Frank De Boer was only given 4 games in the Premier League
I was going to have this article up by Sunday evening to discuss what next for Palace and how they could improve things, but I couldn't help thinking that the result at Turf Moor could have highly significant repercussions if everything you read in the newspaper is to be believed, so i waited a day.
Sure enough my hunch was right and despite an encouraging performance from Crystal Palace away to Burnley on Sunday, their now ex-manager Frank De Boer, did not last the short test of time. After 4 Premier League matches he was given his marching orders. It was a positive display at the weekend with the Ajax legend changing from his preferred back three defensive set up to the more conventional back 4, something which has been widely discussed through the media and fans. It was felt that a side managed by Sam Allardyce could not play the 'total football' philosophy associated with Ajax and of course Frank De Boer who had success while as a player and manager in Amsterdam. Even so Crystal Palace's display at Burnley was a positive one and probably deserved a lot more than a defeat, Burnley boss Sean Dyche agrees, but nevertheless it seems like Eagles chairman Steve Parish had other ideas.
Given today's reports that Palace look to have already lined up a replacement it is fair to say De Boer's time may well have been decided prior to his side's visit to Lancashire. Former England manager Roy Hodgson is the favourite to take over as boss but despite always being regarded as an excellent coach given all his experience, his time as England manager has surely dented that reputation, not to mention his underwhelming time as Liverpool manager. It can not be understated how much Roy Hodgson loves the game and what he did to learn his trade by leaving blighty and making a reputation for himself in Scandinavia winning titles in Sweden and Finland, as well as other ventures in Italy, UAE, and Switzerland.
What won't fill Palace fans with confidence is his recent ventures in Merseyside and with England which doesn't make for impressive reading. He led England to an embarrassing Euro 2016 defeat to Iceland and then disappeared from public scrutiny with a hastily delivered statement at his last press conference as England manager but he is once again looking to make his managerial mark in the Premier League. For someone who has only won one trophy since the turn of the century (The Danish FA Cup), i can't help feeling Hodgson's time as a manager may be coming to a close and Crystal Palace could well be the team to expose an aging manager in what in recent years has become a young man's game.