Why Roy Hodgson would be a good managerial option for Crystal Palace

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And so the revolving door at Crystal Palace continues to spin as the club’s eighth manager in seven years departed. Sam Allardyce shocked South London on Tuesday when he announced he would be resigning from his managerial post at Selhurst Park and retiring from management for the foreseeable future.

The move was sudden and an unwelcome one for the club and now the board and the fans are anxious to find a good replacement as soon as possible, in order to keep up the ambitions of a calm and productive summer at Palace.

Many names have been thrown about, ranging from trendy European managers, such as Roberto Mancini and Marco Silva, to British managers, such as Sean Dyche and Chris Coleman. Chairman Steve Parish has many things to consider in choosing Allardyce’s successor.

Palace has had no managerial stability for a while and will need a manager to remain for more than a season – one won’t be tempted to go to a bigger team at the smallest hint of success. Yet, at the same time, that manager is going to have to win over the likes of coveted players, the likes of Wilfried Zaha, Cristian Benteke, Yohan Cabaye, and loanee Mamadou Sakho.

The leading candidate currently is Marco Silva, a good choice without a doubt. Silva is smart, youthful, and a winner. His ambition and style of play matches the club’s but he is no staple of stability. He’s young and one of the most promising coaching talents in football and could easily be lured away. What Palace need is a manager that can spend many seasons at the club.

One manager, in particular, is an intriguing prospect: Roy Hodgson. According to Sky Sports, the ex-England manager is interested in the prospect of managing the Eagles and on Parish’s shortlist.

Indeed, Roy Hodgson is a less sexy concept than young, trendy, and handsome Marco Silva, but the 69-year-old is a staple of consistency, something Palace really needs. The truth is, Palace have not had a single season in the Premier League in which performances have been consistent. If the Eagles want to break the top 10, then they need a season of consistent and positive displays.

Having been born in Croydon and developed as a youth player in the Crystal Palace academy, Roy Hodgson could provide the consistency and stability Palace crave. Though often overlooked, few managers possess such a varied and distinguished managing resume as him.

The Englishman has been managing since 1976 in England, Sweden, Italy, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, Norway, and Finland. He has managed smaller teams such as Bristol City and Swiss side Neuchâtel Xamax, big teams such as Inter Milan, Liverpool, England, and Switzerland, and teams in-between, such as Fulham, Udinese, and West Brom.

Not only has Hodgson managed all over, he’s won all over. In Sweden, he was a serial winner with Malmö, who once offered him a lifetime contract that he turned down after winning the Swedish league five years in a row. In Switzerland, he won the Swiss Super Cup with Neuchâtel Xamax. In Denmark, he won the league with FC Kobenhavn. Hodgson thrived in European competition too, leading Inter Milan, in 1997, and Fulham, in 2010, to the UEFA Cup final.

Hodgson has Premier League experience from the top to the bottom of the Premier League. When he first took hold of Fulham he masterminded a great escape from relegation that culminated in the final day of the 2006-2007 season. From there, Hodgson took Fulham from a relegation-threatened club to the top half of the Premier League and into seventh place in 2008-2009, qualifying for the inaugural Europa League.

The following season he guided the Cottagers on a magical cup run in the Europa League that saw the club play in their first ever European final. For his successes, the veteran manager took home the LMA Manager of the Year award.

His successes in West London with the Cottagers landed him the Liverpool job in 2010, following Rafa Benitez’s departure from the club. Despite a disappointing year and resigning in 2011, Hodgson soon took over at West Bromwich Albion, keeping the club in the Premier League and taking the club to a record high finish in 10th place in 2012.

In 2012, Hodgson obviously took the England job. It wasn’t a particularly successful spell, but the England job is a whole other beast. The truth is that Hodgson’s failures managing the Three Lions cannot taint his pedigree of club management.

He is the perfect manager for a club of Palace’s stature. He’s proven his ability to improve teams and provides a more reliable and experienced approach than Marco Silva’s youthful but equally maverick managerial style.

Hodgson has now had enough time working with elite talent as well, having managed Liverpool, Inter, and England. He can be entrusted to get the best out of players such as Benteke and Zaha, considering he is one of Europe’s most respected coaches.

Don’t let Hodgson’s time as England coach distract you. He is experienced and successful and capable of taking Palace to the heights they dream of, while providing more stability than other younger managers may.

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Featured Image: All rights reserved by Fabian Kruuse