Roy is in the pub alcove when I arrive. On time. Ever the gentleman. For this unique interview, we’re squeezed into what used to be the snug of a pub near Slurst. Roy remembers a snug.
TEB: Thank you for agreeing to this interview and the publication date. Palace fans love you for your time with us, even if we all had a few iffy moments – the club’s much, much stronger than when you took over from Ronald De Boer almost seven years ago.
ROY: Thank you.
TEB: Talking of RDB, Damien Delaney said De Boer liked to show off his world class skills in first team training. Have you ever been tempted to show off your hanging crosses?
ROY: Frankly, it was an honour to have both De Boer and Vieira as my predecessors at Slurst. But no, I never let the players feel their inferiority in the most advanced skills of the game (Roy chuckles).
TEB: You’ve had a few weeks now to recuperate and recover after the abrupt ending of your farewell tour of the Premier League, so will you and Ray now climb into the Triumph Stag to tour the clubs you missed, you know, so you can say goodbye?
ROY: That won’t be necessary, though this season Ray and I were privileged to be given wonderful welcomes – and farewells – at every Palace away league game.
TEB: Your birth sign is Leo. I checked online, and it says Leo’s tend to make everything about them, they are determined to have everything their way. They can be very charming indeed, but openly or underneath Leo’s are the most stubborn people you ever met. Are you a true Leo?
ROY: Ask Ray! (Roy smiles)
TEB: Not everyone sees Roy Hodgson as a jet set millionaire, but you’ve worked as a manager in 8 different countries, you’ve been walking the touchline since 1976, you speak five languages, you’ve managed 22 teams, you turned down the Germany international job in the late 1990s, you’ve lived the high life in world class cities like Milan, Dubai, London, Copenhagen, Malmo and Zurich, and you know your Picasso from your Pirlo. What attracted you back to SE25?
ROY: Croydon is where my life began. Crystal Palace was my first love in football. Who would turn away such a wonderful opportunity?
TEB: Many people your age have already retired, and the few still working at your age are mostly bishops or politicians. You’re bound to get some gigs as a TV pundit. And, after your touchline bust up with Max Lowe at Sheffield United on opening day, I saw a media story that the fledgling Seniors WWE approached you to be their Ambassador. Can you tell us if there’s any truth in this?
ROY: We get offers all the time, not all are expected, and we promise we will say nothing publicly.
TEB: Okay, so can we try a hypothetical? It’s January next year. You and Ray and your wives are deep in daiquiris on an exotic beach. The phone rings. It’s Manchester United, they’re fighting relegation and Sir Jim wants you to save them because you know how. Would you and Ray trade the Caribbean for mid-winter Manchester?
ROY: Obviously, we’re always prepared. Jobs at Barcelona, Bayern, Liverpool, maybe Chelsea and even England will all come open this summer. Only so many managers frankly have the depth of experience and track record needed to be qualified to parachute into that situation. One has to be realistic, but yes, when the phone rings, Ray and I will be ripe, rested and ready to fly to our next assignment. And yes, we’d pack our bags and swoop into Old Trafford if they want us, but we’d be clutching umbrellas – I’ve read about the holes in the roof.
TEB: If a big offer came in for you now from the Saudi Pro League, would you and Ray be tempted?
ROY: We’re always considering what might be possible, and Saudi is only one possibility. Certainly, last autumn I heard whispers through the wall when I was in the SCMT that Steve Parish had drawn up an offer for Ray and me for five more years from 1st July this year. I really think it was on the cards.
TEB: Can you please explain for our readers, what is the SCMT?
ROY: The Manager’s office at Slurst has its own private bathroom. Well, there was a story that went around that Stevie Coppell used to come in here just before a game to sit down alone and undisturbed to contemplate all of the impacts of losing. I don’t know if it’s true or not, but I heard it sharpened his determination to win the game.
TEB: Is the SC in SCMT for Stevie?
ROY: In fact, it’s the Stevie Coppell Memorial Toilet. Anyway, all the managers since then have called it the SCMT, and some (like Vieira) were given the opportunity to re-model. Although the walls are thin, the SCMT did get quite fancy for a while, with luxuries like a cushioned toilet seat, body jets in the shower and a bidet.
TEB: Ah, the bidet. I heard you had no use for the bidet when you came back, so it was removed. I assume it was sold to raise funds for Palace for Life?
ROY: No, in actual fact, the last time I saw it, Ray was putting it in the back of his 4-wheel. He told me he planned to grow geraniums in it.
TEB: You really are, and have been, a one off Roy. The media descriptions for you tell their own story – gracious, concise, dignified, measured, doyen, integrity, dignity …. Have you always been so polite?
