Facts Stats
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Date of Birth: 09.08.1947
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Birthplace: Croydon, London, England
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Nationality: English
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Playing Career: Crystal Palace, Gravesend and Northfleet, Maidstone United
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Managerial Career: Fulham, Finland, Viking FK, UAE, Udinese, F.C. Copenhagen, Grasshopers, Internazionale, Blackburn Rovers, Internazionale, Switzerland, Neuchâtel Xamax, Malmö FF, Örebro SK, Bristol City, Halmstads BK
The appointment of Roy Hodgson as Fulham Manager by Chairman Mohamed Al Fayed on the 28th December 2007 will surely be remembered as one of the most inspirational managerial appointments in Premier League history.
With only two wins in 20 games during the first half of the 2007/08 season the Chairman’s beloved Club resided at the foot of the Premier League table. Hodgson immediately set about reviving the fortunes of the South West London club, drafting in several new players during the January transfer window and re-branding the Club’s style of play during his intensive daily training sessions at Motspur Park.
Whilst points proved hard to come by in the first two months of Hodgson’s reign, the drastic improvement in the team’s performances inspired hope amongst the Fulham ranks. By Spring 2008 the Cottagers were firing on all cylinders and achieved an incredible haul of 12 points from their last five games to secure an eighth successive season in the top flight. A quite remarkable achievement.
During the summer of 2008 Hodgson overhauled the Fulham squad, recruited thirteen new players whilst seventeen departed. The prospect of Fulham qualifying for Europe the following season would have been dismissed by pundits and football fans alike as wild fantasy ahead of the 08/09 campaign.
Hodgson’s team defied all expectations as they turned Craven Cottage into a fortress last term. Arsenal, Newcastle, Tottenham and Manchester United were all defeated by Fulham in SW6 as the Whites secured seventh place at the end of a memorable campaign. In only his first full season in charge Hodgson had guided his Fulham team to the Club’s highest ever finish, guaranteeing European football at Craven Cottage in 2009.
With over 30 years managerial experience on the domestic and international scene, Hodgson is a highly respected figure amongst the global football community. He led Malmo during one of the most successful periods in their history, winning eight league titles with the Swedish club. Hodgson also led Italian giants Inter Milan to a Uefa Cup Final in 1997, narrowly losing out after a penalty shoot out against Schalke. Hodgson also had successful spells in international management; the most notable of these when he lead Switzerland to World Cup ’94 and Euro ’96.
Hodgson has participated in four Uefa Technical Study Groups and once with Fifa and was once again invited to Euro 2008 as a member of UEFA’s Technical Team for the tournament in Austria and Switzerland.
Fulham fans can look forward to an appealing brand of football at the Cottage again this coming season with Hodgson at the helm. The Whites possess a Manager with a proven pedigree, unrivalled knowledge of the European game and technical astuteness to lead Fulham into battle against the best in the land.
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Roy Hodgson - Managerial career
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1976 – 1980
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Halmstads BK
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(Sweden)
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1980 - 1982
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Bristol City
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(England)
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1983 – 1985
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Orebro SK
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(Sweden)
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1985 – 1989
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Malmo FF
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(Sweden)
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1990 – 1992
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Neuchatel Xamax
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(Switzerland)
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1992 – 1995
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Switzerland National Team
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(Switzerland)
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1995 – 1997
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Internazionale
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(Italy)
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1997 – 1998
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Blackburn Rovers
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(England)
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1999
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Internazionale
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(Italy)
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1999 – 2000
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Grasshoppers
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(Switzerland)
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2000 – 2001
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FC Copenhagen
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(Denmark)
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2001
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Udinese
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(Italy)
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2002 – 2004
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UAE National Team
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(United Arab Emirates)
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2004 - 2006
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Viking FK
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(Norway)
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