Crystal Palace – next manager

Who’s in line to take the hot seat?

Sam Allardyce shocked English football when resigning from his post as manager of Crystal Palace earlier this month. Having secured The Eagles Premier League safety for another season, all looked rosy for the former England gaffer – enjoying a second chance in the game.

Scratch the surface and it seems relations were strained between the 62-year-old and Selhurst Park bosses however. Having served just five months in charge, and showing a respectable record of eight wins from 21 outings, Big Sam was off, and he didn’t look too happy about it either, telling reporters he has no ambitions to take another job. The truth, or another strop?

Speaking passionately about moving on to enjoy time with his family, perhaps he didn’t jump before he was pushed. It all remains a mystery, but Allardyce now vows to travel and enjoy life while he is young enough and healthy enough to do so. We don’t believe it’s the last we’ll see of him.

Roy Hodgson ready to go again

So, who’s in line to hang their coat on Sam’s peg? The resignation did come as a massive shock across the board, meaning football pundits and odds compilers had to hastily arrange a shortlist, and it does look to be somewhat of a scattergun approach, the likes of Garry Monk, Sean Dyche and even Claudio Ranieri dominating newspaper columns.

One man who does seem keen to jump back into the commitments of full time football is another former England manager in Roy Hodgson. The vastly experienced 69-year-old from Croydon has enjoyed a glittering career in the game, having taken charge at the likes of Inter Milan, Blackburn, Grasshoppers, Udinese, Finland, Fulham and, of course, England.