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When Crystal Palace appointed a 70-year-old Roy Hodgson back in September 2017, there were murmurs of discontent around south London.
For many, he was too old. For others, it wasn’t a progressive move by the club. Some felt he had run his race and a younger man was needed at the helm, someone that would be in charge for the long haul.
Three years on, Palace are making a legitimate charge for a European place in the upper echelons of the Premier League and the boo boys have long since retreated. Palace beat Bournemouth in their first game back on Saturday, charging up to ninth in the table and they now sit just four points away from Manchester United in fifth.
Roy Hodgson steered his Crystal Palace side to a fourth victory in a row on Saturday night
Luka Milivojevic fired in a wonderful free-kick to set Palace on their way after the restart
They are closer to third than third bottom, nearer to a rendezvous with Real Madrid than they are a meeting with Millwall.
Age has proved no barrier for the former England boss, and as he approaches 73, it seems Hodgson may indeed be in charge of the Eagles for plenty more time to come. And why not, with the future looking so rosy?
From settling Wilfried Zaha back into life at Palace when most thought he would leave to turning fringe players like Jeffrey Schlupp and Joel Ward into first-team regulars, he has worked miracles without spending any money in the transfer market.
In the last window, the club’s only spending was on two players – £2.5million to make Jordan Ayew’s loan move from Swansea a permanent one, and a similar amount to bring James McCarthy in from Everton.
Keeping Wilfried Zaha settled at the club has been a huge positive for Hodgson and Palace
The former England boss has also turned fringe players like Joel Ward (centre left) into regulars
Ayew netted his ninth goal of the season at the weekend, and has three times as many as any of his colleagues in south London.
While his impact has been momentous, it is the man standing on the sidelines who should take the majority of the credit for Palace’s lofty position in the top half of the table.
To set the scene, Hodgson’s arrival in south London came just weeks after Palace had sacked Frank de Boer in 2017, an experimental phase gone badly wrong.
Indeed, he had lasted just four league games – four defeats, zero goals scored – before Steve Parish pulled the plug and admitted he had made a mistake.
While the idea was a positive one to take the club forward, the execution was slightly off. Palace, having spent four straight seasons in the top flight for the first time in the Premier League era, knew they wanted progression, but it hadn’t worked out with the Dutchman.
Jordan Ayew already has nine goals this season, three times as many as any of his team-mates
The Frank de Boer (left) experiment didn’t work and Steve Parish (right) opted for a safer bet
And so, Palace regressed towards the mean and appointed Hodgson. A safe bet, Parish and Co knew what they were getting and it was hoped that he could steer them away from trouble and keep them in the top flight despite their disastrous start to the campaign.
Incredibly, Hodgson has done that and more. The appointment of the Croydon-born boss – returning to his boyhood club more than 50 years after coming through their academy as a player – was an astute one, even if the hierarchy weren’t planning on him staying for the long haul.
Earlier this week, pictures of Hodgson at the training ground summed up the exact reason why it has worked out so well.
Soaked head to toe in driving rain, the images show Hodgson holding a ball in each hand, barking instructions to his players.
Wearing black boots (what else?) and a club tracksuit, he could be 20 years younger, such is his passion and commitment to the cause. Those at the club speak of his early arrival at their Beckenham base every day, his unwavering drive to be at the heart of every training session when it would be so easy to pass the reins.
This image of Hodgson, soaked in training this week, shows his unwavering drive to continue
He is closing in on becoming Palace’s longest-serving manager since Steve Coppell in 1993
Palace are ninth, just four points off 5th place
For Hodgson, football is everything. If he didn’t feel able to do the job into his mid-70s, he wouldn’t do it… but after securing his place as the oldest boss in Premier League history, he has since signed a new contract taking him through until the end of next season.
In just 16 matches’ time, he will become Palace’s longest-serving manager since Steve Coppell left his first of four spells in charge back in 1993.
Twenty-three managers have come and gone in that time, some old, some young, but none will have secured the success and longevity of Hodgson.
The reality, though, is that Hodgson needed Palace as much as Palace needed him. He arrived at Selhurst Park off the back of two difficult jobs at Liverpool and England, with a year at West Brom sandwiched in the middle.
At Anfield, he looked out of his depth, and with the Three Lions he oversaw an embarrassing Euro 2016 campaign that saw his side dumped out by Iceland in the last 16.
By some he was seen as a figure of fun, but his time at the Palace helm has gone a long way to restoring his managerial pedigree. In truth it had never left, but Palace have proved to be the perfect club for Hodgson in the latter stages of his career.
Hodgson and his assistant Ray Lewington (left) have worked miracles at Selhurst Park
Palace’s team will now be dreaming of a potential European tour if things continue to go well
Heading into the coronavirus break, Palace had won three matches in a row by a goal to nil, and they have since followed it up with a convincing 2-0 triumph over Bournemouth on Saturday.
From the first whistle, Palace looked sharp and after two early goals it was a professional display that saw them get over the line with a clean sheet and all three points. In truth, it had Hodgson stamped all over it.
Palace were fitter and sharper than their opponents, and didn’t look like they’d been away for three weeks, let alone three months.
The Eagles moved up to eighth and now the murmurs of European football are beginning. With Manchester City likely to be banned from the Champions League next season, there is a chance that fifth place will secure a spot in Europe’s premier competition.
While there are of course doubts about Palace’s ability to get there, Hodgson’s men sit just four points off Manchester United in fifth, and with the Europa League spots likely to go to the two places below there is a genuine chance they could sneak in.
Hodgson was out of his depth at Liverpool but is in the right place at the right time with Palace
Hodgson looks on ahead of the Europa League final with Fulham back in May 2010
Sheffield United have endured a difficult return to action and look set to slide away from the European berths after a shock 3-0 defeat at Newcastle on Sunday.
Tottenham and Arsenal, the teams either side of Palace, are both in dreadful form. If Palace are going to make a late push, perhaps now is a better time than ever.
Hodgson will reminisce fondly on his time at Fulham, where he achieved success at a similar-sized club, enjoying a run to the final of the Europa League back in 2010.
Ten years on though, perhaps even he thought it unlikely that he would ever get the chance to manage at that level again.
And perhaps he won’t. But as it stands, the Eagles are flying high and with Hodgson at the Palace helm, the future looks brighter than it has done for a long, long time.
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