Patrick Vieira has reignited Crystal Palace but fans unsure how long he will last

Patrick Vieira is only seven months into his tenure at Crystal Palace but already that makes him the 13th most experienced incumbent manager in the Premier League.

Eight top-flight bosses have lost their jobs since Vieira arrived in south London back in July, where he was immediately placed as some bookmakers' odds-on favourite to be the first to lose his job this season.

But instead of floundering in his new role, Vieira has flourished, and has quietly and confidently gone about his business in helping take Palace to their natural next level.

Under previous boss Roy Hodgson, who had admirably stabilised the club for four seasons in the Premier League, the football on display was functional but often stale, which eventually led to fan protests outside the club’s training ground during his final year in charge.

There were signs during Hodgson’s last season that things were changing mainly due to the signing and subsequent performances of Eberechi Eze, whose desire to play with the ball at his feet and attack teams showed a glimpse of what was to later come under Vieira.

The Frenchman was by no means Palace’s first choice as manager, though he was reportedly on the initial shortlist of potential candidates being considered.

Nuno Espirito Santo and Lucien Favre both came close to being appointed before talks stalled and ended, with Vieira eventually being appointed in early July only six weeks before the start of the season.

It was then another month before assistant manager Osian Roberts joined Vieira, all the while Palace were busy reshaping their squad for the new boss.

The club released a list of 22 players that had been released at the end of their contracts at the start of the summer, and though some like Joel