SAKA, ANTONY AND 10 PREMIER LEAGUE STARS HEADING TO THEIR FIRST WORLD CUP
You don’t need us to tell you that Alan Pardew wasn’t the most sentimental manager Crystal Palace have ever had.
The ex-Newcastle boss stripped club icon Mile Jedinak of the captaincy, and also sold fan favourites Glenn Murray, Yannick Bolasie and Dwight Gayle.
While Roy Hodgson has often come across as a respectful gentleman, we’ve noticed two incidents where his decisions have been questionable.
One of those came to light this week, after Jason Puncheon appeared on The Beautiful Game Podcast.
Puncheon became an iconic figure at Selhurst Park after scoring crucial goals under Tony Pulis to keep us up in 2013/14, while he also netted in the FA Cup final.
However, he revealed that Hodgson told him he’d no longer play for the club immediately after replacing Frank de Boer, which he admits left him disappointed.
“I gave everything I possibly could, I gave my heart and soul to that club. I’m disappointed in the way that I left. As soon as Roy walked in the building he said you’re not going to play anymore.”
“I gave everything I possibly could, I gave my heart & soul to that club (#Cpfc). I’m disappointed in the way that I left. As soon as Roy (Hodgson) walked in the building he said you’re not going to play anymore”
— The Beautiful Game Podcast (@Podcast_TBG) March 15, 2021
Jason Puncheon opens up on leaving his boyhood club🦅🔴🔵 #TBGPOD pic.twitter.com/UTebJUOzsM
In addition to that, we recall that Hodgson failed to play Julian Speroni in the 5-3 win over Bournemouth in May 2019 – the last game before his retirement.
The Argentine wasn’t even named on the bench for the dead-rubber affair, thus robbing him of the chance to appear before the supporters who adored him – and still adore him – one last time.
We respect Hodgson for keeping us in the Premier League in recent years on a tight budget, but we can’t defend these decisions.
We’re sure he had his reasons, but you’re always treading thin ice with the fanbase when you mistreat their favourites.
Maybe he’s not all that different to Pardew after all…
