Roy Hodgson confirms Watford departure and claims he ‘doesn’t think’ he will manage another Premier League club

Veteran manager Roy Hodgson has confirmed that he will be leaving Watford at the end of the season, and is unlikely to take up management of another Premier League club, the 74-year-old revealed upon receiving his CBE on Wednesday afternoon.

Hodgson retired at the end of last season, leaving Crystal Palace after their final game as the south London club looked to take their recruitment strategy in a younger direction. However, the former England boss was coaxed out of retirement by Watford as the Hornets looked for a manager to steer them clear of relegation.

LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 04: Former England manager Roy Hodgson poses after he was made a is made a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) by the Duke of Cambridge during an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace on May 4, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Dominic Lipinski-Pool/Getty Images)

Sadly, that did not prove to be the case, and Hodgson’s side now sit 12 points off safety with four games left to play, and in a cruel twist of fate, should they fail to beat Crystal Palace in their next game, their demise would be confirmed.

And it is likely to be Hodgson’s last job, judging by comments made to media while at the ceremony in Buckingham Palace.

‘Obviously, it’s a short-term [deal],’ the veteran coach said when quizzed on his Watford role. 

‘Certainly, I made it clear it would need to be a short-term one between now and the end of the season. I took that job on and came out of retirement to do that particular job.

“Now that job has unfortunately ended. I don’t think I shall be putting my name forward anymore for further sorties in the world of Premier League football.

‘I’ve enjoyed my time doing the job. It’s a very demanding world.’

But, he added, ‘I think I’ve earned the right to step back and enjoy some free time and spend some time with my wife and son.’

Hodgson’s managerial career has spanned nearly 50 years from his first senior role in 1976, and has taken him to Sweden, Italy the UAE and several clubs in England.

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Premier League table

#	Team	MP	D	P
1	Manchester City	34	63	83
2	Liverpool FC	34	64	82
3	Chelsea FC	34	39	66
4	Arsenal FC	34	13	63
5	Tottenham Hotspur	34	20	61
6	Manchester United	36	5	58
7	West Ham United	35	7	52
8	Wolverhampton Wanderers	34	1	49
9	Brighton & Hove Albion	35	-8	44
10	Newcastle United	35	-16	43
11	Leicester City	33	-6	42
12	Crystal Palace	34	3	41
13	Aston Villa	33	-2	40
14	Brentford FC	35	-11	40
15	Southampton FC	35	-17	40
16	Burnley FC	34	-15	34
17	Leeds United	34	-34	34
18	Everton FC	33	-20	32
19	Watford FC	34	-37	22
20	Norwich City	34	-49	21

Player	Team	Goals
Salah, Mohamed	Liverpool FC	22
Son, Heung Min	Tottenham Hotspur	19
Ronaldo, Cristiano	Manchester United	18
Jota, Diogo	Liverpool FC	15
Mane, Sadio	Liverpool FC	14
Kane, Harry	Tottenham Hotspur	13
Toney, Ivan	Brentford FC	12
Zaha, Wilfried	Crystal Palace	12
De Bruyne, Kevin	Manchester City	11
Saka, Bukayo	Arsenal FC	11
Mahrez, Riyad	Manchester City	11
Mount, Mason	Chelsea FC	10
Bowen, Jarrod	West Ham United	10
Fernandes, Bruno	Manchester United	10
Dennis, Emmanuel	Watford FC	10
Pukki, Teemu	Norwich City	10
Sterling, Raheem	Manchester City	10
Raphinha	Leeds United	10
Vardy, Jamie	Leicester City	10
Smith-Rowe, Emile	Arsenal FC	10

Player	Team	Red Cards	Yellow Cards
Bednarek, Jan	Southampton FC	0	10
Tarkowski, James	Burnley FC	0	10
Bissouma, Yves	Brighton & Hove Albion	0	10
Firpo, Junior	Leeds United	0	10
Fernandes, Bruno	Manchester United	0	9
Gallagher, Conor	Crystal Palace	0	9
Neves, Ruben	Wolverhampton Wanderers	0	9
Brownhill, Josh	Burnley FC	0	9
Mings, Tyrone	Aston Villa	0	9
Xhaka, Granit	Arsenal FC	1	8
Mctominay, Scott	Manchester United	0	9
Salisu, Mohammed	Southampton FC	0	8
Dennis, Emmanuel	Watford FC	0	7
Richarlison	Everton FC	0	8
Pogba, Paul	Manchester United	1	7
Alonso, Marcos	Chelsea FC	0	8
Moreno, Rodrigo	Leeds United	0	8
Cash, Matty	Aston Villa	0	8
McGinn, John	Aston Villa	0	8
Joelinton	Newcastle United	0	8

Player	Team	Assists
Salah, Mohamed	Liverpool FC	13
Alexander-Arnold, Trent	Liverpool FC	12
Robertson, Andy	Liverpool FC	10
Kane, Harry	Tottenham Hotspur	9
Mount, Mason	Chelsea FC	9
Pogba, Paul	Manchester United	9
Bowen, Jarrod	West Ham United	8
Jesus, Gabriel	Manchester City	8
Kulusevski, Dejan	Tottenham Hotspur	8
Son, Heung Min	Tottenham Hotspur	7
Lacazette, Alexandre	Arsenal FC	7
Barnes, Harvey	Leicester City	7
Mbeumo, Bryan	Brentford FC	7
Cancelo, Joao	Manchester City	7
De Bruyne, Kevin	Manchester City	6
Saka, Bukayo	Arsenal FC	6
Fernandes, Bruno	Manchester United	6
Dennis, Emmanuel	Watford FC	6
Antonio, Michail	West Ham United	6
Maddison, James	Leicester City	6