Crystal Palace fans will be a great deal happier with their performances over the last two encounters, as their side overturned a two-goal deficit in the last 15 minutes against Manchester City to earn a 2-2 draw before sharing the points with Brighton a few days later.
However, in truth, their season has been far from exciting, with the Eagles sitting in 15th with four wins from 18 games. Sadly, they are still on a dismal run of form, extending their winless streak to seven consecutive matches.
With that in mind and the fact that Roy Hodgson is only contracted until the summer, Palace will be looking at potential replacements, which could come sooner than expected if results do not improve.
Here are five managers that could potentially replace the Crystal Palace boss.
1 Steve Cooper
Despite recently being sacked by fellow Premier League club Nottingham Forest, Steve Cooper is deemed to be the favoured Hodgson successor, with Palace expected to “re-open talks” with the Welshman according to reports.
Cooper’s experience in developing youth fits in with the Palace ethos, and the club believes he could be the best option to lead the project forward.
He has also proven to be excellent at man management, and with the former Forest boss currently without a role, he is surely desperate to bounce back swiftly.
2 Julen Lopetegui
Many believe that Julen Lopetegui was unfairly sacked by Wolves in the summer after he brought the club stability and saved them from relegation. According to Marca, Palace have registered their interest in the Spaniard, and they view him as a potential Hodgson replacement.
The Spanish manager has proven to be a quality boss, as highlighted by his time at Sevilla, where he guided them to a Europa League triumph.
Lopetegui is also without a club at the moment, and he has expressed his desire to stay in the Premier League. Selhurst Park may just be the perfect environment to reignite his managerial career.
3 Michael Carrick
Michael Carrick may just be the young manager that Palace are willing to take a chance on to improve the side. The 42-year-old nearly returned to the top flight with Middlesbrough last season, but they fell short in the play-offs.
Carrick has extremely high standards, which most likely stem from his successful career at Manchester United as a player, and if a Premier League side came knocking, it is reasonable to assume he would jump at the opportunity.
Carrick’s exciting approach to the beautiful game would go hand in hand with Palace’s ambitions, and he could definitely get the fans on side. It's worth noting, however, that no concrete links have emerged regarding the Eagles' interest.
4 Kieran McKenna
Kieran McKenna is doing an outstanding job at Ipswich Town, and he is on course to reach the Premier League next season with the Tractor Boys after winning 16 of their 23 Championship matches.
However, if the Eagles wanted to steal McKenna away from the club he guided up the EFL pyramid, they would be able to secure his services, according to Dean Jones.
He told GIVEMESPORT: "I don't think Kieran McKenna would be out of reach for Crystal Palace if they decided they wanted to go and get him, but I do believe that Steve Cooper is the man they want."
That said, the chances of the boss leaving Ipswich behind are unlikely, but he would bring some fantastic football to Selhurst Park if he were to join, and the squad would fit his approach rather well.
5 Graham Potter
Although Graham Potter would be a slightly unrealistic signing given the fact that he has turned down plenty of offers from the likes of Lyon, Leicester, and the Sweden national team, he would be the perfect fit to develop Palace into a top team.
Despite failing to impress during his small stint at Chelsea, ultimately being sacked after a matter of months, Potter has a proven track record of turning average teams into top-performing clubs, as shown when he was the manager of Brighton.
The ex-Blues boss would get the best out of the likes of Ebere Eze and Michael Olise while transforming the style of play, which the Palace faithful deserve after years of uninspiring performances. That said, the fans may not give the ex-Seagulls' manager a massively warm welcome.
