Marco Silva is looking forward to catching up with former Fulham manager Roy Hodgson when the Whites head to Crystal Palace tomorrow.
Hodgson, now 74, will be back in the Palace dugout tomorrow having missed the defeat at Aston Villa last weekend because he felt unwell. The former England manager is sure to get a rapturous reception from the travelling fans alongside another Fulham favourite in Ray Lewington having led London’s oldest professional football club to safety from a perilous position when he took over in December 2007, finished seventh the following year before reaching the Europa League final in 2010.
“I really admire him to be honest. Aside from his qualities as a manager, I think the numbers of his career speak for themselves and I don’t need to talk about it. He’s a top person and a gentleman. Sometimes we share a short period of time together before and after the matches and when we play behind-closed-doors games and it’s always a pleasure to be with him.
“He’s quality, he knows the club really well and all the players know him well, so he made a huge impact and helped them last season in a tough moment for them.”
Hodgson and Silva displayed their mutual appreciation for one another during a post-match interview following Fulham’s 3-0 win at Palace last Boxing Day, when Hodgson was working as an analyst for Amazon Prime. He took over from Patrick Vieira in March with his boyhood club at risk of relegation but won five and drawn three of Palace’s last eleven matches as the Eagles finish eleventh.
