HLTCO host Dan Cook has claimed that there must have been "sizeable" issues at Crystal Palace under former boss Patrick Vieira following the club's sudden change in form.
What's the latest on Roy Hodgson and Crystal Palace?
In the Premier League this weekend, the Eagles stunned many as they cruised to a 5-1 win against relegation rivals Leeds United at Elland Road.
Indeed, Jordan Ayew stole headlines as he netted a brace, but goals from Marc Guehi, Eberechi Eze, and Odsonne Edouard helped new manager Roy Hodgson make it two wins from two since returning to Palace.
Considering the club were sliding towards the bottom three, on a run of 12 games without a win, before sacking Vieira, such a quick turnaround in form has been quite remarkable.
Of course, changes at the top often do cause a bit of a new manager bounce but while speaking about it all on the HLTCO podcast, Cook has suggested that something must have been amiss behind the scenes under their former head coach.
He explained (2:04) “I think at this stage, we have to look and say that there cannot have been any smoke without fire. You know, there must have been pretty sizeable things wrong behind the scenes.
"Because the way that Roy Hodgson and Ray Lewington have come into the squad and galvanised it, the joy that these players are playing, with the smiles on their faces, the freedom in an attacking sense that we are suddenly seen, is not something you can just click your fingers and cultivate.
"It has to have come because of a release of a pressure valve, because of a difference in the way that the coaches have approached things, because of a structural differentiation when it comes to training and the way that we are going about things.”
How many goals have Palace scored since Hodgson returned?
Hodgson certainly has been in good form in his press conferences after returning to the South London club he managed prior to leaving in the summer of 2021.
Indeed, he eloquently told The Independent about how he and his coaching team must act as "orchestra leaders" to get his players to play hit the right notes and perform with real quality for the rest of the season.
He certainly got things right on the weekend and it does feel as though a weight has been lifted off the Palace squad. Indeed, the Eagles have seven goals in their last two games since Hodgson arrived. Prior to that, they had one in their last five.
That doesn't reflect too well on the now-departed Vieira. No wonder, Cook suspects something was a little off behind the scenes.