Crystal Palace want Steve Cooper with Gareth Southgate as an outside bet

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CRYSTAL PALACE will be hoping Roy Hodgson produces a shock result against Chelsea on Monday – to spare them managerial headaches.

Hodgson, 76, has been given the support to carry on despite fans turning against him and chairman Steve Parish, but that will be a difficult task if they lose.

Crystal Palace are eyeing Steve Cooper as their next bossCredit: AFP

There is an outside chance that the Eagles may try to sign Gareth Southgate after the EurosCredit: AP

Parish is moving towards a move for 44-year-old Steve Cooper as the next manager, but the Eagles prefer to wait until the summer when other candidates are free.

Cooper is available after leaving Nottingham Forest, but he has been considered and overlooked before.

At Lille, Palace prefers to look at Portuguese coach Paulo Fonseca, who may move at the end of the season. He was previously fascinated by the Selhurst Park club.

There is even a chance of a move for Gareth Southgate once England complete their 2024 season.

Short-term solutions are not ideal for Palace, who have searched for answers without finding any.

Julen Lopetegui has also been considered, but he would demand a big budget in the summer and be allowed to choose the players he signs.

The former Wolves boss is also in line for the job at Bayer Leverkusen if Xabi Alonso retires at the end of the season.

Ipswich Town's Kieran McKenna is also keen, but comes with a £4million compensation fee and has failed to make it in the Premier League.

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Even Hodgson admits Palace's current nightmare is the toughest of his career – because of the fans' anger.

Palace have won just two of their last 14 games in all competitions and are just five points above the bottom three.

Crystal Palace star Joachim Anderson has to be pulled away from fans after a fierce confrontation following the loss to Brighton

Paulo Fonseca is an option for Palace this summerCredit: AFP

The Londoners hope to remain loyal to Roy Hodgson for the rest of the seasonCredit: Alamy

Hodgson said: “It's the toughest period of my career for one reason and that is because the fans have turned on us so much and they're the people we can't afford to turn on us.

“If we want to win games, if this team is going to do that, they're not going to be able to do that if the fans are constantly confused about everything.

“On the other hand, it ties in with other periods in my life when I have of course been happier and more satisfied.

“It's not that long ago, it's really a three-match period that has changed the fans and made life very difficult and uncomfortable.

“But the bright spot for me was the training because of the way the players worked to get us out of this situation.

CRYSTAL PALACE LAST FIVE RESULTS

ALL MATCHES:

Brighton 4 Crystal Palace 1 (Prem)

Crystal Palace 3 Sheffield United 2 (Premier)

Arsenal 5 Crystal Palace 0 (Premier)

Everton 1 Crystal Palace 0 (FA Cup)

Crystal Palace 0 Everton 0 (FA Cup)

“You can only do the things you can do to change things and ask the fans to stay with the team because we need your help because we are in a very weakened situation.

“The players who have not played many first-team games at Palace will need a lot of encouragement.

“They need a compassionate eye and not an ultra-critical eye.”

With Michael Olise out for two months and Eberechi Eze sidelined for the coming weeks, Palace's attacking options are reduced.

Hodgson tried but failed to sign a striker during the January window.

The former England boss said: “We were interested in a striker.

“If the right person had come along and we had been a little lucky, it would have happened. But you have seen how few clubs managed to get attackers in the shop window.”