Hodgson ‘should be knighted’ as Palace boss hailed for ‘not breaking any rules’

Roy Hodgson has received a call to be knighted for his contribution to football. Former Tottenham striker Garth Cooks has hailed the Crystal Palace boss for being a “doyen” of football managers.

Hodgson’s coaching career began 47 years ago in 1976 when he took charge of Swedish side Halmstads. Much of his time has been spent abroad, managing in eight different countries.

He has been based in England ever since taking the Fulham job in 2007. The former Palace defender reached the pinnacle of his career in 2012 when he was named as Fabio Capello’s replacement as the England boss.

Hodgson is back in management at Palace at the age of 76 after at least twice appearing to retire from the game. He saw his Eagles side suffer a disappointing 2-1 loss at Luton on Saturday.

He was critical of the referee following a tackle that caused Eberechi Eze to be substituted with an ankle injury. Premier League managers have faced punishments in recent weeks for their opinions on match officials.

Read more… Neville thinks Guardiola will want to sign Man Utd star Mainoo after Everton win

But Crooks says Hodgson’s reaction gave another reason why he should be recognised for his career achievements. He wrote for the BBC: “Roy Hodgson’s concise, dignified and measured contribution in his post-match interview leaves him as the doyen among managers.

“He was cutting and biting towards the officials without breaking any of the rules. It’s time this man was knighted for the contribution he has made to the game.”

Palace lost Eze to an injury early in the second half at Kenilworth Road. The England international went down under a challenge from Luton defender Gabriel Osho.

Hodgson was not pleased with referee Jarred Gillett’s verdict that it wasn’t even a foul. He said afterwards: “We don’t quite know how serious Eze is at this moment in time.

• Support fearless journalism
• Read The Daily Express online, advert free
• Get super-fast page loading

Don’t miss…
Ronaldo leaving Saudi rivals in the dust as Man Utd and Real Madrid form returns[FEATURE]
Mason Greenwood humiliates five Man Utd stars after scoring screamer for Getafe[COMMENT]
Man Utd presented with January swap deal opportunity as Tuchel ‘pushes’ for move[TRANSFERS]

“But we were particularly frustrated because it was so unnecessary. It was basically what seemed to me, and maybe to a lot of people watching the game, to be such an obvious free kick.

“And then the player to sort of land on him and restrain him like he did, for that just to be waved aside, not only did we not get a free kick in a dangerous position we thought we should have had, we’ve also lost one of our most important players. So that makes it an exceptionally bitter day for me.”

Hodgson had no complaints after Palace had a goal ruled out by VAR for a handball by Odsonne Edouard. He added: “No [complaints], no.

“Obviously from the sideline I was rather hoping that it wasn’t going to be disallowed but I’ve now seen the replays and spoken to Edouard himself and he accepted it was a handball.”

Source: Read Full Article