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Roy Hodgson has been tipped to remain at Crystal Palace in a new capacity this summer…

What’s the word?

The 73-year-old veteran is out of contract at the end of the season after four years at the helm and is yet to make a public decision on his immediate future.

Back in February, Hodgson claimed to be “undecided” over whether or not he would remain at Selhurst Park past the current campaign but last month he hinted that a decision was close.

Former Eagles striker Marcus Bent has now backed the former England manager to take up a Director of Football role, should his managerial career not continue further.

Speaking exclusively to This is Futbol, he said:

“It would be good to have someone like that at your club that knows the ins and outs of the game. The fans would still adore him and whoever takes charge might need a word in his ear and some advice.”

Recipe for disaster

Hodgson has been in the coaching game for a vast 45 years, managing the likes of Inter Milan, Liverpool and West Brom but was involved as an advisor to A-League outfit Melbourne City prior to his arrival in southeast London, so the prospect of him moving upstairs isn’t out of the realms of possibility.

He is the oldest person to have ever managed in the Premier League and he’s done a pretty respectable job with the Eagles now an established top-flight outfit.

However, recently in the transfer market, Palace have made moves to refresh the playing squad with younger talent and some fans feel the same is needed in the dugout.

Well-known Eagles supporter Kevin Day, who writes scripts for Match of the Day 2 and is part of ‘The Price of Football’ podcast, claimed he “wouldn’t be upset” if this was Hodsgon’s final swansong and urged the club to play “more positive, attacking football.”

As evident above, there is a desire to see a better brand of football at Selhurst Park, especially if they continue to invest in their long-term future on the pitch following the arrival of Eberechi Eze and the emergence of players like Tyrick Mitchell.

Keeping Hodgson around would mean he still has some influence on the side and that won’t please many in southeast London.

A director of football would have a big say in transfers but Eze is just one exception to his usual signings, think Gary Cahill or James McCarthy.

If Palace are to move on from Hodgson, then it’s time to move on fully rather than moving him upstairs, especially as any new manager will be wanting to stamp down his own mark.

Having a second influence could well be a recipe for disaster, so Parish must avoid Bent’s suggestion this summer.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace dealt huge blow over potential Hodgson successor, Parish will be gutted…

Muttiah Muralitharan and Mike Atherton linked up to give Lancashire acrushing ten-wicket victory over Derbyshire in Liverpool which kept theirhopes of reaching the Benson & Hedges quarter-finals alive

Andy Wilson04-May-2001Muttiah Muralitharan and Mike Atherton linked up to give Lancashire acrushing ten-wicket victory over Derbyshire in Liverpool which kept theirhopes of reaching the Benson & Hedges quarter-finals alive.Lancashire had lost their first two groups games against Durham andLeicestershire but they were always on top after Muralitharan had bowled histen overs for four runs, one of the most economical performances in thecompetition’s 29-year history.Atherton then hit a stylish unbeaten 77 from 111 balls as Lancashirecruised past a target of 118 with more than 16 of their 50 overs to spare.Dominic Cork had won the toss and chosen to bat but Derbyshire were soon introuble with John Wood and Peter Martin reducing them to 30 for three.Muralitharan and Ian Austin then stemmed the flow of runs to a trickle,with Austin picking up the wickets of Wasim Khan and Cork in the 22nd over.Murali’s final figures of 10-7-4-1 were thought to be the best since ChrisOld conceded three runs in 11 overs for Yorkshire against Middlesex atLord’s in 1979.Austin ended with two for 18 from his ten overs, with only two Derbyshirebatsmen offering any real resistance – Mathew Dowman, who made 36, and KarlKrikken, who ended unbeaten on 23.Atherton and Mark Chilton then produced a chanceless unbroken opening standof 121 in 33.3 overs, with Atherton stroking 11 boundaries and Chiltonending unbeaten on 42, to send Lancashire into Sunday’s Roses Match in goodheart.Derbyshire, though, are left without a point from three games, and with nochance of reaching the quarter finals.

