Roy Hodgson Photo: VCG
"Goodbyes have never been my forte," said Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson."I've been much better at hellos. It risks being an emotional occasion and I'm not good on emotional occasions."
It was an emotional occasion on Wednesday when Palace hosted Arsenal at Selhurst Park. Not because it was the first time in a year that fans had been in the ground to watch the Eagles play in the English Premier League but because it was Hodgson's final game in charge.
The 73-year-old has decided to call time on a storied career, walking away from the game that has long been his life at the end of this season on Sunday.
"The time is right to step away from the rigors of top-flight Premier League football," Hodgson said.
"One never knows. It is a dangerous thing to do when you still feel good about yourself to start making bold statements about retirement.
"I am certainly not leaving Crystal Palace with the idea of putting myself back on the market for another job.
"I really am stepping away from football for a while, but who knows what the future will be? It is a never-say-never moment.
"I've seen so many people retire with all the fanfare blazing, only to surface again somewhere in a fairly short period of time. I'd prefer not to do that.
"I am looking forward to spending a little bit more time with my wife and son and maybe listening to what they want to do for once, because it hasn't happened very much in the last 50 years."
"It's a decision which hasn't exactly been taken overnight," Hodgson added.
"It's been really brewing for a long time. I had in the back of my mind that the right time to leave the club and maybe even to leave football for a while would be at the end of the season. I'm pleased that despite the speculation of the last two or three months, we've been able to keep things on a pretty even keel."
"Maybe the right time to leave the club and even football at the end of the season," Hodgson pondered.
"We've still been able to end the season in a very dignified way, and that's important.
"What will stick in the memory is the pleasure of coming to this training ground and working with all the players."
Palace fan
Hodgson was a Palace fan growing up and began his playing career at Selhurst Park. It is fitting that the Eagles will be his last job after a varied CV which began with Swedish side Halmstads back in 1976.
Palace Chairman Steve Parish paid tribute to Hodgson.
"It has been an absolute privilege and pleasure to work alongside Roy, who is both a magnificent human and an outstanding football manager.
"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."
"I am delighted that we will have the opportunity to show our appreciation at Selhurst Park after the Arsenal match, alongside 6,500 supporters. Roy will leave us after our final Premier League match of the season with our enormous thanks for his incredible contribution to our club, and with our very best wishes for the future," Parish added.
It is also fitting that Hodgson's final game in management will come away at Anfield, where the 73-year-old was in the home dugout as Liverpool boss from 2010 to 2011.
Hodgson's Palace can derail his former team's hopes of a top four spot and a place in the UEFA Champions League next season. They will be focused on ending the season on a high, with another comfortable mid-table finish.
Hodgson has delivered that every season since replacing Frank de Boer in the Palace dugout in September 2017.
Palace were dead last in the table at the time having lost their first four games without scoring. Hodgson then lost his first three in charge.
They finished 11th that season and have finished 12th and 14th in the seasons since.
Oldest manager
Hodgson has spent 45 years in management with 16 teams in eight countries. He is also the oldest man to manage in the English Premier League.
His CV includes the national team jobs with Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates and Finland as well as England, who he took to the World Cup in Brazil in 2014 and the Euros two years later.
In the club game, he has been in charge of Blackburn, Liverpool, West Brom and Fulham in the Premier League.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta paid tribute to Hodgson ahead of their teams meeting.
"He's an absolute legend. What he's done for football, for English football, what he transmits as a manager and what he has done at different clubs is remarkable," Arteta said,
"He has been doing it for so long with the way he is always conducting himself. It's a great example for me as a young coach. He is someone I admire."
Liverpool boss Juergen Klopp also paid his tributes.
"I knew about him long before I met him and he is a really nice guy. I couldn't have more respect for him and what he has done," Klopp said, describing Hodgson as "one of the very, very greats of our business".
Carlo Ancelotti, the Everton manager, also shared his thoughts.
"Roy is a good friend. He has had a fantastic career. In Italy they have good memories of him," Ancelotti said.
Hodgson also managed Inter Milan and Udinese in Serie A in Italy.
