Crystal Palace – next manager
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Who’s in line to take the hot seat?
Sam Allardyce shocked English football when resigning from his post as manager of Crystal Palace earlier this month. Having secured The Eagles Premier League safety for another season, all looked rosy for the former England gaffer – enjoying a second chance in the game.
Scratch the surface and it seems relations were strained between the 62-year-old and Selhurst Park bosses however. Having served just five months in charge, and showing a respectable record of eight wins from 21 outings, Big Sam was off, and he didn’t look too happy about it either, telling reporters he has no ambitions to take another job. The truth, or another strop?
Speaking passionately about moving on to enjoy time with his family, perhaps he didn’t jump before he was pushed. It all remains a mystery, but Allardyce now vows to travel and enjoy life while he is young enough and healthy enough to do so. We don’t believe it’s the last we’ll see of him.
Roy Hodgson ready to go again
So, who’s in line to hang their coat on Sam’s peg? The resignation did come as a massive shock across the board, meaning football pundits and odds compilers had to hastily arrange a shortlist, and it does look to be somewhat of a scattergun approach, the likes of Garry Monk, Sean Dyche and even Claudio Ranieri dominating newspaper columns.
One man who does seem keen to jump back into the commitments of full time football is another former England manager in Roy Hodgson. The vastly experienced 69-year-old from Croydon has enjoyed a glittering career in the game, having taken charge at the likes of Inter Milan, Blackburn, Grasshoppers, Udinese, Finland, Fulham and, of course, England.
Hodgson is a former Crystal Palace player too, employed by the club way back in 1965. He hasn’t managed since England folded during Euro 2016, but would he be a good fit for Crystal Palace? Certainly in the short-term. He could call on his resources and contacts to give the team a great chance at beating the drop again next term, but there would be nothing forward-thinking about handing the reigns to a man of Hodgson’s age.
Monk a man for the future
The names in the frame who could, possibly, lead The Eagles for years to come start with former Leeds manager Garry Monk. At 38-years-old, he’s one of the most ambitious, talented young gaffers in the game. That does, of course, come with risks, and he failed to get Leeds into the Championship play-offs before stepping down in disgust at how they threw away a lead. With a finger on the pulse of the names coming through, he could take that Elland Road heartache and use it to good effect.
Another front-runner is Slavisa Jokanovic. The Fulham boss missed out on a spot in the top-flight, The Cottagers losing to Reading in the Championship play-offs, but he does look a man capable of plying his trade at the top level, and will do so at some point, with our without his current employers. The Serb played for Chelsea and managed at Watford, so the challenges ahead of Palace won’t faze him.
