A Crystal Palace managerial front-runner has now emerged, should the club decide to part ways with Roy Hodgson, according to one reliable reporter.
Roy Hodgson’s Crystal Palace future
The Eagles suffered a heavy 5-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday, leaving the club five points above the relegation zone. There was a staged protest from members of the travelling support during the game, with a large banner held up in the away end reading:
“Wasted potential. On and off the pitch, weak decisions. Taking us backwards."
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Talking after the loss, Hodgson was asked about his future and if he had the support from the Palace board, to which he said:
“That's a question for them, isn't it? But if you're asking me if I've ever felt a lack of support from them, then the answer is no. I think they've been good, but I mean now in [the] situation that you're obviously discussing, in this scenario you're envisaging, that's going to be a question for them.
“When a team isn't doing as well as it should be doing, someone needs to be held responsible, and that's the manager.”
The Daily Mail claimed after the game at the Emirates that Palace, and by extension chairman Steve Parish and sporting director Dougie Freedman, are identifying replacements for Hodgson due to their poor run of form, with Steve Cooper and Julen Lopetegui two possible candidates. Now, a new update has emerged regarding one of the two targets.
Steve Cooper in pole position for Crystal Palace job
According to Rahman Osman of London World, Cooper is the manager who is leading the race to take over from Hodgson. The 44-year-old is ready to return to the dugout after leaving Nottingham Forest last month, and Palace could be tested with their backing of Hodgson until the summer due to their current form.
Cooper, who plays an attacking 4-3-3 system, took Forest back into the Premier League and kept the Reds up in his first season before leaving last month.
The Welshman has been on Palace’s radar for some time now and was even linked with the job when he was still at the City Ground, so some may not see it as a surprise that he’s in pole position to take over from Hodgson. Former Palace boss Sam Allardyce has previously praised Cooper, hailing him for the “incredible” job he did in the Midlands.
"What becomes difficult in terms of building team spirit is having too many players. Most managers don’t have enough. What they don’t have enough of is quality, and what they don’t want is quantity.
“Steve is one of the only managers to say he has too many players. Dealing with that can distract your focus. You want to keep them all involved and use them if you can and see what they’ve got, but ultimately, it’s a very tough decision. Steve has done an incredible job dealing with these issues as well as getting good results.”