Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson admitted he “feels sorry” for referees challenged with incorporating a number of recent Premier League guidelines and rules carried out earlier than the beginning of this season.
The 76-year-old returned to the dugout at Selhurst Park after sickness prompted him to overlook final weekend’s journey to Villa Park, and disagreed with Fulham boss Marco Silva that the Cottagers had been the superior aspect in Saturday’s goalless draw.
Among the modifications this season is a crackdown on having a couple of coach contained in the technical space, a call Hodgson will nonetheless want some convincing to embrace.
The former England coach stated: “I feel so sorry for the referees. All these new directives, which to most of us who have been in football for a long time can’t really make an awful lot of sense, but they feel obliged to follow it through.
“Little things annoy you. Why can’t somebody from the bench, one of the coaches, come and stand by me for 30 seconds to shout instructions with you before being told immediately you’ve got to go back to the bench?
“It’s our job to do that, our job is to coach the players, work with the plan. I can understand if people are crowding in the bench in that area and making a nuisance of it.
“But if you’re talking about someone who comes out from time to time to say a couple of words, where is the problem? How does football benefit from that?”
The two London sides entered Saturday’s contest with nearly an identical information to start out their season, Hodgson’s males having scored only one extra objective than Silva’s to separate them within the desk.
Both groups had probabilities, Eberechi Eze firing simply vast late within the first half of his a centesimal look for Palace whereas each Raul Jimenez and Willian had been denied by Eagles keeper Sam Johnstone.
Fulham squandered a second-half probability with an overpowered cross, whereas Hodgson’s introduction of Jean-Philippe Mateta to play up entrance alongside Odsonne Edouard failed to interrupt the impasse.
Hodgson stated: “I’ve seen many games like today lost by just one goal. We didn’t do that, so the positive is we can be better, we will be better and we got one more point in our bid to move up the table.”
Fulham boss Silva, nevertheless, felt his aspect did sufficient to deserve extra.
He stated: “I think overall during the game we were the team that created more chances to win. I think I’m pleased with the performance, just we have to be much more effective in our attack, when we’re in certain areas of the pitch.
“I think we were strong enough with good organisation, very good work from our two midfielders and our two central defenders. Good work from our two full-backs as well.
“I think overall we were the best team on the pitch and deserved three points, even if the game was balanced, of course, but the team that created more was ourselves.”
