Roy Hodgson a backward step?? A backward step would be Crystal Palace’s relegation from the Premier League

Adam Sells is the managing director of Sells Goalkeeper Products. He has followed the fortunes of Crystal Palace since 1976, working within the club’s academy for more than 15 years until 2013. He is a licensed intermediary, representing a number of goalkeepers. Here he reacts to the managerial moves in SE25.

I have read and listened to a huge amount of nonsense over the past week. The mute and unfollow buttons on Twitter have become my best friends in this time. Unbalanced views and double standards everywhere I looked.

Patrick Vieira was sacked as manager of Crystal Palace Football Club – and rightly so.

Let me be absolutely clear from the outset – I really like Vieira. But anybody who feels any sense of surprise or believes his dismissal was unjust is not in touch with reality.

Palace chairman Steve Parish clearly dismissed the French World Cup winner with a very heavy heart. He wanted him to succeed. Everybody associated with the club did.

But the writing has been on the wall for several weeks.

As the confidence ebbed away, shots on target became a rarity. Vieira and his inexperienced coaching team simply didn’t have the answers.

There had been question marks in respect of his backroom staff for some time, both within the boardroom and at the training ground. Vieira’s pick ultimately may have played the biggest part in his tenure ending earlier than anybody wanted.

Palace had just one win in 16 matches after defeat at Brighton’s Amex Stadium and one win in 14 Premier League matches. Eleven games had come and gone since that last victory, at Bournemouth on New Year’s Eve.

The Eagles were without a goal in four games and had failed to score in 13 of the 27 matches played. Since Boxing Day, Palace had scored two goals in seven home league games. One was a world-class Michael Olise free-kick, the other a James Tomkins header from the type of goalkeeping error that happens once in a blue moon. Away from SE25 it wasn’t much better – just two goals in the last five.

Step forward ill-informed national media writers and pundits who couldn’t wait to complain about the “unfair sacking” and “pulling the trigger too soon.”

Vieira’s former team-mates Vincent Kompany and Martin Keown leapt to the defence of their friend and colleague. While it is very noble and most would understandably do the same, it’s also very easy when it’s not your football club and you don’t stand to lose hundreds of millions of pounds plus all of your best players.

The aforementioned facts demonstrate that Vieira was given time.

This is a results business and having sat in on his final address to the press on the South Coast two days before his dismissal, you could sense he knew what was coming.

After a positive start, Palace fell behind and failed to test Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele again after conceding. Just as at Aston Villa, Vieira saw his team limp through the game and the hooking of Olise, when his team needed a goal, was repeated. It was the same movie with the same ending.

Pundits not in touch with Palace are one thing, but the level of angst on social media from sections of the fanbase was very difficult to understand.

Many steadfastly believed that Vieira would turn things around, blaming a difficult run of fixtures.

The stats tell a different story. This was not a snapshot. Palace had played 12 different opponents during this wretched run and are on a shocking downward trajectory.

The scales had tipped. The risk of Vieira remaining in his post had now become greater than removing him.

Looking at some examples of clubs who allowed their managers’ long reigns during a single season without victory, there is unsurprisingly a common denominator.

Paul Jewell (24) at Derby County, Chris Wilder (20) at Sheffield United, Daniel Farke (20) at Norwich City and Dave Bassett (16) at Leicester City are the longest examples. All were given extended support during these barren spells. All those clubs were relegated.

It seems many were too emotionally invested in ‘Project Patrick’ and their ire was aimed in the direction of the club’s hierarchy. Some of the sections who were so entrenched, were the very same who were fiercely critical of the previous incumbent’s reign. The same who were now consistently and persistently defending a man whose record did not stand up to scrutiny.

I made the point that the squad needed reinforcement in the forward areas in both of my previous two columns and many feel that the manager wasn’t backed. Any boss always wants more players and Palace were extremely light at the top end of the pitch. I had previously suggested that this was an extremely risky strategy, but for balance, circa £130million had been spent during Vieira’s tenure, the most any manager had in the history of the club.

I hear that Vieira opted to take a ‘tough love’ approach with his best attacking talents. He demanded more from Ebere Eze, Michael Olise and Wilfried Zaha, believing this could take them to new levels. It didn’t happen and Eze, in particular, has appeared to have lost confidence. An arm around the shoulder may have been the way of getting a tune out of his best offensive players, particularly when form dips, but there was no change.

Odsonne Edouard lost his way after a positive beginning to the campaign. Given Vieira’s recent comments, he may be one of those looking forward to a fresh start.

