5 realistic replacements for Frank De Boer

We may only be three games into the 2017/18 season, but time is already ticking for Crystal Palace manager Frank De Boer. The South London team are already firmly rooted in the relegation zone after losing all three of their opening games. To make matters worse, Frank De Boer’s team have drawn blanks in all three of those games, whilst shipping in six goals.

Despite managing two of the most famous clubs in Europe in Ajax and Inter Milan, the Dutchman has never experienced such a pressure as he is now facing. The fans are on his back, the media have turned their initial plaudits into abuse and the world is watching closely.

The Premier League is a multi-billion-pound industry, so much so that a few losses can have much detrimental damage to the value of a club. That’s why managers are churned out at will nowadays and Frank De Boer may possibly be next.

Here are 5 realistic replacements for Frank De Boer:

#5 Sam Allardyce

The papers have been abuzz recently with rumours that Sam Allardyce is considering coming out of retirement to rescue Crystal Palace, again. Last season the 62-year old swooped in to lift the South London team from 17th up to 14th, saving them from impending relegation. His relegation-avoiding skills may be needed again as the Eagles are facing an ominous season if things aren’t to be changed.

Sam Allardyce has never been relegated in 16 years of Premier League management. In that time, he’s managed six clubs including; Newcastle, West Ham, Blackburn, Sunderland, Bolton & Crystal Palace. Add to that, he has a 100%-win record as England manager. There’s no better man for the job and Frank De Boer will not be missed if it were to happen.

#4 David Moyes

David Moyes has managed 888 games in his career

Ever since leaving his bread and butter at Everton, David Moyes’ career has been on a downward spiral. His time at Manchester United was memorable for the wrong reasons and his tenure at Sunderland was utterly forgettable.

The Scotsman has been unfortunate in recent years but his reign in Merseyside proves that he’s capable of taking teams beyond their potential. Frank De Boer may have brought fresh ideas from Holland to Palace but sometimes it’s the good old basic principles of English football that prove most effective in the Premier League.

Moyes shockingly resigned from Sunderland in the summer, opting to take no compensation. Clearly, he felt the club’s structure was wrong but at Crystal Palace, he wouldn’t have such issues. The funds are available at Selhurst Park and David Moyes could use them to great effect.

#3 Roy Hodgson

Roy Hodgson has won 8 honours as a manager

The former England manager hasn’t shown his face since woefully failing with the Three Lions at the Euros. However, we should never forget that Roy Hodgson is a man who has managed some of the biggest clubs in the world, including Liverpool and Inter Milan. On top of that, he’s a seasoned coach that’s managed in Switzerland, Sweden, Italy and England.

The 69-year old has decades worth of managerial experience, more than enough to transform the fortunes of Crystal Palace. Hodgson has experience of managing both at the top of the Premier League and the bottom, he understands what it takes to mount a title challenge and how to survive a relegation battle.

#2 Claude Puel

Claude Puel has managed 5 clubs

Like many football fans, I am bemused as to why Claude Puel isn’t still Southampton’s manager. After just one season in charge at St Mary’s, the Frenchman was sacked by the board as they somehow deemed an 8th place finish as beneath them. Now the 55-year old is a free agent when he could be using his coaching prowess to turn around the fortunes of Crystal Palace.

As a defensive-minded manager, Puel would sure up a porous Palace defence that’s conceded 6 goals in 3 games. At Southampton, he set his team up in banks of four, with two strikers up front pressing the opposing CBs.

It proved to be effective as Southampton reached the final of the EFL Cup and finished just outside the European places. Claude Puel has the experience, tactics and understanding to save this sinking Palace ship.

#1 Claudio Ranieri

Claudio Ranieri has managed 7 clubs

Claudio Ranieri literally embodies the David vs. Goliath complex. The Italian represents the unlikeliest of fairy-tale stories in Premier League history, he took a bunch of average players to the summit of English football.

That can never be taken away from him, and it puts him in an echelon of his own. The Italian’s old school but refreshing 4-4-2 approach took the league by storm and it’s time for that uniqueness to be brought to Selhurst Park.

The Eagles are a team in the midst of a crisis, morale is down and the fans’ confidence in the team is at an all-time low. They desperately need the ever-positive aura of the Italian to miraculously galvanise a tumultuous dressing room.