Exactly seventeen years after he aspired to show his prowess with the willow on the city’s historic Wankhede stadium, batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar was felicitated at the same venue at a glittering function in Mumbai on Wednesday night

24-May-2001Exactly seventeen years after he aspired to show his prowess with the willow on the city’s historic Wankhede stadium, batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar was felicitated at the same venue at a glittering function in Mumbai on Wednesday night.The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), headed by NCP leader Sharad Pawar presented Tendulkar with a 10 kg silver bat and a cheque of Rs 2.51 lakh to honour him after he was conferred with ‘Maharashtra Bhushan’ award by the state government and also for completing a record 10,000 runs in one-day internationals.”It was my dream to don India colours on this very ground when I came here for the first time in 1983 during the West Indies tour”, Tendulkar said in an emotionally choked voice.Pawar announced the naming of the ‘Sachin Tendulkar Enclosure’, above the MCA pavilion for former and present cricketers and their family members.Fondly remembering his coach Ramakant Achrekar’s contribution in his cricketing career, Tendulkar said “it (his lessons) changed my life. Without him I could not have been where I am today”, the 28-year-old batting maestro said.The ‘Wonder Boy’ recalled his long association with his favourite ground, where he made his Ranji Trophy debut for Mumbai against Gujarat in 1988 and got a hundred.Tendulkar went on to play the Irani Cup match on the same ground after which he was picked by the selectors for the tour of Pakistan in 1989.Pawar said renaming of a stand at the Wankhede stadium after Tendulkar would be announced after the monsoon, when the MCA plans to felicitate cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar, who was also awarded with the ‘Maharashtra Bhushan’ two years ago.Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh also announced donating 13 acres of land in suburban Bandra to the MCA for its plan to develop a stadium there. “A letter of intent will be presented to MCA on May 26, 2001”, he added. Pawar said the MCA would develop a state-of-the-art stadium within two years of actual possession of the land.A special souvenir devoted to Tendulkar was brought out on the occasion by the MCA.Former New Zealand captain and current Indian coach John Wright said Tendulkar’s greatness and humility was a great combination. “It is a wonderful and special experience to be associated with a phenomenon called Sachin”, Wright said.Describing Tendulkar as a wonderful person, former Indian captain Ravi Shastri said that his humility, willingness to listen and ability to walk ahead were his strengths. “Let the biggest stand be named after Sachin even at the cost of a sponsor because no one is greater than Sachin.”Those lauding the master blaster’s achievements were the grand old man of Mumbai cricket Madhav Mantri, Tendulkar’s first first class captain Lalchand Rajput and deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal.

Many Everton fans have been left to slam a transfer update from Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sports Mole) involving Wojciech Szczesny and Moise Kean.

As per the news outlet, the Goodison Park faithful are understood to be monitoring the former Arsenal goalkeeper along with Chelsea, with Juventus president Andrea Agnelli hoping that the Merseyside club can be persuaded to agree on a swap deal involving him and Kean.

One could question whether a straight swap would represent good value for money for Carlo Ancelotti’s team, given that Szczesny is 31 years of age and Kean just 21, while the latter has been on fire for PSG so far in the 2020/21 term, scoring no fewer than 16 goals in total in 38 games over all competitions (Transfermarkt), as the Toffees may want to think about keeping him or holding out for a mammoth offer.

Everton fans on Szczesny/Kean transfer update

These Blues slammed the transfer update as it was shared on Twitter, with one EFC supporter even going as far as to claim that it would be ‘horrendous’ while another the update as ‘peak Everton’:

“Absolutely horrendous swap deal”

Credit: @MartinLobb6

“Swap deal, funniest thing I have heard all pandemic”

Credit: @dobzzie

“Would be a terrible swap”

Credit: @DavidStenson12

“Is this a joke?”

Credit: @Youngda48943002

“Peak Everton. Someone on the brink of financial ruin trying to hold our feet over the fire to swap a bog average goalkeeper for one of Europe’s most in demand forward.”

Credit: @PeterFearns

“Lol”

Credit: @robjones673

In other news, find out what transfer update has left Toffees buzzing here!

“I haven’t seen too many of those games,” was Kevin Shine’s reaction to Somerset’s 10-over victory over Surrey in the Norwich Union National League on Sunday at the Oval

Richard Walsh12-Jun-2001″I haven’t seen too many of those games,” was Kevin Shine’s reaction to Somerset’s 10-over victory over Surrey in the Norwich Union National League on Sunday at the Oval.”It was an excellent all round performance, and we were very happy to come away with four points. All the bowlers performed well, particularly Ian Jones who came in at the last minute to replace Richard Johnson who went down Sunday morning with food poisoning. Rob Turner was also missing with food poisoning and Mike Burns had to keep wicket.”When it came to the batting he said: “there was some pretty brutal hitting from Ian Blackwell who made an unbeaten 33 to help us home with more than three overs to spare.”

