Neil Ashton: Roy Hodgson has done a remarkable job at Crystal Palace after England nightmare left him looking like he’s had a washing machine spin cycle
SunSport's Chief Football Reporter Neil Ashton says the veteran boss looked broken after the Euro 2016 exit against Iceland but has soared to amazing heights with the Eagles
ROY HODGSON looked a high-risk appointment when he took over the Crystal Palace hotseat on September 12.
There had been times during his spell in charge of England when he looked like he had just come out of a washing machine spin cycle.
Mind you, every Three Lions head coach is rinsed in the end.
So it is credit to Palace chairman Steve Parish for overlooking that miserable afternoon in Nice against Iceland at Euro 2016.
Hodgson, unquestionably, has done a remarkable job to steer the Eagles towards Premier League safety.
Last Saturday’s resounding 5-0 victory over Leicester — the club’s biggest win in the Premier League — propelled them into 11th place with 38 points.
They are almost there.
At the age of 70, Hodgson did not need the hassle of trying to keep a struggling club in the top flight.
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He needed the drug, though.
Parish sensed it at their first meeting, the fire still burning brightly in his eyes after more than a year out of the game since leaving his role as national coach.
The Palace chairman studied the form, the run of results under Hodgson when England qualified for Euro 2016 without a defeat.
Defeat in their last-16 clash against Iceland was a blemish, certainly. But Parish took the view every manager, no matter what the reputation, is entitled to a bad result.
This was a particularly poor one.
At the time, Hodgson was broken.
Remember his infamous “What am I doing here?” quote the day after the Iceland defeat — he looked like a man who would never recover. Many do not.
Parish revealed he was certainly struck by Hodgson’s desire to change the public perception of his coaching ability and his desire to get back to work on the training ground.
Some days, staff at Palace cannot get him off the grass at their Beckenham training centre in south east London.
Hodgson is in love with the game — and everything that comes with it — again.
He deserves that much because he has done well to reboot Palace after they lost their opening four league games under Dutchman Frank de Boer, who had only been appointed in June.
That soon became seven before Hodgson got to grips with the job.
His best work is with Wilfried Zaha — Palace’s standout player — after taking him off the wing and finally converting this talented footballer into a forward.
Zaha pretty much plays where he wants, drifting between the lines and popping up all over the pitch to take games by the scruff of the neck.
Little wonder Pep Guardiola has been asking all about him.
Zaha has thrived under Hodgson, taking responsibility for Palace’s results and showing signs he could one day captain the side if he decides to stay at Selhurst Park.
All that is for another day. For now it is about Hodgson, because he worked tirelessly on a formula with Palace’s players that has virtually sealed the club another season in the top flight.
Those methods, drills and repetition, are not always the most exciting sessions, but they are often the most successful for sides at the wrong end of the table.
They are clear of danger now, with that impressive win over Leicester moving them into mid-table security.
For that, they have Hodgson to thank.
Stevie G’s Ger man
GETTING the better of Brendan Rodgers in the Glasgow goldfish bowl is an opportunity too good for Stevie G to turn down.
If Gerrard, 37, can chip away at Celtic’s domestic dominance, he will have a passport to the top clubs in European football within a few seasons.
Gerrard will get a free pass in his first season if he becomes boss.
After that it will be game on at Ibrox, with the motivation to knock his former Liverpool manager off his lofty perch one of the reasons Gerrard MUST take this job.
To do it will be some achievement.
Rodgers is worshipped by Celtic’s adoring fans — he is one game away from leading them to two successive Trebles.
Gerrard’s sole task is to revive Rangers’ fortunes, to capitalise on the club’s enormous fanbase and to make those Old Firm games must-watch again.
By making Rangers great again, he can take a short-cut to the very top.
Not programmed to last
PTHE matchday programme on display in the back of the jean pocket used to be part of the ritual for the travelling fan.
They were a vital resource, packed with interviews and stats.
But there has been an obvious decline in sales in recent years.
The digital age — with clubs using so many different ways to communicate with supporters — means the programme is at risk in the EFL due to rising production costs.
It is a great shame that they will soon be gone for good.
We need you, Rio
RIO FERDINAND was spot on about the dying art of defending.
Talk to any academy coach and they will say every promising youngster wants to be a No 10.
Sadly the names of Beckenbauer, Moore, Maldini and Baresi do not mean very much to them.
Young players, brought up marvelling at the skills of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, want to follow in their footsteps.
Reading the game from the back, keeping clever forwards quiet for 90 minutes, is one of the most satisfying elements for a centre-half.
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