Roy Hodgson has confirmed his resignation as Crystal Palace manager following a health scare, with Oliver Glasner announced as his successor.
It could be the final act in the 76-year-old’s long and storied coaching career, which dates back almost five decades.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the successes and failures of his time in the dugout.
HIGH – It all started in Scandinavia for the Croydon native, who spent the best part of 15 years as a manager in Sweden. After guiding Halmstad to two unexpected Allsvenskan titles, he led Malmo to five in a golden run.
HIGH – After entering the international arena, Hodgson helped Switzerland qualify for the 1994 World Cup. He also guided the Swiss to their maiden European Championship in 1996 before taking his leave.
LOW – The Londoner was handed a dream job with Inter Milan in 1995, but his time in Italy ended on a sour note when they lost the UEFA Cup final on home turf to Schalke in 1997. While he maintained a strong relationship with club president Massimo Moratti for his rebuilding job at San Siro, he suffered scathing criticism from Brazilian star Roberto Carlos.
LOW – A first taste of Premier League football proved short-lived when Hodgson was sacked by Blackburn after 17 months at Ewood Park, a bright start blighted as he left Rovers rock bottom of the table.
HIGH – After spells in Denmark, Italy, UAE, Norway and Finland, Hodgson was tempted to return to Britain at the end of 2007 to save relegation-threatened Fulham. He masterminded a memorable escape and then carried the Cottagers to the Europa League. Shakhtar Donetsk and Serie A giants Juventus were defeated before Atletico Madrid proved too strong in the 2010 final.
LOW – Lured from Craven Cottage by Liverpool, Hodgson had a brief and brutal stay at Anfield, where he was never welcomed by fans. Weighed down by some poor signings, he did not see out the season, with a League Cup upset by Northampton placing him on notice for what became an inevitable exit in January.
HIGH – Rehabilitated by a productive spell with West Brom, he was catapulted into the England job following Fabio Capello’s abrupt departure in 2012. His Three Lions side were bundled out of that year’s European Championship after losing a quarter-final to Italy on penalties. But Hodgson lifted the team to third in the FIFA rankings and he was proud to lead them to the 2014 World Cup on the back of an unbeaten qualifying campaign.
LOW – England did not follow the ‘joga bonito’ mantra in Brazil and exited at the World Cup group stage for the first time since 1958 following defeats to Italy and Uruguay. It meant their final clash with Costa Rica was a dead-rubber, and a dull goalless draw did little to lift spirits in the country.
LOW – After a 100 per cent qualifying record and the introduction of several young talents like Harry Kane, optimism was high before Euro 2016, but his lacklustre team suffered acute embarrassment as they were knocked out in the last 16 by Iceland. Hodgson handed in his resignation before the night was over, with his legacy as national boss trashed.
HIGH – A chance to take over at Palace, his boyhood club, was too good to turn down – even in the aftermath of Frank de Boer’s chaotic reign. Despite starting the season with seven straight defeats, he ensured a serene 11th-placed finish. He equalled their Premier League points record in the 2018-19 campaign and seemingly ‘retired’ on his own terms in 2021.
LOW – Tempted back for a fire-fighting job at Watford, he could not turn the ship around in his five-month stay and took the Hornets down to the Championship.
LOW – His homecoming started well, ending a 13-match winless run under Patrick Vieira in his first game back in the Palace dugout. But things veered off course after he agreed another deal for the 2023-24 season. With supporters ready for change, he was reportedly on the verge of the sack when he was taken ill at the club’s training ground. He went on to stand down to make way for successor Glasner, making for an unhappy final chapter at Palace.
Haaland has 'full trust' in Guardiola to halt Man City slump
Erling Haaland has "full trust" in the "best manager in the world", Pep Guardiola, to get Manchester City back on track against Tottenham in the Premier League on Saturday.
Guardiola's side have lost four matches in a row across all competitions, which is the Spaniard's longest losing run in his entire managerial career.
The Citizens last lost more consecutively between March and April 2006 under Stuart Pearce (six – the fifth game of which was also against Tottenham).
But after putting pen to paper on a new two-year contract extension at the club earlier this week, Guardiola has his eyes firmly set on returning to winning ways on home soil.