Crystal Palace are eyeing up Steve Cooper as a potential alternative to Frank Lampard, following Roy Hodgson’s resignation as manager.

The Lowdown: Hodgson confirms Palace exit

On Tuesday, Hodgson confirmed that he would step down as Eagles boss at the end of the season, with his contract at Selhurst Park set to expire.

He took charge of Palace back in September 2017, keeping them clear of relegation to the Championship during that time – the primary objective for many supporters, but now those fans are eyeing more with the club solidified in the top flight.

The Latest: Cooper in the mix

Palace will now be on the lookout for a new manager, with Frank Lampard emerging as a front-runner to take over from Hodgson this summer.

Taking to Twitter, journalist Fabrizio Romano claimed that Swansea City manager Cooper is viewed as an alternative to the Chelsea legend, with a decision expected in the coming days.

The Verdict: Is Cooper ready?

Cooper’s future could well be decided by Swansea City’s performance in the Championship playoffs, with his side beating Barnsley 1-0 on Monday night, in the first leg of the semi-final.

Should the Swans secure promotion to the Premier League, he will surely stay put, trying his luck with the Welsh outfit in the top-flight.

If they fail to go up, however, Cooper could view Palace as an ideal next step in his managerial career, having won the Under-17 World Cup with England back in 2017 – a side that included Phil Foden and Jadon Sancho.

The 41-year-old may be a less high-profile option than Lampard, but he is actually more experienced and is arguably more well-placed to thrive at Selhurst Park, playing an exciting brand of attacking, high intensity football.

In other news, a pundit has claimed one Palace key man could leave the club this summer. Find out who it is here.

As Andrew Symonds was given a mohawk, the usual suspects huddled around a makeshift card table, Nathan Bracken nursed his cut finger, the television was tuned to the rugby, and Damien Fleming cursed his rotten luck.

Will Swanton17-Jun-2001As Andrew Symonds was given a mohawk, the usual suspects huddled around a makeshift card table, Nathan Bracken nursed his cut finger, the television was tuned to the rugby, and Damien Fleming cursed his rotten luck.Australia’s tri-series match against Pakistan at the Riverside Ground today was abandoned by rain at 1.55pm without a ball bowled, robbing Fleming of an opportunity to nudge Brett Lee out of the side for the final at Lord’s on Saturday.Fans streamed through the gates all morning, excited by their one and only international fixture of the season, but the umbrellas in their hands, frowns on their faces and glances to the miserable, dark sky told the story.Chester-Le-Street dates back hundreds of years and the old buildings and lush surrounding paddocks are a sight to behold – but another impressive spectacle, the Australian one-day cricket team, remained hidden from view.Behind closed doors, Lee gave Symonds a mohawk with an electric shaver while leaving his own blond locks alone.Nearby Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Ricky Ponting, Ian Harvey and team manager Steve Bernard played cards, and Bracken cut the top of his left index finger on a door. Bracken needed three stitches but he was out of action for another week anyway with his shoulder injury.But nobody was more frustrated by the inactivity than Fleming, who now has just two games – against Pakistan at Nottingham on Tuesday and England at The Oval on Thursday – to prove he is a better option than fast but invariably expensive Lee.Australia is already guaranteed a place in the final against Pakistan next Saturday.”I was hoping to play all the rest of the games before the final, and that gave me three games, but now it’s two,” said Fleming, sidelined for the last week by a groin strain.”We generally pick our best team for the finals and most of the other guys have bowled well, so each game was an opportunity to hopefully bowl well and get into the final.”It’s not ideal.”I’ve just got to have two big games.”The Victorian seamer, who had a gymnasium session at noon with the rest of the squad when they finished watching coverage of the Lions-Queensland rugby match, would kill for a spell to rival Jason Gillespie’s awesome 3-20 at Old Trafford.”Dizz (Gillespie) came in for his first game from his groin injury and got man of the match – it’s just about taking the opportunity like he did the other night,” said Fleming, who is in contention after Lee conceded a total 140 runs in his two ten-over appearances.”If you have a booming game, you’re right back in there … but you don’t want to put too much pressure on yourself.”It’d just be good to get out there, have a go, and do well.”That’s all I can aim for really.”Fleming lamented the tight tour schedule which has Australia switching to Test mode straight after the Lord’s final and travelling to Arundel the next day for a fixture against an MCC XI, starting Tuesday.”If you’re going to place a lot of importance on the one-day game, you want to win that and celebrate like it’s a Test I reckon, and have the next day off,” he said.The Australians leave for Nottingham tomorrow.

