Roy Hodgson makes shock return as Crystal Palace boss

Roy Hodgson has made a dramatic return to Crystal Palace as he has been named as their manager until the end of the current season.

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Hodgson, 75, came out of retirement to try and rescue Watford last season but failed and has been out of work since as many believed he would not be in the Premier League again.

He previously took charge of Palace from 2017-21 and stabilized them as a Premier League club but Palace’s owners hired Vieira to take them in a different direction.

They have now returned to Hodgson to bring stability as they face a relegation scrap with 10 games of the season to go. They currently sit in 12th place in the table but are just four points off the bottom and three points above the relegation zone.

Hodgson will lead the management team with Paddy McCarthy named as his assistant and Hodgson’s long-time assistant Ray Lewington will also return to Palace as first-team coach.

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“I would like to welcome Roy and Ray back to the club. We are obviously in a very challenging period but we believe that Roy’s and Ray’s experience, knowledge of the club and players, alongside Paddy can help fulfil the immediate requirement of keeping us in the league,” Palace chairman Steve Parish said.

Roy Hodgson commented: “It is a privilege to be asked to return to the club, which has always meant so much to me, and to be given the important task of turning the team’s fortunes around. Our sole objective now is to start winning matches, and to get the points necessary to ensure our Premier League status. Crystal Palace is known for its fighting spirit, and I have no doubt that all our supporters will fight with us,