But is that the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth or is it smoke and mirrors

Yes, it feels underwhelming. I suspect that's not so much due to Vieira's pedigree as it is because he is so clearly nowhere near our first choice. In truth, he was probably not even on our top 10 list when the season ended. Yet here he is.

With that said, he's done all the right things to prepare himself for our job and really, Cooper or Ismael would have been no more or less of a risk, personal preferences notwithstanding.

In the end, he's got the job and he's qualified to do it. Time will tell whether he succeeds or not. What I would say is that for the first time in a fair while, we have a "figurehead" permanent manager, someone recognised and highly thought of in the game. That doesn't mean he won't fail, but it is a chance for us to forge a new identity.

All-in-all, I'm cautiously optimistic. Vieira strikes me as a much-needed change of pace at Palace and if he's a bit of a dice roll, what were the alternatives at this point? I'm keeping an open mind, will back him and the team, and we'll see where we are in October. Yes, I'm choosing to see the glass as half full rather than half empty but what the alternative to that?

It's kind of the Palace way that when expectations are at their lowest things turn out best and vice versa. Also, if Nuno or Favre had come in and failed they would have cost a lot more to get rid of I would imagine. With Viera the club are in a stronger bargaining position and there may be clauses that allow for early termination, or a low severance if things don't pan out. The contract may also lean more heavily towards bonus payments rather than a large basic. That's all guesswork, but Viera will almost certainly be cheaper if nothing else.

People comparing his signing to FdB are wide of the mark in my view. FdB only knew the Ajax way and seemingly didn't know how to be adaptable. Viera has coached at Man City, worked with a team comprised largely of inferior players in the US, and managed in the French league with a team similar to our level. It is also worth remembering that this is also a risk for him. If he fails with us his PL dream may be over. There is no doubt a desire to manage Arsenal one day and hopefully he does well enough with us to achieve that (if he does sign of course!!)

It's kind of the Palace way that when expectations are at their lowest things turn out best and vice versa. Also, if Nuno or Favre had come in and failed they would have cost a lot more to get rid of I would imagine. With Viera the club are in a stronger bargaining position and there may be clauses that allow for early termination, or a low severance if things don't pan out. The contract may also lean more heavily towards bonus payments rather than a large basic. That's all guesswork, but Viera will almost certainly be cheaper if nothing else.

People comparing his signing to FdB are wide of the mark in my view. FdB only knew the Ajax way and seemingly didn't know how to be adaptable. Viera has coached at Man City, worked with a team comprised largely of inferior players in the US, and managed in the French league with a team similar to our level. It is also worth remembering that this is also a risk for him. If he fails with us his PL dream may be over. There is no doubt a desire to manage Arsenal one day and hopefully he does well enough with us to achieve that (if he does sign of course!!)

Has Vieira ‘’changed his mind’’ yet?