Hodgson was welcomed with polite applause by the Crystal Palace fans before the match against Southampton and got the same response after their defeat. Those training ground drills – shape, shape, shape – are the template for his uncomplicated style of play but also the practice of a man who knows his own mind and will be sticking to it. Carved open on numerous occasions in the first half particularly, Palace also carved out the best chances of the match. He spent much of his time as Palace manager talking about how he had to get inside the players’ heads, to persuade them to believe in themselves and the plan. Frank de Boer never got that privilege but Hodgson is Palace’s best hope of avoiding the drop – and he has managed it before.

Source: The Guardian September 17, 2017 21:22 UTC