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Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson admitted he \u201cfeels sorry\u201d for referees challenged with incorporating a host of new Premier League rules and regulations implemented before the start of this season.<\/p>\n
The 76-year-old returned to the dugout at Selhurst Park after illness caused him to miss last weekend\u2019s trip to Villa Park, and disagreed with Fulham boss Marco Silva that the Cottagers were the superior side in Saturday\u2019s goalless draw.<\/p>\n
Among the changes this season is a crackdown on having more than one coach inside the technical area, a decision Hodgson will still need some convincing to embrace.<\/p>\n
The former England coach said: \u201cI 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\u2019t really make an awful lot of sense, but they feel obliged to follow it through.<\/p>\n
\u201cLittle things annoy you. Why can\u2019t 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\u2019ve got to go back to the bench?<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut if you\u2019re 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?\u201d<\/p>\n
The two London sides entered Saturday\u2019s contest with almost identical records to start their season, Hodgson\u2019s men having scored just one more goal than Silva\u2019s to separate them in the table.<\/p>\n
Both teams had chances, Eberechi Eze firing just wide late in the first half of his 100th appearance for Palace while both Raul Jimenez and Willian were denied by Eagles keeper Sam Johnstone.<\/p>\n
Fulham squandered a second-half chance with an overpowered pass, while Hodgson\u2019s introduction of Jean-Philippe Mateta to play up front alongside Odsonne Edouard failed to break the deadlock.<\/p>\n
Hodgson said: \u201cI\u2019ve seen many games like today lost by just one goal. We didn\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fulham boss Silva, however, felt his side did enough to deserve more.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cI think overall during the game we were the team that created more chances to win. I think I\u2019m pleased with the performance, just we have to be much more effective in our attack, when we\u2019re in certain areas of the pitch.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n