Crystal Palace: Parish had 'courage' to take 'big gamble' at Selhurst Park

Crystal Palace had the ‘courage’ to take a ‘gamble’ on manager Patrick Vieira when they were choosing Roy Hodgson’s successor, according to The Sun journalist Tom Barclay.

The Eagles have thrived under the 46-year-old’s tutelage since his arrival back in July 2021, successfully building on the solid foundations that Hodgson left behind following his four-year stint at the helm.

Hodgson was in charge at Palace from 2017 to 2021, guiding them to Premier League survival with minimal fuss on each occasion.

The former England boss replaced Frank de Boer just five games into his extremely short-lived reign, and there were concerns that Vieira’s appointment could go a similar way.

However, the 46-year-old tactician has thrived in south London since Steve Parish appointed him, overseeing an overhaul of the first-team squad and playing style in his maiden campaign at the helm.

Palace finished in 12th position in the Premier League table last term while also reaching the FA Cup semi-finals, breathing new life into the club after four years of pragmatism.

Barclay told GiveMeSport: “Hodgson in himself was a realisation that they’d made a mistake quite early on with De Boer.

“And then bringing in Hodgson who was someone who did a very underrated job, alright it wasn’t the most thrilling football at times, but when you look at how much they spent, he did a fantastic job there.

“And then when he left, they had the courage to build from there and invest in young players, bring in a manager in Vieira, who arguably was a bit of a gamble at the time because it wasn’t like he did the most outstanding job at Nice.

“It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t a job that suggested he would be brilliant in the Premier League, but he just really fits.

“He