Patrick Vieira’s induction into the Premier League Hall of Fame is a scarcely-needed reminder of his quality as a player, but this week has felt like a good opportunity to consider Vieira’s potential as a manager.
There cannot have been a prouder few days for many supporters of Vieira’s Crystal Palace, who reached an FA Cup semi-final on Sunday, before three of their players — Marc Guehi, Tyrick Mitchell and Conor Gallagher — reported for England duty yesterday.
For context, only 15 Palace players have ever previously won England caps, including Gallagher in November, and this Three Lions squad reached the final of a major tournament in June and boasts perhaps the deepest talent pool of any generation.
Guehi and Mitchell can expect to win their first caps in the friendlies against Switzerland and Ivory Coast, which would be further testament to the remarkable job Vieira is doing.
As well as preparing to face Chelsea at Wembley, Palace have effectively ensured their Premier League status with nine games remaining and are eyeing their first top-half finish since 2014-15. Seasoned supporters have claimed the Eagles have not played such consistently good football since Terry Venables’ first spell in charge.
After the effective stodge of Roy Hodgson, Vieira has let Palace off the leash. The players report that the Frenchman is an inspiring motivator but say his great gift lies in keeping his instructions simple.
Regardless of whether Palace can beat Chelsea, Vieira is surely a candidate for manager of the season. And at a time when there has never been more debate about foreign ownership in English football, local lad Steve Parish deserves huge credit, too.
Under Hodgson, Palace were holding their own but setting few pulses racing. It often felt the Eagles were merely existing (no bad thing, given the plight of so many clubs who have dropped out of the Premier League) rather than striving for real progress.
Parish’s record with managers is hit and miss, and with the ghost of Frank de Boer still looming large, the chairman must have been tempted to go with a safer pair of hands than Vieira. His calculated risk is now paying off.
The former Arsenal midfielder is one of the Premier League’s most celebrated players, but he is also only the 10th black manager ever in the top-flight, so his success is also a welcome boost for a sport that must do better in providing opportunities for black coaches.
Palace’s progress supports Parish’s belief that he is the best man to run the club, having maintained control following US investment. He has also built a new academy and fostered a sense of togetherness at the club, notably by bringing back a number of former players, including Dougie Freedman.
The morning after West Ham’s unforgettable Europa League win over Sevilla last week, Hammers boss David Moyes called on the club to make the London Stadium as consistently booming as Selhurst Park.
It was unusual for a manager to appeal to his club’s supporters to emulate a local rival, particularly a club like Palace, who have not traditionally been held up as an example to follow. Clearly, that is changing — and there are now plenty of reasons for other clubs to want to follow Palace, on and off the pitch.
Farewell Jiggo... one of our finest
Our industry lost one of its finest last week with the death of The Sun’s football reporter Paul Jiggins.
Covering the game can be a strange business. Everyone is a colleague and everyone is a rival, and the environment brings out different sides of people. Jiggo genuinely wanted everyone do well, despite welcoming younger reporters by joking that the job was already too competitive.
He always had time, advice and a gag for colleagues of any level and, in an industry where there is a tendency to do both, he never exaggerated his own importance nor took himself too seriously.
He was always ready with a quip or an anecdote, and his uncanny skill at dreaming up a pun was best reflected in his intros, which were the stuff of legend. I remember sitting next to Jiggo at Olympiacos, as Tottenham squandered a 2-0 lead to draw, and being constantly nudged as he came up with pun after pun.
His two great loves were his family and Millwall, and many of his best stories were about the Lions. Thinking about it, it’s probably best not to relay any of them here.
