McCarthy 'lucky to lead Crystal Palace to Premier League safety' after Vieira sacking

Paddy McCarthy will have the chance to lead Crystal Palace for the rest of the season if he impresses following the dismissal of Patrick Vieira at Selhurst Park.

The Eagles made the decision on Friday to sack Vieira after 20 months at the helm of a run of just one win in 14 Premier League appearances.

Palace are 12th in the Premier League table but just three points clear of the relegation zone, having played a game with more than five of the eight teams below them.

Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish said in a statement on the club's official website: "It is with immense regret that this difficult decision has been made. Ultimately, the results of these The last few months have put us in a precarious position in the league and we felt a change was needed to give us the best chance of retaining Premier League status.

"That said, Patrick's impact since joining us in the summer of 2021 has been significant, and he is held in very high regard by myself and all of my colleagues. He has led the team to a Wembley FA Cup semi-final and a respectable 12th place finish last season playing exciting football, which has been a difficult and crucial campaign for the club given the changes we have made to the squad before his arrival.

"Patrick gave his all to the club, and we all thank him and his team for their service.

"We also wish Patrick, Osian, Kristian and Saïd the best for their future."

Scoring goals has been their biggest problem: since beating Bournemouth 2-0 on New Year's Eve, Vieira's side have scored just four goals in 11 games.

Their tally of 21 goals in 27 games this season is the second lowest in the top flight, with only Wolves, Everton and Southampton having scored fewer (20). It's also barely half their total at the same stage last season (37).

And now John Percy in the Daily Telegraph claims Crystal Palace Under-21 manager McCarthy will have 'the chance to lead the club to safety in the Premier League' after the dismissal of Vieira.

Palace is "close" to handing the role to McCarthy at short notice and he "could land the acting job until the end of the season if he impresses".

On the reasons for Vieira's sacking apart from poor results, Percy added: "It is understood that concern has been building for some time and that preparations for the match against local rivals Brighton on Wednesday were extremely mediocre, with the news filtering down to the boardroom.'

READ MORE: Patrick Vieira becomes first Premier League manager to lose his job after facing Brighton