Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson offers verdict on Leeds United’s Sam Allardyce appointment with ‘sympathy’ claim

Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson is pleased to see Sam Allardyce back in Premier League management but has offered his sympathy to the departed Javi Gracia.

Hodgson is on a contract at Selhurst Park until the end of the season and has oversaw an impressive turnaround as the Eagles are all but safe from relegation.

One big result came against Gracia as Palace picked up a shock 5-1 win at Elland Road, in a result Leeds have yet to fully recover from.

Allardyce is being tasked with getting Leeds out of danger, starting at Manchester City on Saturday afternoon. The Whites also play Newcastle, West Ham and Tottenham in their remaining games.

Speaking on Thursday about Allardyce’s appointment, Hodgson said: “It’s good to see him back. But unfortunately, as it is with every appointment, especially so late in the season, his appointment means that someone else has to lose their job. I have got every ounce of sympathy and empathy with Javi Gracia at this moment in time as well.

“Leeds obviously felt this was something they needed to do. I must say I do find it a little bit strange to see there are so many changes so very, very late in the season now, where really I don’t quite know what the new manager is really expected to do. There is no magic. There is no dust that you sprinkle over the team. You can only work with the players who are there.

“It’ll be if the players really can react to a new manager I guess. Find something they haven’t found before. But if I was the owner of the club I would be asking the question can they find something that hasn’t been there before? What’s stopped them up to this point?”

Hodgson also spoke about why there have been so many managerial changes in the Premier League this season, with Allardyce set to be the fourth man to manage Leeds in a league game this term.

The ex-Fulham boss added: “I think once you start a trend of late changes they can carry on. There has always been changes over the course of seasons and the simple reason for that is staying in the Premier League is so important.

“When the owners of the club and chairman and sporting directors see that dream of staying in the Premier League disappearing they feel they have got to do something. That has always been the case.

“But this year in particular it is happening very late and we’re seeing not just one change of manager, we’re seeing teams changing managers twice and we’re also seeing the new incumbent at the team given very, very little time.

“Six, seven games and with Sam Allardyce’s case four games. To be fair you are really in the realms of magic dust when you only have four games left to play.”