring him in as a troubleshooter at this stage of the season seems a bit odd. At this point, I would not be surprised if they announce that Hodgson will be our manager until the end of the season and Glasner will then takeover.

"At the moment Steve Parish seems to be running the club based on whatever banner is being flown at the end of it by the fans."

As reports swirl that Roy Hodgson is set to be dismissed by Crystal Palace, we've taken a look at his record.

The manager was due to hold a news conference today but it has been cancelled, with the club stating he "was taken ill during this morning’s training session".

Crystal Palace have lined up former Eintracht Frankfurt manager Oliver Glasner to take over if they sack Roy Hodgson. (Guardian), external

Everton and Crystal Palace are monitoring Marseille's 23-year-old Senegal striker Iliman Ndiaye. (La Provence via Sport Witness), external

Manchester United are eyeing a move for Crystal Palace's 22-year-old French winger Michael Olise, 22. (90min) , external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Crystal Palace have been frustrated in their attempts to persuade Kieran McKenna to leave Ipswich and replace Roy Hodgson as manager but are hopeful the Northern Irishman could take over at the end of the season. (Guardian), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Alex Pewter
Fan writer

Few outside Crystal Palace expected Roy Hodgson to oversee Monday’s game with Chelsea. Based on the chairman’s programme notes - that failed to mention his manager by name - perhaps the club were not expecting it either.

Yet, despite negative discourse following the defeat to Brighton, Hodgson proceeded to take first-team training and successfully navigated what could have been a problematic news conference on Thursday.

Unfortunately for the Palace manager, despite a spirited first half and an unlikely lead courtesy of Jefferson Lerma, this game ended in the usual fashion for this encounter.

Few head-to-head records could be as severely one-sided as Chelsea vs Crystal Palace. This defeat made it thirteen in a row in the Premier League, the last win being Hodgson’s first league victory at the club back in October 2017.

The dilemma now for Steve Parish and the rest of the club’s hierarchy is whether this performance, even in defeat, warrants delaying a managerial change. In any case, Hodgson is a lame-duck manager, as by his own admission, these next 14 games will likely be his last in football.

Numerically, the team may need to win four of those matches to reach a 36-point threshold worthy of survival. With injuries and squad options being what they are, finding a head coach who would carry the team beyond this summer may still be prudent.

The crowd, while deflated by late defeat, was in good voice for most of the match, leaving impressed by home debuts for Adam Wharton and Daniel Munoz and encouraged by a first league start for Matheus Franca.

It would appear this club still has fight in it for whoever finishes the season in the dugout.

Alex Pewter can be found on the FYP podcast, external

Image source, PA Media

Roy Hodgson believes his Crystal Palace squad are good enough to move clear of relegation trouble in the Premier League.

Palace conceded two late goals against Chelsea as they fell to their third loss in four league games, leaving the Eagles five points above the relegation zone.

The club's two attacking talismen, Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze, missed the Chelsea match because of injury problems.

"It's a bad period, which has been caused in particular by the injury situation," Hodgson said, "but there are 14 games [left]. That's a lot of games, a lot of points, and a lot of matches to be played.

"I think we've shown enough, even in some of the other defeats we've had. There's been lots of games where, really, things could have gone a little bit better for us so I don't have any concerns in that respect.

"But I do want to emphasise that there's no complacency here. We realise that we're at the wrong end of the table and we realise that the points are very necessary for us to climb away from the relegation zone.

"But if the question is do I think that this group of players are good enough to get us out now? I do. I think they showed a lot [against Chelsea] which gives me even more faith and belief."

Image source, Getty Images

Former Crystal Palace winger Andros Townsend has been speaking to the Football Daily podcast about the manager situation at Selhurst Park.

"They went with the young up and coming manager [Vieira] who wants to play on the front foot and keep possession," says Townsend.

"From the outside, it looked like it was working. Yes, they had a sticky period [under Vieira], but it looked like it was working in a three-year plan, they were moving forward and I think they got to an FA Cup semi-final.

"They were progressing in the league and playing good football and they decided to go back to Roy Hodgson.

"Hodgson at 75/76 years of age is not going to suddenly come out of retirement and be Pep Guardiola. You know what you are going to get from him, solidity. I don’t now what they expected this time around."

