Roy Hodgson forced to miss Aston Villa game, reason revealed

Roy Hodgson, manager of Crystal Palace, became sick Saturday morning and was not be able to lead his team against Aston Villa today in the Premier League.

The 76-year-old was reportedly taken sick before the game in Birmingham, therefore he will not be present at Villa Park.

“Unfortunately, Roy Hodgson was taken unwell earlier today and is not at Villa Park”, the club said on Twitter.

“Roy is in contact with Paddy McCarthy, who will take the team today assisted by Ray Lewington. Roy sent his best wishes to the team ahead of the match. We send our very best wishes to Roy.”

Roy Hodgson in for second spell at Palace

The 76-year-old returned to Crystal Palace in March of this year, replacing the departing Patrick Vieira. This is his second stint as manager of the club. The Arsenal great left after the Eagles went winless in 12 consecutive matches.

As a consequence of the team’s recent struggles, Eagles owner Steve Parish resorted to calling upon Hodgson for guidance. The former manager of England achieved exactly that, leading the Eagles to an 11th-place finish by virtue of five wins in their last 10 league games.

Hodgson’s return wasn’t supposed to be for long, but he ended up staying on as Palace’s manager for the rest of the season. His team has had an up-and-down start to the 2023–24 season, winning two games against Sheffield United and Wolves but losing 1-0 at home to Arsenal and drawing with Brentford.

Who will lead team against Aston Villa?

Assistant coach Paddy McCarthy led the squad with head coach Ray Lewington against Aston Villa. McCarthy has been serving as Palace’s assistant manager since Hodgson’s return to the club in March.

From 2008 through 2016, he was a mainstay for Palace, starting 151 games. Lewington, on the other hand, has previously served as an assistant coach under Hodgson.

Unfortunately for Hodgson and Crystal Palace, Aston Villa won the match 3-1 with three late goals.

Photo credit: IMAGO / Sebastian Frej