Martin Kelly spent eight years of his career at Crystal Palace.
The man born in Whiston made 148 appearances for the Eagles in total – far more than he accumulated at any other club – seeing a number of different managers come and go at Selhurst Park.
It was Tony Pulis who signed Kelly – before resigning on the same day – in August 2014, and the defender was then coached by Neil Warnock, Alan Pardew, Sam Allardyce, Frank de Boer, Roy Hodgson and Patrick Vieira before his departure in 2022.
Now – speaking to BBC World Service’s Sportsworld – Martin Kelly has shared what Roy Hodgson was obsessed about which he feel probably ended up costing him in SE25.
Martin Kelly says Roy Hodgson was always determined not to concede
Unsurprisingly, the 34-year-old claims the 77-year-old was very keen on keeping the opposition out, rather than thinking about how Crystal Palace could hurt opponents themselves.
Kelly said: “Roy was very big on not conceding and never scored that much, which ultimately probably cost him his job in the end. Palace stayed up for so many years but wanted to see more football. Fair play to the fans for wanting that.”
That will not come as a shock at any Crystal Palace fan – presumably – given how boring the football was under Hodgson for most of his time in charge.
Of course, the man from Croydon deserves credit for keeping us in the Premier League for so many years with a limited budget, but he never did himself any favours with his lack of imagination tactically, leading to widespread discontent amongst the fanbase.
Some inside the club even felt Hodgson was causing injuries with his outdated training methods too.
How Martin Kelly fared after leaving Crystal Palace
Kelly was a popular figure in south London, memorably scoring the goal which knocked Tottenham out of the FA Cup fifth round in 2016, sending us into the quarter-final of a competition we very nearly won that year.
When his contract expired in the summer of 2022, the Liverpudlian was quickly snapped up by West Brom – where he made just seven appearances before being loaned out to Wigan in January 2023.
Kelly is now a free agent after his contract expired last summer, and at the age of 34, it remains to be seen whether he will wait for a new club or hang up his boots.
