I think the big difference between Roy and Pards can be summed up by a standard1-0 loss under Roy vs a 5-4 loss under Pards. Both losses, both zero points, both net goal difference same, but exciting in one and invariably dull in the other. If you could bottle the best of both managers into one then maybe we will have found our future.

Hodgson's park the bus tactics were responsible for some proper hammerings in his last stint thus exploding the myth surrounding him as a defensive tactical maestro - Man City, Liverpool, Villa all spring to mind. Others games with a big fat zero attempts on target. At least Pardew had a go.

Edited by southnorwoodhill (15 Dec 2023 9.40am)

Outside of Eze, who was never meant for him anyway Hodgson has never had his squad expanded with anything other than the odd frees , one or two old hands like Cahill, some injury prones , and two or three not good enough to be in the Premier league . Hodgson has produced good attacking. teams when he had the players to do so, but if the opposition was so good he could never beat them that way, why would he try?
Last season everyone available ,Wilf for at least half of the time , the team produced some good attacking stuff. The opposition was lower end yes,, but ask Viera, if you can attack the big sides and get results . The answer is it didn’t happen with him, the squad Hodgson inherited, which is now weaker than then.

During Roy's previous reign the fact the team was so passive and lacked movement was excused by the fact we had the oldest (and possibly slowest) squad in the PL. We now fall somewhere in the middle (in terms of average age), but in many games we still look quite slow and passive (Spurs being one of the most extreme examples). The Liverpool game was weird as it could be argued that it showed Roy is still up to it, or it could be questioned why has the team not performed like that in most of the other games this season.

Man City will be another scrap. That might actually suit our depleted squad in a way as we are not going to have the ball and the aim will be simple: stop them by any means. The bigger question will be on Thursday when fans are not going to accept a limp capitulation, regardless of any excuses about injuries. Lose then without a fight and all memories of the spirited display against Liverpool will soon dissipate. Get something from the next two games and the work on Roy's statue may resume, such is the fickleness of football these days.

Here is the article

Attachment: Every word from Hodgson’s embargoed press conference - News - Crystal Palace F.C..html (575.71Kb)

I've said it before but I'll say it again.

Moaning about Roy is pointless.

It's the Board that brought him back in the full knowledge that his methods would probably ensure that he could keep the club in the Premier League with relatively limited resources at his disposal.

It's a shame that Roy agreed to it.

Old, Ungifted and White