Manager

Crystal Palace appointed Roy Hodgson as the latest manager of the South London club in March 2023 after firing Patrick Vieira. It was a return to Selhurst Park for the head coach the Frenchman replaced.

The Eagles sought to reappoint Hodgson as the club’s manager just 21 months after he initially took a break from coaching. Crystal Palace felt the veteran tactician was the best choice to steer the club up the Premier League table again. Vieira had left Selhurst Park on the back of an 11-fixture winless run.

Vieira’s winless run stretched to 12 games across all competitions having failed to win any of Crystal Palace’s matches in 2023. Yet Hodgson oversaw five wins in 10 games to end the 2022/23 season in 11th place. It was enough for Crystal Palace to retain Hodgson with a fresh contract until June 2024.

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson’s past coaching career

Hodgson had twice retired from coaching before agreeing to become the latest manager of Crystal Palace in March 2023. He initially walked away from the dugout after overseeing four seasons with the Eagles from 2017 to 2021. But the coach would come back in 2022 for an 18-game run with Watford.

The Hornets marked the 21st new club of a globetrotting career for Hodgson, which started back in 1976. He has travelled the world enjoying jobs in England, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, Denmark, the UAE, Norway, Finland and Australia. Four of Hodgson’s jobs have also been in international football.

Halmstads BK afforded Hodgson his first crack at coaching after asking Bob Houghton for advice on which English coach to poach. They believed hiring an English manager was the first job needed to bring success to the south-west of Sweden. A 28-year-old Hodgson was the boss Houghton named.

Houghton knew Hodgson well having hired him as an assistant coach with Maidstone United a few years earlier. Having struggled to establish a career in first-team football, Hodgson started to obtain his coaching badges at an early age. The links he forged with Houghton would have a huge impact.

Halmstads BK took the risk and took up Houghton’s advice to hire Hodgson. Yet the next four years proved that he was not a risk. Hodgson led HBK to their maiden top-flight title in his debut season. He also won another league title in 1979 before reuniting with Houghton as his No2 at Bristol City in 1980.

Roy Hodgson’s influence on Swedish football is like few others

The Robins would later promote Hodgson to their helm in 1982. But his first top job in England did not deliver success and Bristol City sacked the coach within four months. A return to Sweden with Orebro SK followed. Yet he only had a brief tenure there before he turned Malmo FF into a dominant force.

Malmo lifted the Swedish title five times between 1985 and 1989 with Hodgson at their helm. The work he oversaw at Di blae, on top of with HBK, transformed the Swedish game like few coaches have ever done. He established the foundations of the Sweden team that finished third at the 1994 World Cup.

Such dominance in Sweden led Hodgson to his next adventure in Switzerland with Neuchatel Xamax. While his tenure with Xamax returned his first job in the international game with Switzerland. Nati had not qualified for a World Cup since 1966 but Hodgson secured their return in 1994 and a last-16 spot.

Hodgson built on taking Switzerland back to the World Cup and secured the country’s first European Championship appearance for 1996. Yet he did not oversee Nati’s Euros debut in England after taking over Inter Milan in 1995. A return to England then followed in 1997 as Blackburn Rovers came calling.

But the Ewood Park natives later collapsed in search of another Premier League title. Hodgson would leave Blackburn and return to Inter, yet was soon on the move again as he headed for Grasshoppers Club Zurich. A move to FC Copenhagen then arrived in 2000 and Hodgson was a league winner again.

Roy Hodgson worked miracles with FC Copenhagen and Fulham

Copenhagen had not won the Danish Superliga title since their debut season in 1992 before Hodgson returned FCK to glory. It also sealed him the Udinese job before taking over the United Arab Emirates national team, Viking FK and the Finland national team. Fulham were then on his horizon come 2007.

Life at Craven Cottage was not perfect at first for Hodgson. But four wins in their final five games led to one of the Premier League’s greatest great escapes to date. His summer clear-out would then turn the Cottagers’ fortunes on their head to claim a seventh-place finish and a spot in the Europa League.

A shock 4-1 second-leg win would secure Fulham a historic comeback against Juventus in the last 16. The Bianconeri won 3-1 in Turin but left west London with their tails between their legs. But after VfL Wolfsburg and Hamburger SV fell to Fulham, Atletico Madrid ended the Cottagers’ dream in the final.

His miracles with Fulham were the final straws Liverpool needed to appoint Hodgson as their manager in July 2010. Anfield was not a happy hunting ground, however, and the Reds parted with Hodgson in January 2011. He would then rebuild his reputation with West Bromwich Albion through to May 2012.

A rebuilt reputation returned Roy Hodgson the England gig

Fabio Capello resigning as the manager of England left the Football Association on the hunt for a new coach ahead of Euro 2012. The FA would pick Hodgson as the man to guide England into the future in the weeks leading up to the tournament. But the Three Lions tasted little success over his four years.

After losing to Italy in the last 16 at Euro 2012, England would fail to exit the group stage at the 2014 World Cup. Hodgson’s team finished last in Group D without a single win in Brazil. While a shock loss to Iceland at Euro 2016 saw Hodgson resign straight after the embarrassing 2-1 defeat in the last 16.

