Hodgson suggests season must end naturally

April 12, 2020
By: Daniel Orme

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson has appealed to the governing bodies of English football and the Premier League to find a natural conclusion to the 2019/20 season.

The game throughout England has been suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak, with the last top-flight match taking place in early March.

There have been suggestions that the season could be cancelled altogether, or even decided on a points-per-game basis. However, despite all of the suggested resolutions, Hodgson suggests he does not want an artificial end to the campaign.

In a message posted on Crystal Palace’s official website, the 72-year-old wrote: “Everyone is in total agreement we need an end to this season. We don’t want artificial means of deciding who wins the league, who gets into the Champions League, who gets relegated and promoted.

“Ideally our players would have three or four weeks’ minimum to prepare for the first match back, but I accept there may have to be a squeeze on that timeframe.

“It might mean extra restrictions at our place of work – the training ground – for example. It may also mean that we have to play our nine remaining matches in a shorter period of time than we normally would have done, and subsequently receive a shorter break between the seasons.

“But I think with all of these sacrifices – and I am uncomfortable using that word in such a context – everyone will be more than happy to go along with what it takes in order to get playing again as soon as possible in order to get the season finished.”

Before the suspension of football, Hodgson had led Crystal Palace to 11th in the table and seemingly yet another season of Premier League survival.

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