ROY: One doesn’t remember every insult one might hurl in the heat of the moment…… well, there was the time they managed to lip-read me on camera calling Michael Oliver a bald blind git. I was immediately apologetic and invited Michael to my office for a pot of tea after the game. Even so, Ray has put Mr. Oliver on our Departure Gift List for dark glasses and a stick. Ray’s more direct than I am.
TEB: Yes, Sir Alex Ferguson had a reputation as a half-time dressing room hair dryer. We imagine Ray Lewington was the flame thrower in the Palace dressing room. Do you ever get cross?
ROY: I was known once to be so cross, I threw a biro. Into the bin.
TEB: You’re a CBE. Are there any other honours you’d like to have? Perhaps a pub in your name? Or a stand named after you? Do you think King Charles will ever give you a knighthood?
ROY: One would be most honoured, especially for my dear wife ….
TEB: ….who would become Lady Hodgson?
ROY: Correct.
TEB: You said in an interview that your wife can’t stand when Palace lose, because you snore and humph a lot, but when we win, you sleep making a noise like a purring cat with a tummy full of cream.
ROY: I don’t know why I would have said that. But I can say I always reacted badly when my team loses. You have to appreciate just how important every Premier League game is to us all. Each match is an experience lasting several days from review of the previous game, team meetings, detailed player by player preparation, training, dealing with injuries, practice of key moves and the formations we’ll be using, team selection, travel, and then the culmination of all of our efforts. The match itself. And we all hope our professional athletes with extraordinary skills prevail over their professional athletes with extraordinary skills – even though our opponents have more of these valuable assets than we do, they pay them more than we do, and five substitutes for them only ever means another experienced international keen to win his place back, whereas our fifth substitute was probably playing for his school not long ago. And it’s hard for our family and our friends as we live through news of goals scored, goals missed, VAR debates and more. And then ……….the whole experience begins again. And you know what? We love it! We all love it! It’s deeply, deeply engaging, satisfying and exciting.
TEB: Your playing style reputation is to keep the team in the game. Do you ever wish you’d been more expansive like Zidane or Pep or Klopp?
ROY: Of course one would always want to be a world beater, but it hasn’t happened, and I’m proud to have achieved such success over such a long career and have so many friends in the game wherever I go in the world.
TEB: Some players do a hop and a jump when they enter the field of play, others cut holes in the backs of their socks, presumably in the quest for some luck that will somehow stimulate a win. Over the decades, have you found any superstitions that bring you luck?
ROY: Yes, I have routines. Ray too. He has to put his shorts on left leg first. One time Ray went right leg first, and he got his knickers in a right twist. We were laughing so much, just before kick off, it was so wrong. I like to wear the gents toilet badge in my lapel, it used to guard me against unexpected emergencies, but by half time at Brighton I was ready to chuck the thing.
TEB: Many players have tattoos these days. Take Darwin Nunez of Liverpool (is it ok to mention Liverpool?). Nunez is an example. He’s got a sleeve tattoo on one leg and no tattoos on the other, obviously so that – when Klopp says take it with your left, Darwin – he can instantly see which leg his manager means, the one with the tats. Do you have any tattoos?
ROY: No, but the one I like the best is the Triangle, with even sides representing balance and peace. Maybe an England flag too. But I’m not discussing where I’d put them!
TEB: No, that’s quite OK. Roy, there have been calls for the new Main Stand to incorporate on the edge of the pitch a Walk of Legends to pay tribute to the men who’ve walked that touchline so many times over the years. Would you hope to be remembered there?
ROY: Of course!
TEB: Another feature of the plans for the glass structure is said to be a time capsule, locked away for future fans to discover. Clearly, Ray’s shorts must be included. What would Roy Hodgson like to put in there?
ROY: Video of Andros Townsend’s volley in the 3-2 win at Manchester City. That was one of the proudest moments of my career. My proudest achievement here was keeping Crystal Palace in the Premier League on frankly limited funds.
TEB: Roy, thank you. Palace supporters all wish you a long, healthy and happy retirement. But football is all about the players so – before we end this interview – please, you’ve worked with thousands of professional footballers from all over the world, many at the very highest levels in the game. Who do you think you would name among the very best?
ROY: Certainly, there are some wonderful names on any list of greats that I’ve been fortunate enough to work with. One would instantly name Wayne Rooney, Damien Duff and Danny Murphy as examples and at Palace I’d say Wilf of course, Cabaye, Eze, Olise, Guehi and several more. And, of course, there are some gifted players that I was the first England Manager to pick– Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, John Stones, Dele Alli and Marcus Rashford, among others. But, if I had to pick one player I would pick as the very greatest of them all, the most gifted, above all the happiest smile, the very best player I’ve ever worked with, it would have to be ……. Jordan Ayew. Well, you did tell me the date this would be published….
