The best moments of Roy Hodgson's career

After four exciting years at Crystal Palace, Roy Hodgson has confirmed that he plans to step down from the Eagles in search of a quieter life away from the Premier League.

This is by no means the end for Hodgson, but it does represent another big chapter in one of the wildest managerial stories in recent memory.

Here's a look back at some of Hodgson's best moments.

1. A surprise league title with Halmstads (24/10/76)

When Hodgson took over at Swedish side Halmstads in 1976, his job was to avoid relegation. The team had been embroiled in survival battles over the past few years and only made it out alive thanks to goal difference in 1975.

Expectations could not have been lower for the rookie coach, but he stunned the country by leading Halmstad to an immediate league title - an accomplishment fondly remembered as one of the most surprising successes in Swedish football history.

"My greatest achievement would have to be the water-into-wine job at Halmstads in 1976," Hodgson recalled to The Times in 2009.

2. Neuchâtel Xamax 1-0 Real Madrid (26/11/91)

Remembered by Hodgson as one of the games that built his career, the boss caused a huge shock when he led Swiss side Neuchâtel Xamax to a 1-0 win over Real Madrid in the 1990/91 UEFA Cup last 16.

Real weren't at their strongest but still featured superstars like Fernando Hierro, Gheorghe Hagi and Emilio Butragueño, so they were heavy favourites heading into the game.

It's the match which saw Europe start to take Hodgson seriously, and the Swiss FA soon came knocking to offer him the national team gig.

3. Switzerland 1-0 Italy (01/05/93)

When he arrived in the Swiss dugout, Hodgson was tasked with taking the Schweizer Nati to their first competition since the 1966 World Cup, and he did exactly that.

He qualified for the 1994 tournament with ease, losing just once in a group which also featured Scotland, Portugal and, most notably, Italy.

Arrigo Sacchi's men, who would go on to reach the final, were brushed aside 1-0 in the group stage and had to claw back from 2-0 down to seal a draw in the return fixture.

4. Man City 2-3 Fulham (26/04/08)

Drafted in to save a sinking Fulham side in December 2007, Hodgson did the impossible by steering the Cottagers' to an unlikely survival.

Needing a victory over Manchester City on the final day of the season, Fulham looked dead on their feet as they fell 2-0 down inside 21 minutes, but late goals from Danny Murphy and Diomansy Kamara flipped the script.

In the 90th minute, the score was tied and Fulham were heading down, only for Kamara to thunder home a winner to send the away fans wild.

5. Fulham 4-1 Juventus (18/03/10)

Just being in the last 16 of the Europa League was enough of an accomplishment, so Fulham weren't exactly disappointed when they fell 3-1 to Juventus in the first leg of their tie. The fun was always going to come to an end anyway... just not yet.

They fell 1-0 down in the return leg but then fired home four unanswered goals to win the tie on aggregate, in what is fondly remembered as one of the most surprising results in the history of the Europa League.

He needed another late goal, this time from Clint Dempsey, but Hodgson had earned a bit of luck.

6. Reaching the Europa League final (12/05/10)

Comfortable wins over Wolfsburg and Hamburg saw Fulham advance to their first European final in their 130-year history.

Up against an Atletico Madrid team which featured David de Gea, Diego Forlan and Sergio Aguero, Fulham had to dig in at times and took the game to extra-time with a 1-1 draw.

There was heartbreak in the 116th minute as Forlan bagged the winner, but for Hodgson and Fulham, the accomplishment could not be soured.

7. Taking the England job (01/05/12)

After a tricky spell with Liverpool, Hodgson rebuilt his reputation with West Brom and did such a good job that he earned himself a spot in the dugout of England in 2012.

Under Hodgson, England rose to third in FIFA's official rankings for the first time in their history.

They gave a good account of themselves at Euro 2012 and in qualifying for the 2014 World Cup, but the less said about what happened after that, the better.

8. Becoming a meme (19/06/14)

Watching Uruguay's Luis Suarez score against England at the 2014 World Cup, but hey, it brought us this incredible meme.

9. Saving Crystal Palace (13/05/18)

Palace lost their first four games of the 2017/18 season and swiftly chose to bring in Hodgson to replace Frank de Boer. Things didn't improve immediately, however, as Palace fell to another three defeats. No team had ever survived after losing their first seven games.

Not only did Palace survive, but they finished 11th.

A big 2-1 win over Chelsea kick-started the revival, and Palace would go on to lose just nine of their remaining 30 games. Not bad for a side who lost seven in seven.

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