Patrick Vieira is only seven months into his tenure at Crystal Palace but already that makes him the 13th most experienced incumbent manager in the Premier League.
Eight top-flight bosses have lost their jobs since Vieira arrived in south London back in July, where he was immediately placed as some bookmakers' odds-on favourite to be the first to lose his job this season.
But instead of floundering in his new role, Vieira has flourished, and has quietly and confidently gone about his business in helping take Palace to their natural next level.
Under previous boss Roy Hodgson, who had admirably stabilised the club for four seasons in the Premier League, the football on display was functional but often stale, which eventually led to fan protests outside the club’s training ground during his final year in charge.
There were signs during Hodgson’s last season that things were changing mainly due to the signing and subsequent performances of Eberechi Eze, whose desire to play with the ball at his feet and attack teams showed a glimpse of what was to later come under Vieira.
The Frenchman was by no means Palace’s first choice as manager, though he was reportedly on the initial shortlist of potential candidates being considered.
Nuno Espirito Santo and Lucien Favre both came close to being appointed before talks stalled and ended, with Vieira eventually being appointed in early July only six weeks before the start of the season.
It was then another month before assistant manager Osian Roberts joined Vieira, all the while Palace were busy reshaping their squad for the new boss.
The club released a list of 22 players that had been released at the end of their contracts at the start of the summer, and though some like Joel Ward and Nathaniel Clyne signed new deals to remain at Selhurst Park, the majority were moved on.
Eagles chairman Steve Parish and director of football Dougie Freedman subsequently went searching for young players that would fit the club’s new style of possession-based, attacking football.
Aided by the investment of new joint-owner John Textor, the club spent just over £60million recruiting experienced players like Joachim Andersen, Will Hughes and Odsonne Edouard plus burgeoning young talents like Michael Olise, Marc Guehi and Conor Gallagher on loan from Chelsea.
The first team squad were quickly put through their paces by Vieira and his coaching staff, who put on double sessions to bring them up to speed with how he wanted them to play.
Now, seven months into the campaign, Palace are roughly in the same position as they were at this point last season under Hodgson. The difference on the pitch is clear to see, however.
Palace are seeing much more of the ball under Vieira and are creating more chances that are leading to goals.
They are tracking marginally behind Hodgson’s side for goals conceded per game too, and are consistently playing short passes out from the back and getting more touches of the ball.
The feel of the side has changed too, with Palace seemingly on the cusp of bursting into life in games at any moment regardless of the scoreline.
It hasn’t been an entirely smooth ride - the squad’s inexperience in playing out from the back has cost them at times while both injuries and Covid have disrupted the team in recent months - but generally, Vieira has been a hit in south London.
His contemporaries think so too. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola praised Vieira in October ahead of his side’s game against Palace at the Etihad, saying he’s “changed the dynamic” of the club and that he was happy to see him in the Premier League doing well.
The Eagles went on to win that game 2-0, with Palace fans recently voting that game in a football.london survey as their favourite of the Vieira era so far.
The same survey also showed that almost 60% of fans that responded thought the Frenchman would leave Crystal Palace within the next two seasons.
He signed a three-year contract on his arrival at the club last summer but is often tipped as being a potential long-term replacement for Guardiola at Manchester City.
Vieira started his coaching journey after retiring at City as manager of their Elite Development Squad before eventually taking his first senior role in management within the City Group in New York.
He has also been put forward as a candidate for the hot seat at the Emirates one day, where another former Gunners captain in Mikel Arteta is currently is in charge.
Of those surveyed, 12.4% think Vieira will stay at Palace for between one and two years, while 47.2% estimate he’ll stick around for between two and three seasons.
A further 24.1% think he’ll be at Selhurst Park for between three and four seasons, while an optimistic 16.3% of those that voted believe Vieira will still be the manager at Palace for four seasons and beyond.
We also asked fans where they think Palace would finish this season under Vieira.
The Eagles finished 14th under Hodgson last season and haven’t cracked the top half of the Premier League table since the 2014/15 season under Alan Pardew.
Palace would like to replicate that success and repeat it, though the fanbase currently seems divided over whether that will happen this year or not.
Vieira currently has the team 13th after 22 games, two points behind Leicester City in tenth who have two games in hand over the Eagles.
As a result, a marginal majority of 49.6% of fans surveyed think Palace will finish between 11th and 15th in the Premier League this season, while 48.2% believe they’ll end up in the top half.
A tiny 1.5% of those surveyed think Palace could finish 16th or lower, which would be their worst finish in a top-flight season since they were last relegated from the top-flight in 2005.
Overall, the picture seems rosy for Vieira, who has successfully negotiated his first months as a Premier League manager and pleased the majority of fans with his work so far.
There is still plenty of optimism in the camp and plenty of room for the playing squad to grow and improve, which should only mean more exciting things to come out of SE25 with Vieira at the helm.
