Friday 8 December 2017

Rival Lines: Hodgson - "the right man at the right time," says The Eagles Beak

Rival Lines
Match Preview: Crystal Palace v AFCB
Blogger Interview: The Eagles Beak
Twitter: @Theeaglesbeak


Talking to a Crystal Palace fan is a little easier than it might have been a few weeks ago. They are starting to believe that they are not the worst team in the Premier league and with players coming back and Roy Hodgson getting a tune out of what was a disjointed side. Sam at the Eagles Beak is quietly confident of things turning around.

CC: Did you think that Frank de Boer's ill-fated period in charge says more about the board at Palace, who took a risk with an untried foreign manager in the Premier League and yet didn't have the courage to stick with their convictions?

TEB: There were many more factors to de Boer’s dismissal than were obvious to the naked eye. The results were an obvious stumbling point; they were not good enough but the performances were gradually improving and we were not as bad as many suggested. The players also had a problem with de Boer behind the scenes: apparently he showed off in training and senior members of the squad disliked his approach. While this seems extremely petty on the squadms behalf, if you’re in a predicament such as we were and the relationship between coaches and players ceases to exist, he needs to go.

The board clearly made a mistake in appointing de Boer. They were providing a squad far more familiar to Tony Pulis, Sam Allardyce and Alan Pardew with a very progressive perfectionist whose own mistake was his insistence on an immediate revolution rather than making gradual tweaks. The general consensus is that his time was up.

CC: Were you pleased when Roy Hodgson was made Crystal Palace manager or do you think there were better options out there?

TEB: Hodgson’s appointment was as underwhelming as Allardyce’s and that turned out perfectly. Perhaps from a neutral’s perspective it seems like a risk but the former England manager has gone about his work well, going back to basics and getting the best out of a squad that was previously underperforming. The ‘look how far we’ve come’ narrative is overplayed by Palace fans but Hodgson - being a Palace fan as a kid - ‘gets’ the journey this club has been on and that has come across in his press conferences. He speaks well about the club which bodes well with Palace fans and has made the transition from ‘underwhelming appointment’ to ‘we have the right man at the right time’ far easier.

CC: November was a half decent month for Palace, but do you feel the team is functioning much better now?

TEB: Palace are picking up points where we would not have done under de Boer, such as the victories against Chelsea and Stoke City. There has been frustration that other points have not been picked up under Hodgson, such as the two 2-2 draws against West Ham and Everton in which the side dominated each game and all four goals were very avoidable. It’s a reflection on how poor the rest of the bottom four or five are that we have managed to catch up so quickly, though.

CC: You've scored two goals at home in each of the last two matches at Selhurst Park, so do you feel you have the goal power to get out of trouble?

TEB: This is the only worry with Palace. We relied on Christian Benteke’s goals last season and cannot rely on current top scorer, Wilfried Zaha, who is just going through a period of good form in front of goal. Everton, West Ham and Brighton could easily have been out of sight had good chances been scored and our goal difference could be the difference between survival and relegation.

CC: What have you made of Ruben Loftus-Cheek?

TEB: He’s doing well. His England performances have excessively increased his reputation but he has not quite performed the same for Palace, despite a few good games. He was the best player under de Boer, playing centrally and given license to go from box to box. Under Hodgson, he’s played a wider role and it hasn’t helped.

CC: What was it like when Sakho got that 90+2 minute winner against Stoke City?


TEB: That was a great feeling. It was the first time Palace had scored a 90+ minute winning goal at home since 1998 so it was a sign that the luck at Selhurst might be changing.



CC: Do you think you are getting the best out of Christian Benteke?

TEB: No. He was injured from September until mid-November which hasn’t helped but for him not to score a goal this season, after his heroics last campaign, is disappointing. He didn’t fit de Boer’s style of play and still looks unfit in fairness so we are expecting more from him.

CC: Wayne Hennessy and Scott Dann both missed out against WBA. Are you concerned with all the injuries that Palace seem to get this season?

TEB: Injuries have been a common theme for a few years and it is unclear whether that is pure bad luck or a deeper problem within the medical department. It doesn’t help, particularly when the squad is very thin. Hodgson was only able to name five subs last week.

CC: How will Palace set up against Bournemouth?


TEB: Two banks of four, Zaha playing off Benteke.

CC: Are you optimistic of finishing above at least three sides this season?


TEB: We’re quietly confident. There are some really poor sides this season - a result of the financial divide in the league - which could either play in our favour if we improve or could see us fall into that category ourselves.

CC: So, Crystal Palace are finding their feet and even some goals at Selhurst Park. They have also been looking to the future with a new ground plan announced in the last week. Another win and they'll be out of the bottom three. Things may lean towards this not being a good time to play the Eagles, but AFCB have also had a rough patch and are looking to add to their away wins and compared to the fixtures coming up, Palace doesn't seem such a bad place to visit this Saturday.

You can read my answers to the Eagles Beak's questions by visiting the Eagles Beak site.

No comments:

Post a Comment

tag: