Palace manager Roy Hodgson “angry” at BT Sport claim that he gave players dressing down at Wolves

Roy Hodgson has denied that he read the riot act to his Crystal Palace players after their 2-0 defeat at Wolves on Monday.

BT Sport televised the Premier League fixture and showed shots of Hodgson’s talking animatedly to his players. Because of the coronavirus pandemic the away side did not use a dressing room – instead occupying a glass-fronted suite.

The Eagles suffered a seventh straight reverse as their season tails off – with Hodgson not helped by a spate of injuries to an already small squad.

The Palace manager said: “I was angry because I got a call on the way home telling me the TV company had filmed in the room that we were in – because you don’t get dressing rooms anymore.

“I regarded it as our dressing room, but they were suggesting I was berating the players and angry about the performance. What annoyed me about that was that it was exactly the opposite – I was telling them: ‘You’ve got nothing to take up with yourselves at all, you’ve given everything out there. You’ve played a top team in Wolves, you’ve really worked hard and stayed in the game at all times’.

“For periods of the game we were even the better football team. I think Nuno actually admitted that.

“You can imagine it’s pretty annoying that it’s suggested to a TV audience [that he did criticise them] – what made it worse for me is that I did my TV interview afterwards and I said what I’m saying to you – the players did well. But they had suggested I was lying.

“I’ve not had the need to do that particularly at all [have a go at his players]. It’s been a case of picking them up as best we can, rely on their professionalism and they are good guys and know it is a tough task. But they are prepared to take it on time and time again.”