Switzerland manager Vladimir Petkovic has indirectly blamed Steven Gerrard after Glasgow Rangers striker Cedric Itten was not called up for the European Championships this summer.

The Lowdown: Itten not in Switzerland squad

Last week, Petkovic revealed his 29-man preliminary squad for the Euros this summer. Three players will drop out before the tournament kicks off on June 11th.

Surprisingly, Itten was not included even though he has scored three goals in three games for his country (Reuters).

The Latest: Petkovic shares the reason behind the decision

Following the announcement, Petkovic revealed why Itten was not named in the squad. He said (via The Daily Record):

“I already know Cedric Itten, but unfortunately for him, he didn’t play that much for Rangers this season.

“Andi Zeqiri did well for his team and the same goes for Dan Ndoye. I don’t know them well so this is a chance for me to get to work with them.

“I wanted to give new players the chance to experience tournament football.

“I gave Denis Zakari and Nico Elvedi a similar chance before the Euro 2016 tournament and both are now established in my squad. So young players are the future.”

The Verdict: Disappointing

Itten will no doubt be bitterly disappointed to miss out. The European Championships are a special tournament, and no player will be happy not to be included in their respective squads. The fact of the matter, though, is that the £4.05m-valued Gers man (Transfermarkt) has just not played enough games.

He did appear in 38 matches in all competitions, but he started just 10 of them (Transfermarkt). Six goals and three assists is not a terrible return, but for whatever reason, Steven Gerrard felt he was not good enough to play a bigger role this season and given the success Rangers had, it’s hard to argue with the manager’s decision.

Switzerland have won two out of two World Cup qualifiers (fifa.com) and will be hoping to make the tournament in Qatar next November – Itten must play a bigger part for Rangers over the next 18 months if he wants to be at that tournament.

In other news, Danny Mills slams Rangers’ treatment of this midfielder.

Glasgow Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos has tested positive for coronavirus as he prepares for two World Cup qualifiers with Colombia.

The Lowdown: Morelos away on international duty

With the club season now over, Rangers players have departed to all corners of the globe as they aim to help their relative international teams over the summer.

Morelos had been selected to represent his country against Peru and Argentina in World Cup qualifiers ahead of the Copa America.

The Latest: Positive virus test

However, the 24-year-old has been dealt a significant blow after testing positive for the virus (via Glasgow Times).

He is now self-isolating as a result and will therefore miss both of his national team’s upcoming clashes, having already joined up with the squad as they seek to atone for a poor start in the CONMEBOL qualifying section.

The Verdict: A rest

On the face of it, this will be terrible news for Morelos. Having travelled to South America, he will have been eager to represent his country whenever he can. He will now miss the two games, and his participation in the Copa America could therefore be under threat.

However, this has been another gruelling season for the £10.8m-valued star (Transfermarkt). He made 41 appearances in all competitions, scoring 17 goals (Transfermarkt) as he helped his side win the Premiership and playing a regular role as the season progressed. While he may not think it himself now, a small rest could be the best thing for him in terms of his club involvement over the coming months.

In other news, some Rangers fans don’t want the club to sign this striker.

