Crystal Palace podcaster Dan Cook has claimed that Patrick Vieira's decision to remove Shaun Derry from his coaching staff may have been a factor in his dismissal as manager.

What happened with Vieira at Crystal Palace?

The former midfielder was appointed at the start of last season and led the Eagles to a 12th-place finish and an FA Cup semi-final, but a downturn in form has seen the club fail to win any of their games in 2023.

Vieira was eventually sacked after a run of three straight defeats, with his predecessor Roy Hodgson in talks to replace him.

Speaking on a Twitter Space, Cook pointed to the recent decision from Vieira to remove club hero Shaun Derry from his role on the coaching staff back in late January as a potentially contributing factor in his exit, as the decision may not have gone down well with some of the executives at the club.

He said: "I can't say this for sure, but Shaun Derry was removed from the coaching staff, I believe, at Patrick Vieira's request a few weeks ago. The suggestion was that his style of coaching didn't mesh with Pat's and I think, given Shaun Derry's reputation within the club, that that probably is something that's factored into this decision.

"It won't have been a call that was made with universal agreement, I would imagine, from the likes of Steve Parish and Dougie Freedman – I could be wrong there. But it doesn't seem to me to be an obvious call to make from everybody at the club, and if you are going to give someone like Patrick Vieira that freedom, and then the results and performances don't improve, I would suggest there is more to it than just the simple removal of a coaching member."

Did Vieira deserve the sack?

Whilst Palace's recent run of results has been dire, they did have a tough schedule to navigate.

Each of their last 11 league games came against teams who were above them in the table, and they still remain in 12th place – albeit just three points above the relegation zone.

It can be argued that Vieira deserved more time to manage the team until an easier set of fixtures came up and that he wasn't given the required backing in the transfer market.

Palace have struggled for goals this season and did not sign a striker in the last two windows. Jean-Philippe Mateta and Jordan Ayew have just one goal each this season, and with better quality up front, Vieira's side may have started picking up more points.

Making the change mid-season is a big risk, and if the next appointment is a poor one, it could cause disastrous consequences.

How much of a difference Shaun Derry will have made is unknown, but it is perhaps worth considering that his departure may have had a negative knock-on effect on the squad, which has inevitably helped lead to Vieira's sacking.