Roy Hodgson to step down as Crystal Palace manager and begin retirement

Former England manager has enjoyed a long and well-travelled career

Roy Hodgson had 20 full-time managerial positions, including with four national teams over a career spanning 45 years. PA

Roy Hodgson will step down as Crystal Palace manager at the end of season after announcing his decision to retire, bringing an end to a 45-year managerial career.

Hodgson, 73, took over as Palace manager in September 2017 and helped the club recover from the worst ever start to a Premier League season to achieve a mid-table finish. Hodgson has safely kept Palace in the top flight in each of his four seasons in the dugout.

“After more than 45 years of coaching I have decided that the time is right for me to step away from the rigours of top-flight Premier League football, so our final two matches will be my last ones as manager of Crystal Palace," Hodgson said in a statement on the Crystal Palace website.

“It’s been a particularly rewarding period of my football life and career to have been able to spend these last four seasons with Palace. I feel now that at the end of another successful season, in which we have secured our Premier League status, the moment is right for me to step down from my responsibilities of being a full-time manager."

Hodgson, who came through the Palace youth system before embarking on a playing career in England's non-league, has experienced a long and varied managerial career that began in 1976 with Swedish club Halmstads. He led the club to the Swedish league title in his first season and again in 1979.

Among the 20 full-time positions Hodgson has had include further spells in Sweden with Malmo, Oddevold, and Orebro; in Switzerland with Neuchâtel Xamax, Grasshoppers, and Viking; and in Italy with Inter Milan, and Udinese.

Hodgson has managed four national teams: Switzerland, the UAE, Finland, and England, who he led to three major tournaments.

He is also well-travelled in England, with his first big job coming in 1997 at Blackburn Rovers, although it was a move that lasted less than two seasons.

Hodgson's most successful spell in the Premier League came during three years at Fulham when he led the unfancied team to the 2010 Europa League final. His success in London led Liverpool to make Hodgson the successor to Rafa Benitez, but his time at Anfield proved ill-fated and lasted just six months.

Hodgson won a total of eight top-flight league titles during his career and was named LMA Manager of the Year in 2010.

“It has been an absolute privilege and pleasure to work alongside Roy, who is both a magnificent human and an outstanding football manager," Palace chairman Steve Parish said. "I know how much it has meant to Roy managing the club he supported as a child, adding to his distinguished and unparalleled career in football management.

“His record with us simply cannot be overstated, 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 and I am delighted that we will have the opportunity to show our appreciation at Selhurst Park after the Arsenal match, alongside 6,500 supporters."