Roy Hodgson fears more 'painful moments' ahead for Crystal Palace after fifth straight defeat

The former England manager watched his side lose 1-0 to Southampton in his first game in charge but insists his players are ready for the 'psychological fight'

Roy Hodgson has admitted he fears there are going to be "painful moments" in the months ahead after Crystal Palace were beaten in his first game in charge on Saturday afternoon, but insisted that his men are ready for the "psychological fight" they now face.

The 70-year-old replaced Frank de Boer earlier this week after the Eagles had started the Premier League season with four straight defeats and no goals.

But despite the change in the dugout, it was a familiar story on the pitch as Steven Davis' sixth-minute goal secured victory for Southampton at Selhurst Park, meaning Palace have become the first ever top-flight team to lose each of their opening five league fixtures without scoring a goal.

With their next three games against Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea, the south Londoners face a tough run of fixtures which could add to the sense of anxiety already prevalent at the club.

Hodgson, who is back in club management after a five-year absence, admitted he is concerned by what is to come.

"It's five defeats, zero points, it's a really tough programme ahead if you look at the quality of the opponents," he said. "It's painful today, and I fear it's going to be painful in some of the moments going forward. But there's no way you can talk yourself out of that.

"And there's no point in making bold statements that might not be ratified in some way. We've just got to get down to working with these players, deciding which ones are the best ones to get us out of trouble because today the team was pretty much the team that played last week."

He added: "You know that things don't change in two days. Who knows, had we maybe sneaked in a result today people would have lost their heads and lost even more sight of what works need to be done here today as a football team."

Despite yet another defeat, Hodgson was adamant that his players possess the desire to work hard in the coming months to lift themselves out of their current rut and backed his men for the "psychological fight" ahead.

"There's no lack of attitude from the players and wanting to do things and wanting to work and wanting to become better as a team and individuals. But, as I say, psychologically, we've got a fight on our hands but we'll take that fight on."