Roy Hodgson ‘not interested’ in discussing Crystal Palace future

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Roy Hodgson believes Crystal Palace can approach their remaining Premier League matches facing less pressure but insists now is still not the time to discuss his future.

The 73-year-old will be out of contract in the summer, along with a number of players at Selhurst Park, but has reiterated on several occasions his focus remains on the present.

Victory over West Brom on 13 March moved the Eagles on to 37 points and they sit 11 clear of safety with nine games to play, starting with Monday’s trip to Everton.

“Every week I get the same question, every week I give the same answer and I will continue doing that until such time I feel there is an announcement to be made,” Hodgson said.

“I am not interesting in having that discussion at the moment. I am interested in working very hard with the players to make certain we finish this season properly.

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“As a result it is the games that are ahead of us which interest me much more than next season. When the time is right, we’ll discuss it.”

Although not guaranteed, Palace look odds-on to be in the Premier League for an eighth successive campaign next season, which would continue their longest consecutive spell in the top flight.

Hodgson said: “I think we can possibly play with a bit of less pressure because two or three of the last few games have been extremely pressurised games, in particular the games against Fulham and West Brom.

“If we’re talking about securing our place in the league, they were really high-pressure games so in that respect there might be slightly less pressure.”

But Hodgson warned that even if survival is mathematically achieved he would not look to change Palace’s style.

“I don’t understand expansive. If expansive means are we now going to start rolling the ball out and making seven or eight passes around our penalty area, we won’t be doing that.

“That is not the way we play and we don’t have the type of players who would appreciate us trying to ask them to do that. We are going to keep on trying to put a team out and prepare it to win the game.”

PA