Listen to the latest Football Daily episode here

We asked you for your thoughts on Monday night's Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Chelsea

Here are some of your comments:

Palace fans

Mike: I’m not so upbeat as others on this one. The facts are that our passing accuracy is abysmal and especially so from defence. Tyrick Mitchell is a weakness and Chelsea exploited that. Our touches in the final third continue to be a problem. We are now very much in a relegation battle, like it or not.

Samuel: Obviously we lost, and the circumstances were rather humiliating — Gallagher scoring a brace is tough to swallow. But regardless, I thought Jefferson Lerma’s individual performance was exceptionally good, and Matheus Franca found his footing as the game progressed. The performance of these new signings will be key for us given our injuries.

Des: Dean Henderson needs to be removed from goal as he is a total liability! Every time Palace get their act together he concedes goals. Twenty in eight games so far? This is unacceptable. Since he arrived at the club, he has struggled in goal whilst Roy decided to leave England international Sam Johnstone on the bench. Henderson was a very bad buy and has been unlucky for us.

Chelsea fans

Kevin: A bad first half, a better second half and Conor Gallagher must sign a new contract. We needed three points and got them. We need a world-class striker and a new right-back.

Nick: Fans wondered before the game which Chelsea team would show up for this match. The answer? Both of them. The first half was flat, slow and insipid. The second much better - well, enough to beat a weak Palace team anyway. Will need to be much more incisive and focused, and for 90+ minutes, to get anything out of the visit to Manchester City on Saturday.

Fossie: First-half performance was lacklustre with the ball being passed across the back line and being played backwards. The fact we had no forward momentum was shown by only one shot at goal. Fortunately, the second half was a different story and the little tweaks that Pochettino made at half-time worked really well. Chelsea need to play like the second half for 90 minutes and the results will come.

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson, speaking after Monday's 3-1 loss to Chelsea in the Premier League:

"I'm not really in the mood, if I'm being brutally honest, of [highlighting] positives and trying to find things to say that would cheer me up, because I don't know what could be said that would cheer me up.

"What can I say that will cheer the players up? I could possibly say, well, with the players we've got coming back and these guys doing so well, it bodes well for the future with the 14 games we have left.

"But of course we still don't know when Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze will be back, so we might be battling through like we've done tonight for a few more games before we can look at a team which will threaten the opposition a bit more than we did today."

Did you know?

• Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson has lost all seven of his Premier League encounters with Mauricio Pochettino, only facing Jurgen Klopp (9) more often in the competition while losing every time.

• Crystal Palace have conceded at least once in each of their last 13 Premier League games, since a 2-0 win a Burnley in November, the joint longest ongoing run without a clean sheet in the competition (Nottingham Forest also 13).

• Jefferson Lerma’s opener was his first Premier League goal for Crystal Palace (19th app), becoming the first Palace player other than Eberechi Eze or Michael Olise to score from outside the box in the competition since Wilfried Zaha against Brentford in August 2022.

Gary Rose
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

This was a third defeat in four Premier League games for Crystal Palace and leaves them looking firmly over their shoulders as the prospect of being involved in a relegation battle looms large.

"Despite that, there were some reasons for encouragement as Palace were good value for their first-half lead, with Chelsea struggling to lay a glove on them.

The early goal in the second half was a blow but despite some Chelsea pressure they were looking on course for a well-earned point before the Blues' late double.

Still, the pressure remains on Roy Hodgson and it doesn't get any easier with a huge game at fellow strugglers Everton up next.

Conor Gallagher scored twice as Chelsea came from behind to win at Selhurst Park and pile the pressure on Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson.

The Blues dominated the opening period of the match but it was Palace who took the lead, with Jefferson Lerma picking up the ball on the edge of the area and rifling the ball into the top corner in the 30th minute.

Mauricio Pochettino's side could not muster a shot until the 45th minute as Palace looked to frustrate their opponents and pick up a much-needed Premier League win.

However, it took just two minutes of the second half for the visitors to level as Malo Gusto's cross was met by Gallagher - who was on loan at Palace in 2021-22 - and he smashed the ball past Dean Henderson to level the scores.

Chelsea continued to push for a winner and Gallagher secured it in stoppage time with a neat first-time finish, before Enzo Fernandez added a third with seconds remaining.

Were you at the match or did you follow it from home?

Palace fans - let us know your thoughts on the game here

How did you rate the side's performance, Chelsea fans?

