The 73-year-old Hodgson enjoyed success throughout Europe in a coaching career that began with Park Hill United under-11s in the late 1960s
“It was a totally different world of
Football to what we know today and you can’t really make comparisons,” Roy Hodgson said last week. “I get lots of letters from people who, like myself, have been watching the club for 50, 60, 70 years and that’s the type of background we have. It’s nice that you can relate to them.”
Almost seven decades since Hodgson attended his first game at Selhurst Park, Crystal Palace’s home fixture against
Arsenal on Wednesday will be a significant moment in his life. The man who grew up around the corner in the same house as Steve Kember – another future Palace manager – and went on to take charge of teams in
Sweden, Switzerland and at San Siro among many others before landing the
England Job will wave goodbye to his home town club.