As we prepare for our penultimate game of a crazy season, the sporting grapevine has announced the pending retirement of surely the most travelled manager in British footballing history.
Roy Hodgson, a Geordie by birth, started his childhood supporting life at Selhurst Park and “the Palace.” (He recalls having seen the great Real Madrid side of Puskas and di Stefano in a midweek game there).
He was even briefly a sometime player for them, although he didn’t make the first team. But what a career begun in the depths of Souf London!! Having given up on a playing career he began coaching in Sweden – Halmstad and, later, Malmo – where his team famously knocked Inter Milan out of the European Cup in the 89/90 season.
The Italians must have been impressed because he immediately went there briefly, before coaching Switzerland, the UAE and Finland. His reputation brought him back to the UK, and spells at Bristol City and Blackburn, before probably his most successful achievements at Fulham.
Many will still remember an unlucky loss in extra time in a UEFA Cup final, and his coaching prowess then brought him brief periods at Liverpool and West Brom, before England called.
The full circle back to his beloved Palace was then completed and, with due reverence to a fine man and coach of the old school, I personally, hope we can spoil your farewell (with fans) to the Park, tonight.
Never been one for predicting what Mikel will do for selection, so will make my own outrageous choices and expect to get three or four right:
Ryan
Chambers – Holding – Mari – Tierney
Partey – Azeez
Nelson – BOdegaard – Martinelli – Balogun
LBG
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
Thanks for putting up for me, Rocky. A postscript to explain my original title. Roy probably made his biggest impact among supporters at Malmo. They had difficulty with his surname and called him Royson. Likewise, and, further backing that devotion, there is a corner of one of the stands at Malmo’s ground which translates as Royson’s Corner. Did the Swedes actually begin that loud and dedicated corner that now exists at the Palace?
Goodluck Roy, but COYG.
LBG
Sorry – I didn’t see a title when I took a rare journey into the arsenalnuts account so I made one up. Must have missed it – if you let me know what it is I can edit this and put it up.
OK – found it.
Thanks LBG for the post. Wishing Royson all the best in the future.
In the meantime, let us spoil his farewell party 🙂
Palace is good on the counter and physical at the back…typical Royson team really. Here are my preferred and foreseen line-ups:
RC78 team for tonight:
Ryan – Chambers, Holding, Gabriel, Tierney – Saka, Partey, El Neny , ESR – Lacazette, Martinelli
Predicted line up:
Leno – Chambers, Holding, Mari, Tierney – Partey, Xhaka – Saka, ESR, Pepe – Laca
Whoever plays, let us win.
Nice post LBG. Woy comes across as a good guy.
His football is a little cautious for me, but he’s done well to keep Palace in the Premier League.
Nice one LBG
Woy has always seemed a really decent bloke, gracious in victory and gracious in defeat.
He’s had a hell of a career.
As for tonight, I would love to see us finish with two more wins. It will continue our upward progress and (hopefully) we will manage to just about avoid that crappy Europa Conference since at least one of Spuds and West Ham should manage to stay ahead of us.
The team I would put out (assuming Luiz and Xhaka are both still out):
Leno
Chambers – Holding – Mari – Tierney
Partey – Elneny
Saka – Smith Rowe – Aubameyang
Lacazette
Leno in Germany’s Euro squad
Tierney in Scotland’s Euro squad.
Xhaka likely to be in Switzerland’s squad
Let us see what happens with Bellerin, Cedric, Holding, Saka, ESR.
Thanks LBG
Not a bad 1st half. The goal was excellent. I think we would have been down to at least 9 men if we had sone what Schlupp, Dann and Benteke had. Perhaps it’s just a kindness to let Woy retire without controversy.
Would still like to see how we get on with 1 DM rather than 2 to allow for the extra attacking midfielder but I’m not sure that is on the horizon just yet.
Willock scored again
Do our players even know the meaning of the word urgency????
We dont seem to know how to work the ball forwards this half.
We are so cowardly … the bloody horseshoe has been overused … too many touches , too many backwards and sideways passes … we are just pathetic …. win this and we would have a 50/50 chance of getting into Europe
Phew … a youngster comes to the rescue again
Very good first half, wobbly second half until the final 10 mins. The progress continues.
Bizarre as it sounds, we have a (very) outside chance of sixth.
Rocky,
Come on man, 3 shots on goal, never going to do squat next year with that garbage.
2 moments of skill, but not sustained pressure nor ball advancement.
A very ugly win, yes a win, and maybe over totts by the end of the year, nahhhh, not with this squad nor coach.
Aaron
Third in the EPL based on form since Boxing Day.
There was a time we fans would all love a win like that, but enjoyment of football has become soured in the modern age, sad to say.
Willock scored for the sixth consecutive game.
We could do with a goal scoring midfielder like that.
But if the club decide to sell him he’s probably added an extra £15m to his value in those six games.
Look Rocky, am not soured, just want to watch attacking futbol NOW and then, a lot more now than then.
The xG is crap, not creating and basically not enough shots, Auba is invisible.
We are NOT going to win games like this in the long run to move us up in the table.
You and I are not watching the same game, are looking at different aspects, and I can respect what you are saying.
However, if this is our place now, between 6-10th and this is the product we are going to produce, year on year, than I am going to have to take a hard pass on watching AFC.
Been through this with Detroit, and if ksE does not give a $h*te, than neither do I.
Hammers win.
Best we can get now is 7th, for which we need to win and Totts and Toffees not to win.
Best is 7th, worst is 10th.
xG says 8th, we are underperforming, who would have guessed it.
Probably end up in the middle of nothingness at 8th based on goal difference.
Whoop de doo.
Better clear out this summer and change the damn mid’s to create some form of attack, as of now we do not have one nearly good enough for top 4.
Rocky
And we dont want that in any shape or form!!
The future is the youth and if not instantly perfect, is bright. A year out of Europe, a chance to get rid of deadwood, to produce a consistent formation with motivated players in each position, and I believe we will get our Arsenal back.
If it doesnt happen, go somewhere else for your solace, and leave those with belief in the future to their own devices. Arsenal are my Club, will always be, and I am unshakable on that.
LBG
I wouldn’t hate the rubbish Europa Conference provided Arteta did not travel to away matches.
It would give the next generation of young players a chance to cut their teeth.
But on balance I suspect we’ll have a better season next year if we’re not in Europe.
We can have a good shot at a Champions League spot for the following season (and our form since Dec 26th suggests that’s a very reasonable target).
Out of Europe, have a good summer, play the youth, something to build on, that we can agree!
Was that over the top by Schlupp? Used to be a red card in the old days, obviously not with today’s super duper VAR.
Was that an elbow in the face by Benteke? Ah I give up with these PGMOL clowns.
Thanks for the great post LBG
What an amazing game, loved every minute of it.
Arsenal are exceeding all our expectations and all our fans now seem to be right behind the coach and team, how fantastic is that.
I am very much looking forward to our last game and the potential of the spuds bottling it.
I think I’ll start making plans to get to some games in May 2022.
Whatever we can agree on, surely Totteringham and Shite Hart Lane surely produce only agreement.
Put your £60 paying fans up in the Gods (Devils), serve up shite, and then insist on them staying in their seats for 20 mins only to see half a dozen of the squad come out to wave farewell to a season full of joy and achievement.
St Totteringham Day may even come sooner rather than later, Spursey! (But not if we come seventh, thank you!) But surely a 6-0 slaughter to Leicester would make our Sunday 2021 ( with a one in the year). Where is that Ade when you need him? Happy final day Gooners!
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