The 73-year-old said on Tuesday that he was ready to stop being a full-time manager after a 45-year long career in coaching and management.
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Roy Hodgson has announced that he will be leaving his role as manager of Crystal Palace in what marks the end-of-an-era for the Selhurst Park faithful. It might also be the 73-year-old’s final adieu to the beautiful game from a managerial role. Hodgson is part of a group, that includes the late Bobby Robson, Neil Warnock, and Sir Alex Ferguson, of Premier League managers who have managed a club in their 70s. In his four years at the club, the former England manager managed to win the trust and support of the fans and the board. Club chairman Steve Parish heaped on the praise for Hodgson, acknowledging his immense contribution to the club.
“His record with us simply cannot be overstated,” Parish said. “He is the only Palace manager to secure four years in the Premier League and he has helped give us stability in the most turbulent of times. We will be forever grateful for his immense contribution,” he concluded.
For Hodgson, however, it feels like the end of the road, at least in a managerial capacity. The 73-year-old said on Tuesday that he was ready to stop being a full-time manager after a 45-year long career in coaching and management.
“After more than 45 years of coaching, I have decided that the time is right for me to step away from the rigors of top-flight Premier League football,” Hodgson said. “I have had so much support from my wife and family throughout my career and I have been contemplating this decision for some time and now I believe the time is right to consider them and to see what the future holds for me,” he concluded.
Finishing his managerial career at Crystal Palace seems like a fitting end for a man of his reputation. Crystal Palace is the club that the 73-year-old has supported since his boyhood days, and it will probably be his final club as manager. He joined Palace in September 2017 at a time when The Eagles were going through a rough patch of form.
Palace were last in the table after losing their four opening games under Frank de Boer and seemed likely to go down to the Championship in the early stages of that season. However, Hodgson managed to keep the side in the top flight that season and the three successive seasons that followed.
He has managed sides across the globe in countries like England, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, Denmark, and Norway. He has also coached the national teams of Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, and Finland, and as the head coach of England.