Follow all of the reaction here

Crystal Palace are hosting Chelsea in the Premier League this evening and kick-off is less than an hour away.

For team news and all the build-up, head to our live coverage over here

We asked you if Crystal Palace are too good to be relegated from the Premier League.

Here are some of your answers:

Kevin: No team is too good to go down, ask Leicester fans. Roy has plan A (give it to Eze or Olise), plan B (park the bus badly) and nothing else. It is all too easy for opponents. Palace will stay up, but only due to FFP points deductions and two of the promoted teams being so poor.

Mark: If Everton or Forest don't get a points deduction then Palace will be relegated. Roy is stubborn and out of date with football. How can you expect to win games if you don't take risks? Clueless.

Adrian: No team is ever too good to go down. If you don't win matches, you don't get points - and teams are not awarded points on the quality of their squads. Palace could go down, for sure - but they have sufficient quality - even without Guehi, Eze, Rak-Sakyi, Doucoure and Olise - to win enough games and stay up.

Les: Without Olise and Eze we look an ordinary Championship side where we will be next season if things don’t improve. This is the worst situation in years and the fans need to get behind the team instead of all this negativity. It really is not helping the team. The fans have had their say and rightly so now let’s all pull together.

How far could Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze go in the game? And does the future hold moves away from Crystal Palace for them?

Former Palace striker Clinton Morrison expects the pair to move on in time.

• Watch The Football News Show debate Palace in detail

Jay Crame
Fan writer

The fallout from the debacle at Brighton last weekend has run all week, with so much speculation it is hard to know what, if anything, is going on behind the scenes.

From the outside, the club look very disorganised and that stems from last summer and the moment we reappointed Roy Hodgson for "another season". It's a completely wasted season and we should have brought someone in after the 10-game stint Roy had to see out the last campaign after the sacking of Patrick Vieira.

The problem with Palace is that without Eberechi Eze or Michael Olise, the side looks so one-dimensional. Having already lost Cheick Doucoure from the midfield for the season, the cracks began to appear. The injury-prone duo have been in and out of the side, and now Marc Guehi is too. Take the two best players out of any Premier League side and they would struggle, let alone four.

• Too good to go down? Let us know

We should just get through but that really does rely on Eze being back in the side in a couple of weeks. If he spends any more time out - and with Olise in the treatment room for a couple of months - things could get a little tense. They will have to find of way of utilising the talent that is remaining in the squad, such as the newly arrived Adam Wharton and Matheus Franca.

It's hard to feel comfortable wanting Roy sacked after all he has done for us and he has been put in a very difficult position by the ownership structure, which has received a lot of criticism of late.

We are good enough to stay up - just - but we are not too good to go down, if that makes any sense whatsoever.

Jay Crame can be found at The Eagles Beak, external

BBC Sport pundit Michael Brown and former Crystal Palace striker Clinton Morrison expect the Eagles to survive under Roy Hodgson this season.

Take a look at their clip on The Football News Show below and watch a Palace special in full here.

And what do you think - are Palace too good to go down? Let us know here

Can Crystal Palace pick up valuable points against Chelsea?

Mauricio Pochettino's side have struggled in the Premier League in recent weeks but have excelled in cup competitions.

• Watch The Football News Show's Crystal Palace special here

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches again this season, against a variety of guests.

For this weekend's games, he takes on Sexy Beast star Stephen Moyer, who is a West Ham fan.

Sutton's prediction: 0-1

Well, Chelsea are back on form after their FA Cup win over Aston Villa - so this is a nailed-on Crystal Palace win.

Being serious, though, I'm worried about Palace, especially with Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze's ongoing injury issues, and I am making this prediction on the basis that they will both be missing.

Although Chelsea remain a very odd side, and we don't know what kind of performance we will get from them, I can see them keeping a clean sheet and they have got enough firepower to nick a goal from somewhere.

Stephen's prediction: 1-1

Palace are all over the shop but Chelsea's inconsistency is on a different level and they just cannot put a run of performances together.

If Olise and Eze were fit, I would be more likely to back Palace, but without them it is very hard to think they will win.

Read all of Sutton's predictions for this weekend's games

The Football News Show has taken a deep look at Crystal Palace, with former Premier League midfielder Michael Brown and ex-Palace striker Clinton Morrison discussing the future.

Watch the episode below and get more episodes of the show here.