Crystal Palace turn to Roy Hodgson to replace Frank de Boer as former England manager returns to Premier League

In the months since the Iceland defeat, Hodgson has turned down the  chance to appear on Strictly Come Dancing and has spoken of his  disinterest in being seen as a celebrity. 

In fact, it his upbringing in the Palace heartland of Croydon that  Hodgson has credited for his grounded approach. He sees himself very  much as a football manager, rather than a talking head or a famous  face. 

In an interview given to the Big Issue in March, Hodgson said: “I’ve  never regarded myself as a celebrity, I have regarded myself as a  professional football manager, a job which I have done for many years  and think I do well. 

“I’m quite proud of my achievements. But I don’t think that lifts me  into the celebrity world. It has given me a life doing exactly what I  wanted to do. But I don’t regard myself as any different to anybody  else. 

“I want to walk down streets, I want to leave Richmond by train, I  don’t want to travel in a chauffeur-driven car. Because it’s not me,  it’s not my background, it’s not where I came from. And it’s not what  I could get used to.” 

Having opted for a big name in De Boer during the summer, Palace have  started the season with four successive Premier League defeats and are  yet to score a goal. 

De Boer, who lasted 85 days in his previous job with Inter Milan,  reacted to his sacking by posting a message on Instagram that said:  “Very disappointed about the decision but never the less I want to  thank the players, staff and the fans for their support. Good luck for  the future.” 

The task facing Hodgson at Selhurst Park is not all that dissimilar  from the situation he inherited with England. 

Back in 2012, England had become fed up with a foreign manager after  Fabio Capello had made a mess of the World Cup and left the national  team in the lurch by quitting before the European Championships in  Poland and Ukraine. 

The nation craved a steady hand, somebody they felt they could rely on  and, to a large extent, Hodgson was the perfect man. 

He proved to be more than a Steady Eddie as he blooded the likes of  Raheem Sterling, Dele Alli and Harry Kane, and did everything he could  to usher in a new era. But there was little improvement in the major  tournaments and he appeared to confuse himself, let alone others, with  some of his decisions in France last summer. 

The experience could have left Hodgson broken and bitter. The defeat  to Iceland was the worst in England's history and he took the majority  of the blame. 

It is said that Hodgson had more than one change of heart before  facing the press the day after the Iceland game, even getting back  into the car that had delivered him to the inquest before eventually  going through with it.

Hodgson’s admission that he did not know why he was in the room  amounted to a public relations disaster, but those who have spoken to  the former Inter Milan, Fulham and West Bromwich Albion manager and  spent time in his company in the last few months insist he is fully  rejuvenated and ready to go. 

In an interview in July, Hodgson said: “I still feel I have the energy  and the enthusiasm to do it and all the time you think you have that,  sometimes it would be a bit of waste not to be doing it when I could.”  Somewhat ironically, given De Boer became the third shortest serving  Premier League manager, Hodgson also spoke of his unease regarding the  instant success that is often required when managers take over at  clubs. 

Palace’s next four Premier League games are against Southampton,  Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea. 

“Most get the job because some poor devil has lost two in a row,  perhaps through no fault of his own,” said Hodgson. “Then you’re  thrown in to get them to win two or three games in a row. 

“In my opinion football and coaching does not work like that, it’s a  longer-term process and a process that comes about through your  interaction with players that you are working with. At the end of the  day, coaches have a certain importance but they will never have the  importance of players. It is the players that you pay to watch and the  players that win the games. 

“All you can do is try to get the best performances out of the ones  that you’ve got. If the ones you have got are not good enough to do  the job, unfortunately you will be struggling. It is one of those  truisms.” 

It may well be true, but Hodgson will need to make an immediate impact  on his return to management.