THE West Indies desperately clawed their way back into contention on the third day of the second Test yesterday but, even amidst the euphoria of dismissing Sachin Tendulkar for a fourth-ball duck, their grip was never more than tenuous

Tony Cozier22-Apr-2002THE West Indies desperately clawed their way back into contention on the third day of the second Test yesterday but, even amidst the euphoria of dismissing Sachin Tendulkar for a fourth-ball duck, their grip was never more than tenuous.On a slow, heartless pitch, they didn’t have the strength to sustain it and, by the time fading light ended the day 40 minutes past the appointed time with four of the 98 allocated overs unused, they were precariously hanging on by their fingertips.An unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 109 between the left-handed captain Sourav Ganguly and the silken right-hander V.V.S.Laxman occupied the last three hours of another blazing hot day. It also gradually silenced the pandemonium that broke out when Tendulkar was the third wicket to fall for two runs in the space of quarter-hour in the middle session.The two stabilised India’s position, then slowly and surely restored the advantage as an unsteady 54 for four 40 minutes after lunch was converted to 165 for the same four at stumps.It gives India an overall lead of 254 with Ganguly and Laxman still entrenched, even if a suspect tail is to follow.It is an equation that means they can dictate terms over the final two days at the Queen’s Park Oval where they have gained their only two victories in 34 previous Tests in the Caribbean.The fact that the last time the West Indies won batting last on the ground they got 282 for seven against England four years ago is counterbalanced by last innings totals of 51 (against Australia), 63 (by Zimbabwe) and 162 (against South Africa) in the three Queen’s Park Tests since.Ganguly, out for five and 25 in his previous two innings, resumes this morning 48, and Laxman, extending the form that brought him earlier scores of 69 and 69 not out, 60. Their partnership is already the second highest of the match.The last half of the day was as frustrating for the West Indies as the first had been encouraging.The last four wickets, that had averaged 14 over the previous six Tests, added another 48 on the day, 65 overall, before India wrapped up the innings two hours into the day for 245.It still represented a deficit of 94 but if West Indies could restrict their eventual winning target to under 300 they would have a chance.Merv Dillon claimed opener Shiv Sunder Das for nought in the six overs before the first interval but, on resumption, he and the other bowlers were making no impression on Sanjay Bangar and Rahul Dravid in a second-wicket stand of 48 when the game took as sudden a twist as it had in the closing stages the previous day when Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Junior Murray toppled for one run.Adam Sanford, all bustle and enthusiasm, took opener Bangar’s outside edge on the drive for a catch to second slip.Three balls later, Dravid, playing with the fluent assurance of a batsman with scores of 144 not out and 67 in the series, got a thin leg-side deflection to Cameron Cuffy and wicket-keeper Murray gathered the catch to remove him for 36.As always, Tendulkar was the key Indian wicket. The game’s premier batsman, who completed his 29th Test hundred with his first innings 117, received a warm welcome. Not only do Trinidadians appreciate class, there are thousands here who have a soft spot for the land, and the cricketers, of their forefathers.Tendulkar held up the West Indies for over six hours and 260 balls for his first innings 117. Now he lasted only quarter-hour as his fourth ball from Sanford took him on the pad as he jumped back, aiming to push into the leg-side.His surprise at finding Sri Lankan umpire Asoka deSilva’s raised finger upholding the roared West Indian appeal was justifiable, for the ball appeared heading over the stumps.Given his luck with decisions in the first innings, it was another instance that verified the age-old dictum that things eventually even themselves out in this game.It set off even more bacchanalian celebrations around the ground than usual and, as India went to tea 77 for four, it was obvious the last session would determine the course of the match and possibly the result.The realisation did not seem to occur to the usually miserly Cuffy, whose first two deliveries on resumption were inviting half-volleys that Laxman duly latched onto for a couple of driven off-side boundaries.Apart from a genuine appeal for a keeper’s catch when Ganguly, then 24, drove at Dillon, there was little to encourage the West Indies after that as bats got broader.Umpire deSilva probably based his verdict on legitimate doubt since Ganguly’s bat brushed the ground and threw up a cloud of dust. Even the television replay provided no conclusive evidence.In the morning, it took India almost two hours and 22.5 overs to wrap up the West Indies innings.It had been undermined late on the second day when three wickets tumbled for one run within ten balls after Lara’s dismissal for 52 and they resumed at 197 for six with their eventual total heavily dependent on captain Carl Hooper who was 30.While Hooper carefully added 20 from the 49 balls he received before he was ninth out for 50 to a catch at extra-cover off left-arm fast bowler Zaheer Khan, Dillon, Black and Sanford offered him useful support.They at least ensured that the deficit was reduced to double figures, but on a hard, dry, basically true pitch likely to become progressively worn, India’s lead was still strong.