Roy Hodgson steps down as Crystal Palace manager

Roy Hodgson's second spell in charge of Crystal Palace has come to an end with the club sitting dangerously close to the Premier League's relegation zone.

Former England boss Hodgson returned to the Selhurst Park hotseat with the club in a similar position last March and he successfully pulled them clear of any real trouble, which earned him an extension to his contract.

However, things have been unravelling for the 76-year-old this season and he has now departed the club, with his last match in charge ending in a 3-1 defeat against Chelsea at Selhurst Park.

Palace are sat 16th in the standings, still five points above the relegation zone, but with their form trending in the wrong direction. The Eagles are currently priced at 11/2 to go down.

A safe pair of hands at the start

Hodgson, a boyhood Palace supporter, had already enjoyed a successful four-year spell in charge of the Eagles between 2017-2021 and he was seen as a safe pair of hands to steer the club away from relegation danger last season when he replaced Patrick Vieira in the dugout.

That change had the desired effect, as Palace had been on a 13-match winless run prior to Hodgson's return, but under his stewardship they won their next three games to pull clear of the drop zone.

In total, Hodgson won five and lost only two of his 10 matches in charge at the end of the 2022/23 season, guiding Palace to an 11th-place finish, and that was enough to earn him a new contract for the upcoming campaign.

This news was met with scepticism by some Palace fans at the time, with Hodgson having turned 76 over the summer, as they felt the club needed to go in a new direction for what would be their 11th-straight season in the top flight.

Overdue exit?

Palace started the new season in relatively positive fashion, beating both Sheffield United and Wolves across their opening four games, while their 1-0 success at Manchester United in late September was also a highlight.

However, since that victory at Old Trafford, the Eagles have won only three of 17 Premier League games, a run that has seen them slip ever closer to the bottom three.

It had been speculated that Hodgson would have been relieved of his duties had his side lost at home to Sheffield United at the end of January, but they were able to win that game 3-2, although subsequent defeats to Brighton and Chelsea ultimately led to that becoming little more than a stay of execution.

The club's supporters have certainly been venting their frustrations over recent weeks, with banners having been seen at Palace's matches asking for Hodgson, as well as the club's board, to leave.

Those banners may well have contributed to Hodgson's departure, but there is still a sizeable gap between Palace and the bottom three and they are 1/9 Not to be Relegated come the end of the season.

Olise decision a hammer blow

Hodgson may have been able to continue in his role had the ex-England manager been able to keep two of his most important attacking talents, Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise, fit.

Of Palace's 24 matches in the Premier League to date this season, Eze has only been able to start 13 times and Olise eight, and neither player was involved in the defeat to Chelsea due to respective hamstring injuries.

Olise's injury caused particular uproar amongst Palace supporters as he was already carrying the issue when he was brought on at half-time in the recent defeat to Brighton when the Eagles were already 3-0 down.

The 22-year-old lasted little over 10 minutes before he had to be replaced in that game after exacerbating the issue, and he is expected to be ruled out for the next two months as a result.

Hodgson claimed afterwards he had been given the green light by the club's medical team that Olise was fit enough to play, but the decision to bring him on is one that seemingly brought the former Liverpool boss closer to the brink.

Glasner could be the man to save Palace's season

Oliver Glasner is the man who has been charged with succeeding Hodgson in the Palace dugout and the 49-year-old comes with an impressive CV after leading Eintracht Frankfurt to Europa League glory in 2022, beating West Ham in the semi-finals and then Rangers in the final.

Glasner has been out of work since leaving Frankfurt at the end of last season and if he does take over at Selhurst Park, it will be his first foray into English football.

The Austrian faces a baptism of fire, with his first match in charge at home to fellow relegation-threatened Burnley, with the Eagles priced at 19/20 to come out on top in this vital match.

Win this match and it would feel like Palace's place in the Premier League is safe for another season, lose and they will be in real trouble, while the pressure will also be immediately thrust onto the shoulders of their new manager.

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.