Those angrily addressing chairman Parish ought to again see some shades of grey. He is the most successful to preside over the club.

No other man has overseen 10 seasons of consecutive top-flight football at Selhurst Park.

Steve is somebody that many in the game have an enormous amount of respect for. He only ever wants the best for Crystal Palace and the moronic remarks from some of his detractors are hard to fathom.

Those firing barbed comments in his direction should look at the history books. Some of us, of a certain vintage, understand it’s the best it has ever been. That doesn’t mean that I don’t want more, but Parish’s success tends to suggest he makes the right decisions more often than not and he deserves far more credit.

It can be argued that sporting director Dougie Freedman should have the next man ready to go. Javi Gracia would have been one contender, prior to his recent appointment at Leeds.

But it is impossible to make a long-term choice at this stage. Palace don’t know what division they are going to be playing in next season. Planning will be very different in the event of relegation.

This is not the time to bring in somebody from abroad who doesn’t know the Premier League. Palace don’t have time for experimentation. Concerns about the future can wait until the end of May – after the 10 ‘cup finals’ that await them.

Palace need a manager who is experienced, one who has been over the ground, one who knows the players, one who has a proven track record of keeping the club in the biggest league in the world. A man who is currently unemployed, who would be willing to step in short-term and help during an hour of need.

Even better, a local man with an affinity to the club

Parish made the right call – step forward Roy Hodgson CBE.

Those in my inner circle will know I came to the same conclusion three weeks ago, prior to the Aston Villa game. I couldn’t see what else the club could do in such a moment.

It makes perfect sense. Roy is absolutely the right man at the right time – whatever the outcome.

That’s not to say Hodgson isn’t stepping into a very difficult situation. But, in reality, should he be unable to win any of the remaining 10 games, he will only have continued in the same vein of the 12 matches that went before him. Almost every game is now a relegation ‘six-pointer.’ There are no guarantees with anybody – but this represents the best chance Palace have right now.

The naysayers are out in force. Fans, pundits, journalists claiming it’s a “backward step” while terms like “retrograde” are reeled out, together with the latest en vogue media line that concerns “optics.”

Absolute drivel. It’s a two-month appointment. Palace need to navigate through some very choppy waters. A “backward step” would be relegation to the Championship.

The main issue appears to be Hodgson’s playing style and a perceived lack of entertainment, some fans claiming that they won’t attend. These are the same people that have just seen the club set a Premier League record for three successive games without a shot on target. A team that has failed to register a shot on target in five matches this season. These are the same people who championed retaining a manager whose team did this, while sneering at appointing a man who has kept the club in the league previously for four successive seasons.

Hodgson had been the architect of some of the best football Palace have played in the Premier League during his previous spell in charge. I, for one, would love a repeat of the 5-0 demolition of Leicester when he returns to the dugout next weekend.

These lazy analogies are unfair and disrespectful to a manager who has had such an illustrious career.

A man full of wisdom, a man who understands how to find the best way of playing to achieve the desired outcome.

Those that thought the level of entertainment waned during Hodgson’s last time at the helm, might want to consider that he kept Palace in the biggest league in the world comfortably for four seasons with a net spend of minus £11m. I can’t think of many that would, or could, do that.

In any case, as I said during an appearance on the FYP Pod Extra, I couldn’t care if Roy bores the t*** off me for 10 games as long as there is Premier League football at Selhurst Park next season.

Ray Lewington, Hodgson’s trusted lieutenant and again a hugely-respected coach, will be at his side – as will Paddy McCarthy. Paddy is a real leader of men and somebody destined for a great career in management. Pressing circumstances mean that now is not exactly the right moment but working alongside Roy and Ray will be invaluable.

Highly-valued goalkeeping coach Dean Kiely was brought to the club during Hodgson’s previous tenure and will provide detailed insight in respect of the players that have arrived in the past 18 months.

There is talk that many want to protest at the board considering the current situation and voice their displeasure at the interim appointment of Hodgson. The threat has been of a “toxic atmosphere” awaiting Roy’s boys in SE25.

If fans truly care for the fortunes of Crystal Palace Football Club, now is not the time. Everybody must pull together, show a unified support of Hodgson and a group of players low on confidence that are in desperate need of a win – following the defeat at Arsenal last Sunday, it is now 13 games without a victory and one in 17.

Hodgson is a true gentleman from Croydon with the club in his heart. He could easily and understandably have said: “I don’t need this.” But he didn’t.

This is the moment to show him just how much he is appreciated.