Lerma may not wish to come here,his nose might be put out of joint.

Absolutely right (it's the same point I made in an earlier post). In the cold light of day, Hodgson's team has scored almost a goal a game more than Vieira's against the same opposition (and they've done it at the business end of the season where, in theory at least, every team has more to play for and can be expected to be as "tight" defensively as possible).

The Guardian makes this point rather well today in its review of the weekend's matches: "Though, on the face of things, 12th seems alright...with the players Palace have, they should have done much better. In particular, 37 goals in 36 games represents an egregious disgrace for a squad boasting so much attacking talent, but in recent weeks they’ve started scoring – since they appointed Roy Hodgson in fact, and who saw that coming?"

Chalk and cheese indeed.

Edited by sydtheeagle (15 May 2023 9.27am)

Sydenham by birth. Selhurst by the Grace of God.

All correct Syd.

I think the biggest thing for me, and I'd guess for anyone who attends/watches the entire length of our games as I do (try to read that without me sounding as though I'm boasting or some sort of David Brent-esque tw@), is just the general demeanour and of course performances of our team on the pitch.

We just look much better, much more cohesive, players look happier, as though they are actually drilled and less shackled by whatever it was that was happening under PV. I have not read the Guardian piece however it sounds quite flattering but not without truth.

This is a really good team, a portion of it is well up there in terms of quality, B'mouth being the latest demonstration of that, and it looks as though it is reflecting something closer to it's fullest potential.

I never understood/understand the argument that things were going to miraculously improve under PV. It wasn't just the results that were awful many other things were and it felt like the results fell off because of that but more importantly weren't coming back. It was a bit like watching someone you know fall into addiction and whilst for all the world you want them to get better, just clinging to the hope they'll miraculously turn up one day rid of all their problems and a completely new person is not so much a strategy as an abandonment of belief in taking any practical action.

Now Zaha's got a bit of green grass ahead of him here... and finds Ambrose... not a bad effort!!!!

Seriously?

The guy dropped our most prolific player to the bench.

He is a rubbish manager who will never achieve anything. Accept it and move on.
If he ever does, you can dig up this post with my blessing.

Agree with this Hrolf. With a sprinkling of Wembley visits thrown in. European football would be a distraction for a club like ours without the resources for a stronger squad. It'll be interesting to see how Brighton get on if they manage to secure their 6th spot.

There is a very good case for keeping Roy on with the same backup, but, as I've written before, depends whether he feels capable of a full season with all that it entails.

Dad and I watched games standing on the muddy slope of the Holmesdale Road end. He cheered and I rattled.

Good post, Canterbury. For the most part, I agree but a couple of observations.

I think whether or not I was disappointed would depend largely on the alternatives. Roy puts us in a very good position in so far as we know when the manager search starts (if it hasn't started already) that if we can't attract the right boss, then we have a very, very good fallback option. So for me, keeping Roy wouldn't be option one, but it'd be a useful option to have in our back pocket if option one isn't interested in the job. What would disappoint me would be to announce Roy's retention now, without even conducting a manager search. But if we tried to recruit and failed to get the boss we wanted, then I wouldn't be disappointed if he stayed for another year.

Agreed, but the presence of excellent options on the market (albeit whether they're really excellent is a matter of opinion) means little. They have to want the Palace job, not just be available. So the issue won't be identifying good candidates. It'll be persuading them to take the job. You mention Brendan Rodgers; yes, he's available. Would he sign up for a club with a Palace-sized budget? I doubt it.

To me, if we announce Roy is staying for another year any time before an exhaustive search has been conducted, then that's a very clear sign that Paddy McCarthy has been earmarked for the job long-term and a year as Roy's assistant has been deemed the best way to transition him into the job. I wouldn't be all that surprised if that was the outcome (not that I'm saying it'd be a good idea. That's a debate for another day.)

Sydenham by birth. Selhurst by the Grace of God.