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Football London
Football London
Sport
Mark Wyatt

Andros Townsend sums up why Crystal Palace fans were keen for a change this summer

It's fair to say that Roy Hodgson's style of play at Crystal Palace sometimes divided the opinions of the fans.

The former England boss' focus on defensive solidity brought four years of stability to Selhurst Park, though some supporters complained that his football was not attractive enough.

Now under new manager Patrick Vieira - who praised Hodgson on the weekend for 'setting the foundation' for him at Selhurst - Palace have switched their style of play to one with more possession and more focus on getting the ball into the box to create chances.

As a result, and thanks to a number of new signings capable of playing this way, Palace have evolved into a different side this season.

One player that didn't stick around to see this change though was former winger Andros Townsend, who secured a move to join Rafa Benitez at Everton this summer after spending five seasons with the Eagles.

The Englishman has hit the ground running at Goodison, and in just five games this season has already scored the same amount of goals (two) as he did in his last two seasons for Palace combined.

His latest goal for the Toffees was a long-range screamer against Burnley on Monday Night Football, and afterwards, the 30-year-old told Sky Sports about how his game is much more focused on attacking under Benitez.

"I've been working tirelessly on that side of the game," said Townsend, who got his first goal for his new club against Huddersfield Town in the League Cup back in August.

"During the last five years at Crystal Palace Roy Hodgson worked tirelessly on the other side of the game, making me more of a dependable player on the defensive side of the game.

"But now I've come here Rafa Benitez has said he's not concerned about what I do defensively he wants me to be clinical.

"I've started well and I need to keep working to produce for this football club."

Some Palace fans were mixed in their reaction to what Townsend said though, with many jumping to Hodgson's defence for the important work he did in keeping Palace in the top flight.

@EagleEyeView29 said: "Roy had to be defensive minded, he had hardly any defence! The fact is, boring or not, Roy is the reason why Vieira has a Premier League team to manage, and why the board was able to back him. Respect what Roy did, enjoy what Vieira is doing."

@Ripyard agreed, saying: "Roy did an amazing job. We needed the stability and financial rewards of being a PL club and his approach got us that. It's great to see us looking more progressive, but never underestimate the critical job Roy did."

Others, like @leemunden24 said: "Frustrated isn't the word I'd use. Sick with."

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