Melbourne City would pick Hodgson up almost a year after he quit the England national team. But a few months was all the coach spent in Australia. He was then back in the Premier League in 2017 as Crystal Palace appointed Hodgson as their manager after five games with Frank de Boer at the helm.

De Boer had only won one of his games in charge with a 2-1 result over Ipswich Town in the EFL Cup. Crystal Palace lost all four of the Dutchman’s Premier League games in charge and failed to score any goals. Yet Hodgson took the Eagles to an 11th-place finish before matching their record points total.

Crystal Palace matched their record 49 points tally from the 1992/93 season – in which the club were relegated – with Hodgson as their manager in 2018/19. He then became the first Eagles manager to secure safety in four consecutive top-flight seasons whilst bringing through several young prospects.

Roy Hodgson enjoyed a heroic first spell as Crystal Palace’s manager

Hodgson enjoyed a heroic first spell as the manager of Crystal Palace between September 2017 and June 2021. He oversaw 162 matches across all competitions and enjoyed 54 wins plus 36 draws. The Eagles also scored 195 goals over his first run at Selhurst Park, including 186 in 159 top-flight games.

The son of a Croydon bus driver, Hodgson further secured his first win as Crystal Palace’s manager at Selhurst Park against Chelsea. His Eagles XI beat the Blues 2-1 before securing further headline wins against Brighton & Hove Albion, Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United and West Ham United.

Four years in charge at Selhurst Park convinced Hodgson to step away from all management in 2021 with Crystal Palace turning to Vieira as their next manager. Yet Watford would pull him back in come January 2022 with a deal until the end of the season. But he could not avoid the Hornets’ relegation.

Watford won in just two of their 18 Premier League fixtures under Hodgson with 11 goals scored to 37 conceded for 13 defeats. They finished 19th in the table after failing to win any of their final nine to see out the term. Yet Crystal Palace would turn to Hodgson again as their latest manager in March 2023.

Roy Hodgson’s coaching career

Crystal Palace (March 2023 – June 2024 expected)

Watford (January 2022 – June 2022)

Crystal Palace (September 2017 – June 2021)

Melbourne City (April 2017 – June 2017)

England (May 2012 – June 2016)

West Bromwich Albion (February 2011 – May 2012)

Liverpool (July 2010 – January 2011)

Fulham (December 2007 – June 2010)

Finland (January 2006 – November 2007)

Viking FK (July 2004 – December 2005)

United Arab Emirates (April 2002 – January 2004)

Udinese (July 2001 – December 2001)

FC Copenhagen (July 2000 – June 2001)

Grasshoppers Club Zurich (August 1999 – June 2000)

Inter Milan (caretaker manager, April 1999 – June 1999)

Blackburn Rovers (July 1997 – June 1998)

Inter Milan (October 1995 – May 1997)

Switzerland (January 1992 – June 1996)

Neuchatel Xamax(July 1990 – December 1991)

Malmo FF (July 1984 – June 1990)

Orebro SK (January 1983 – June 1984)

Bristol City (January 1982 – April 1982)

Halmstads BK (July 1976 – September 1980)

Roy Hodgson’s playing career

Today, Hodgson is the manager of the Crystal Palace first-team squad but his path in football began in Crystal Palace’s academy. The Eagles signed the Croydon-born prospect to their youth side after showing talent in his formative years. But the defender’s playing career would never hit great heights.

A move to non-league football followed for Hodgson at an early age as he signed for the Kent-based outfit, Tonbridge Angels. Already his mind was also looking ahead to a career path beyond the pitch. Hodgson qualified as a teacher and began working in Dulwich, whilst coaching a local Under-11 side.

Maidstone United then awaited Hodgson as Houghton brought the full-back in as a player and as his assistant manager. A stint in South Africa would follow, as well, before Hodgson returned to teaching in England. But he kept playing and Hodgson made his last non-league outings with Carshalton Athletic.

Roy Hodgson at Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace sought Hodgson’s return to the Selhurst Park dugout as their latest manager in March 2023 after sacking Vieira. The Arsenal legend had replaced Hodgson at the helm in south London in July 2021. But the Frenchman’s second season in charge of the Eagles failed to match his first term.

Vieira left Crystal Palace on the back of an 11-game winless run in the Premier League. The Eagles were still perched in 12th place at the time but were just three points clear of the relegation zone. AFC Bournemouth, then down in 18th place, also held one game in hand over the Selhurst Park outfit.

Hodgson hit the ground running after accepting Crystal Palace’s offer to be their manager again. The coach took a 2-1 win over Leicester City in his first game back in the hot seat and backed it up with a 5-1 win at Leeds United. The Eagles then beat Southampton 2-0 before a surprise defeat at Wolves.

Crystal Palace picked up further wins over West Ham and Bournemouth to secure their safety. While Hodgson was awarded the Freedom of the City of London in recognition of his sublime contribution to football in June 2023. The veteran coach also received a CBE for services to football in May 2022.