And Haaland, who has scored 105 goals in 114 appearances under Guardiola at City, believes they can make up the gap to leaders Liverpool, who are five points ahead.
"When you look at what he's been doing for the club, he's not bad, is he? So he's got my full trust," Haaland told Sky Sports.
"And if he tells me something, I'd better do it because he knows the best in the end. Everyone knows that. So I'm sure he will find solutions now as well. I'm sure of that.
"[Guardiola] demands us to be at our best in every training session, in every game. And that's what we need to do. It hasn't been good enough, losing four games now, but let's try to win the next."
Arsenal handed another injury blow as White ruled out for 'months'
Mikel Arteta confirmed that Arsenal defender Ben White is facing "months" on the sidelines after sustaining a knee injury.
White had been dealing with several issues all season and has missed five games in all competitions for the Gunners already this term.
After struggling through until the November international break, the decision was taken for him to undergo surgery in order to finally address the ongoing problems.
It serves as a bitter blow for Arteta, with only Thomas Parety (13) making more interceptions than White (11) for Arsenal in the Premier League this campaign.
Though Arteta confirmed that the surgery was successful, White is set for a lengthy spell out of the team.
"It has been different kinds of struggles. It has never been the same thing, but we had to make a decision. He has not improved over the last few weeks, unfortunately," said Arteta.
"We know that Ben is going to push every boundary, but it got to the point where we have to protect the player and we decided to do the surgery.
"He agreed with that and it is going to keep him out for a few months."
Asked for a specific time frame, Arteta added: "We have to see how he reacts post-surgery. I don't expect it to be half a year, but I cannot tell you exactly."
It offers a concern for Arteta in the full-back area, with the Spaniard also revealing on Friday that Takehiro Tomiyasu is "going to be out as well for a bit".
There was, however, some positive injury news for the Gunners ahead of welcoming Nottingham Forest to the Emirates on Saturday.
After not featuring for England during the international break, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are expected to be fit to feature against Nuno Espirito Santo's side.
Leandro Trossard will also be available for Arteta despite picking up a hamstring injury during the international break with Belgium.
Defender Riccardo Calafiori is also in contention for Saturday's game after a month out with a knee problem.
Conte hopes for Ranieri's success at Roma after Napoli clash
Antonio Conte hopes that everything will go well for Claudio Ranieri after he came out of retirement to take charge of Roma, but only after their Serie A clash this weekend.
Ranieri was tempted back into management by a return to where he began as a player. His third spell at Roma comes after the club sacked two coaches already this season and with the team 12th in the standings.
A trip to leaders Napoli is Ranieri's first task, and Conte is looking forward to meeting up with the 73-year-old.
"I am pleased to see Claudio, I have great esteem for him and there is also friendship," Conte told reporters ahead of Sunday's game.
"I am happy with the chance he has been given. It will be a tough game, for us and for them. Last year, Roma finished ahead of Napoli, they are in the Europa League and had a good transfer window.
"They are not performing according to expectations and I hope for Claudio that everything starts to work after Sunday's game."
The arrival of Ranieri in place of Ivan Juric brings with it not just the danger of the 'new manager bounce' but also upsets Conte's plans for the game.
"When a team changes coach there is an important input on a nervous level," Conte said.
"They are at the third change on the bench. It's inevitable that, if Juric had remained, we knew what kind of team we were going to face.
"Now it's an enigma, we don't have much information nor do we know how they will deal with us. So let's think about ourselves, there is a desire and enthusiasm to continue this path."
After a streak of 21 consecutive home wins in Serie A, Conte lost his last home league match (0-3 against Atalanta). Only once in his career has he recorded two consecutive home defeats in the competition: in November 2009, when he was in charge of Atalanta (against Juventus and Roma).
Napoli are top of the table, but Conte knows it is still early, and with just two points separating the top six clubs, which includes the likes of Atalanta, Fiorentina and Lazio, for now, it is a different title race than usual.
"Only 12 games have passed and there are many teams within very few points," he said.
"We are doing well, but so are the others. There isn't one team which has distanced the others. Perhaps there is a little amazement in seeing some teams in those positions in the standings."
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