Roy Hodgson’s appointment is yet to inspire many Crystal Palace fans, but if he is to keep his boyhood club in the Premier League then there will be no complaints.

Patrick Vieira was sacked ahead of a return to Arsenal - a club where he earned legendary status as a player - having gone through every game so far in 2023 without a league win, finding themselves quickly sliding into a relegation battle.

While some may see this as a step back for the club, Hodgson knows the senior players, the club and is possibly the best stop-gap option to keep the team in the league.

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What are the three most important things on Roy’s agenda?

Score some goals

Hodgson must find a way to increase the team’s efficiency in front of goal. They have just five Premier League goals so far in 2023 and this is despite having, on paper, one of the most exciting front lines in the league.

Roy must unlock a few of the talented players in the squad. He knows Wilfried Zaha well and he is the club’s leading scorer this season, but they need more output from their wide players Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze.

Their defence has performed adequately, but you cannot win games without scoring goals.

Win some games

This goes without saying, but Hodgson must bring a winning mentality back to Selhurst Park. In the same way winning is a habit, so is losing, and Palace are in a rut at the moment.

They have just ended a well-documented tough run of fixtures against opposition above them in the league, but you cannot afford to hold onto that mentality when facing teams below them.

Whether they are propelled by a new manager bounce, or the sacking of Vieira has highlighted the urgency of the situation, Palace need to gain some points and reopen the gap between them and the relegation zone.

Get the club back on track

When Roy initially left, the idea was to hire a youthful manager to take the team on with good recruitment. This plan has faltered now, but as a temporary appointment the veteran must steady the ship and relay the foundations for a new manager to build from and refresh the club in the summer.

The Eagles must escape the trap of being too good to go down, but not good enough to challenge for Europe. It would be inexcusable for this cycle to be broken with relegation.

The change has been made and only time will tell whether Palace can escape the drop.