Roy Hodgson Walks Out At Selhurst Park As Crystal Palace Manager For The Final Time

An emotional Roy Hodgson walked out at Selhurst Park as Crystal Palace manager for the final time ahead of their Premier League clash against Arsenal.

The 73-year-old, who announced earlier this week that he will step down as the club's manager at the end of the season, walked out to a heartwarming round of applause and a guard of honour from both teams.

As he made his way to the bench, Palace supporters chanted "he's one of our own!" at the former Fulham, Inter Milan and Liverpool boss. This is real goosebumps moment.

The Eagles announced on Tuesday morning that veteran boss Hodgson will be stepping down at the end of the season.

In a statement, Hodgson opened up about whether he was retiring from the game or not.

"One never knows. It is a dangerous thing to do when you still feel good about yourself to start making bold statements about retirement," he said.

"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."

Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish praised Hodgson for his spell in charge of the Premier League side.

"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."

A deserved send-off for a true gentleman of the game.

Topics: Football, Premier League, Arsenal, Roy Hodgson, Crystal Palace

Jack Kenmare

Jack Kenmare is a writer at SPORTbible. He's interviewed some of the biggest names in sport, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Pele, Carles Puyol and Tim Henman. He dabbles in all things sport but football is his biggest passion. He was once hit in the head by a wayward strike from Nicky Butt and lived to tell the tale.

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