Out with the new and in with the old
Allardyce ruled out a Palace return
is past it, that he is too old now for such a high-profile, pressured role.
He wants to prove he still has it after the debacle against Iceland that ended his England tenure at Euro 2016, since when he has not worked.
At club level, Hodgson has the credentials.
He had an excellent stint at Fulham and a good spell at West Brom. Liverpool was not so kind to him, but this is a man with an excellent reputation as a coach across Europe after spells in Sweden, Switzerland, Italy and Norway.
Hodgson can organise a team and make them hard to beat – exactly what Palace need right now.
Welcome back pragmatism, goodbye Total Football.
De Boer effectively signed his death warrant on August 28, two days after the 2-0 home defeat by Swansea – their third league loss on the bounce.
He met Parish and director of football Dougie Freedman, gave an underwhelming account of himself, and was warned that WRITING ON THE WALL: Yesterday’s Express results had to improve. Following that meeting, the pair felt there was no indication of change – and no way back.
That week contact was first made with Hodgson and also Allardyce – who was not so keen – but matters were put on hold while the transfer window closed.
Sunday’s defeat at Burnley, even though it featured a vastly improved performance, made no difference.
The decision had been taken. De Boer was gone even quicker than when he was at Inter Milan, where he lasted 85 days.
On Sunday night, Parish had several angry exchanges with Palace’s players and the board including chairman Steve Parish over tactics, formations and transfer policy in a disastrous short spell in charge, in which the team lost all four league games without scoring a goal. Hodgson was keen on the job, being a former Palace youth player who was brought up in nearby Croydon. He is expected to bring in his former England and Fulham assistant Ray Lewington, fans on Twitter, saying: “I’m defending everyone at the club who’s working their a*** off to turn this round. Football teams lose games, it happens.
“People are frustrated, I’m frustrated, so are the management and players. We know we are better than this.
“We can’t just keep on spending and spending. We spent over £30m on top of the £40m-plus loan fees and wages in Jan. Let me ask you a question, who has the better squad, us or Burnley?
“I’ll stand my record up against any chairman we’ve had in 118 years. I’m happy for people to vent at me, buck stops with who also had a spell as a coach at Selhurst Park.
De Boer, now the shortest-serving Premier League manager, said: “Very disappointed about the decision but I want to thank the players, staff and the fans for their support. Good luck for the future.”
Hodgson says he has rejected several job offers since leaving England plus one to appear on Strictly Come Dancing. And last night Sam Allardyce, who saved Palace from relegation last season me I’ve never run away from that. We are four games in, it’s a terrible start but we have to stick together.”
Yet less than 24 hours later, he cut De Boer loose.
From the start, there had been problems as De Boer diverted from a number of agreements he had made with the board before his appointment and refused to change.
Team formation was an issue straight away; the squad struggled to adapt to his style of play, especially when using three at the back, which confused many of the players.
His basic planning and organisation on the training ground were also criticised, as were his relationships with certain players, notably Joel Ward and Martin Kelly.
His team talks and instructions to his players also caused confusion, and there was almost total disagreement on transfer policy.
Now, having invested so much in a new man and a new method, Parish has made a monumental U-turn. before quitting, revealed he ruled out returning to the club in a chat with Parish.
“I spoke to Steve and said I wouldn’t be ready to come back,” said Allardyce, 62. “I’m enjoying life too much, watching everyone else have the pressure, and there’s certainly huge pressure as we’ve seen with Frank. He didn’t offer me the job but asked, ‘What are your thoughts?’ A clever question. I said ‘If you were to offer me the job, I wouldn’t want to go back’.”