Roy Hodgson is back! Pulled out of retirement for the second time – at 75 he will save Palace from relegation

David Moyes, 59, was surprised last summer when he was told that he was now the oldest manager in the Premier League: “I didn’t know. We urgently need someone to bring Roy Hodgson back. Or Tony Pulis. Or Harry Redknapp. I can not believe it. I’m not that old!”

Moyes was heard that at least until the end of the season he is no longer the oldest manager in the Premier League. Roy Hodgson, 75, has returned to Crystal Palace.

Palace have no wins in 2023. The club is ready to roll back (Hodgson’s return) for a place in the Premier League

In mid-March, Crystal Palace parted ways with Patrick Vieira. The Frenchman left after a 12-match streak without a win and left the team three points clear of the relegation zone. After that, Palace still flew into Arsenal 1:4, where youth coach Paddy McCarthy temporarily performed the duties (he has now entered Hodgson’s headquarters). The last time Palace won was in December 2022.

“We have made this difficult decision with great regret,” club owner Steve Parish said of Vieira’s sacking. “The results in recent months have put us in a precarious position and we felt that changes were needed to give us the best chance of retaining a place in the Premier League.”

These results were in stark contrast to last season, when Vieira successfully rebuilt the team after the same Hodgson era, giving it a more spectacular game. And most importantly, he improved his results: under Vieira, Palace finished 12th and reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup. Moreover, the team missed a lot of points, with a successful scenario, having chances even for European cups.

Now Palace is also in 12th place, but the team is already being considered as a serious contender for relegation (only 4 from 20th place). In the second season, the quality of the game dropped noticeably: the club never found a replacement for Conor Gallagher, who returned to Chelsea, and the usual leader, Wilfried Zaha, is having one of the worst seasons.