Hodgson loses his cool at "disrespectful" question on Crystal Palace successor
Roy Hodgson has hit out at “disrespectful” talk that Crystal Palace could replace him with Steve Cooper.
The former Liverpool and England boss was under growing pressure ahead of the weekend’s clash with Brentford. There were claims that the Eagles were considering a managerial change amid a run of eight games without a win in the Premier League.
Steve Cooper emerged as a prime candidate to take the reins from Hodgson - whether that be in the immediate future or at the end of the season when his contract runs out. Cooper is available after being let go by Nottingham Forest, while Palace would not have to pay compensation for his services.
Hodgson was probed about the speculation at the weekend and was left fuming at the talk surrounding his position. He said: “I'll tell you what I really think.
“I’m 76 years of age. I’ve been in management for 47 years. I’ve got a CBE for services to football. My answer to you is that makes no difference to me at all. To suggest that it should is disrespectful.
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“I think about the match. You can’t affect the outside noise. When you’ve been in football as long as I have you understand that. My attitude is I’m employed to do a job to the best of my ability. If there are people that want me to leave the club, they can tell me.”
Steve Cooper has been touted as a replacement for Roy Hodgson (Getty Images)Who do you think should be the next Crystal Palace manager? Share your thoughts in the comments below
Hodgson eventually managed to get Palace back on track with a 3-1 victory over Brentford - the Bees now on a run of five Premier League defeats in a row. Thomas Frank’s men actually enjoyed a perfect start to the game through Keane Lewis-Potter’s opener.
But a brace from Michael Olise sandwiched an Eberechi Eze strike which saw Palace claim three points. Speaking about his side’s display, Hodgson was left impressed by plenty.
He added: “There were several reasons [to be happy], not least we had the worst possible start. We were very conscious we needed to win. Although we hadn’t been disappointed with performances, we needed a victory.
“The way the players rallied round after that, I thought some of the attacking play was very good. We had to show our other side towards the end with the wind against us. We were thankful for the crossbar and good goalkeeping to keep us ahead. We saw both sides of the coin and had to fight hard.”
Victory over Brentford leaves Palace 13th in the table and six points clear of the relegation zone. Their Premier League commitments are put on pause next weekend as they make their latest venture into the FA Cup with a third round tie against Everton at Selhurst Park.
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