Emmanuel Adebayor

Former Crystal Palace player and coach John Salako has heaped praise on manager Roy Hodgson for providing the stability at Selhurst Park. The former England manager was recruited by the south London side last season when they were without a point or goal after the opening four matches but he managed to transform their fortunes as they finished 11th on the table with 44 points.

The Capital outfit have since started the new season in a similar kind of form and Salako, who had been a first-team coach under ex-Palace boss Alan Pardew, has heaped praise on the progress made over the past one year by Hodgson, he told TalkSPORT: “Absolutely incredible. It just seemed to be a disaster and he was asking some players to do things they couldn’t do, like playing a back five, and he just lost that dressing room. But Roy, he has got so much experience and he had a lot to prove after the England situation at the Euros, where we failed miserably, so I think it was the right place at the right time with the right club and the right backroom staff.”

Palace have so far accumulated seven points from their opening six matches and this sees them comfortably placed 11th on the table with a three-point gap to the drop zone. Nonetheless, the Eagles could have easily extended their distance to the dreaded drop, had Mamadou Sakho converted a straight-forward header during the recent 0-0 draw at Newcastle United.

Hodgson’s side are set to face Bournemouth in their next league meeting on Monday night and the game promises entertainment with both teams possessing plenty of firepower upfront. Thereafter, they have a home game against newly-promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers following which their tough schedule starts. Palace are set to tackle Everton, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in consecutive games following the next international break.