Christian Benteke the 'pantomime villain' apologises for missed Crystal Palace penalty furore
Tuesday 12 December 2017 12:09, UK
Christian Benteke has apologised for the missed penalty that caused Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson and chairman Steve Parish to argue with supporters.
But the striker, who assumed responsibility against Hodgson's orders, has still been labelled a "pantomime villain" by his manager, who had to explain to fans that Benteke was not the designated taker for the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth.
Parish also said sorry on Monday for an argument with a fan in a hospitality lounge straight after the incident, but Hodgson has praised Benteke for taking responsibility and trying and make amends.
"The first opportunity this morning, he gets the players around, says his piece," Hodgson said ahead of the Eagles midweek clash at home to Watford.
"He's already said it to me - that's a strong and correct thing to do - and he makes it perfectly clear; ''I took this responsibility. I shouldn't have done because I'm breaking ranks, I'm not obeying team instructions, so I apologise for that, but I'm now going to get on with it'.
"I'm pretty sure he'll make it up to us. I'm very happy with the way he's reacted to it, the way he's taken responsibility, the way he's explained that to the rest of the team, not just to myself.
"He's had the courage to talk in front of the team and explain his decision and apologise for not following the instructions. I'm happy with that, but I'm never happy when very clear instructions like that are given, and everyone knows they are there to be followed.
"There's no one more acutely aware of that than the player who's made [the mistake]. Sometimes you don't even need to mention it. What's the point of kicking someone when they're lying on the ground?
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"What you hope for, when something like this happens, is that the player concerned does exactly what Benteke has done at the first, real opportunity, which wasn't in the dressing room after the game.
"At the moment Benteke, as far as everyone's concerned, is some sort of pantomime villain. The fans have turned against him.
"He's a bit of a pantomime villain, there's no question of that but that's also a bit unfair, if you look at his performance, because it was really very good."
Palace are just two points from safety ahead of Tuesday's game and a trip to Leicester live on Sky Sports Premier League on Saturday, and Hodgson is confident they can climb out of the relegation places should they continue their recent performances.
He said: "We started the season with no points, no goals and 19 conceded after seven games. So the fact we are still bottom of the table should really be a surprise to anybody.
"But once again we will get on with the job we have to do and we will do the best we can every week to try and get the points we need. Had we been able to do as well in the first seven games as we've done in the last nine games we wouldn't be at the bottom of the table. And I know that our fans appreciate that."
