In the most recent turn of events, Manchester City’s pursuit of the title encountered an unexpected hiccup in the form of a draw against Crystal Palace after going 2-0 up. Adding a touch of irony to the situation was the revered Roy Hodgson, orchestrating a tactical masterplan from the helm of the opposition.
The drama was not limited to the playing field alone; off the pitch, the Etihad Stadium witnessed a spectacle of entertainment, with Hodgson himself caught in a moment of amusement as his counterpart, Pep Guardiola, fumed in response to on-field actions. Guardiola was furious after his side had conceded the spot kick and animatedly started appealing to the fourth official. Roy Hodgson was found laughing at Pep while he held his head in his hands.
At the youthful age of 76, Roy Hodgson stands as a prominent figure in the football world, a legendary coach with a remarkable track record of managing 22 different clubs throughout his illustrious career. His on-camera presence has consistently captivated audiences, and over the years, he has amassed a collection of iconic incidents.
The headphone Struggle GIF:
Roy struggling to deal with his headphones during a press conference or two is the first thing that comes to mind often. One of the famous such incidents was during the Euro 2016 press conference for a match against Russia, where a Russian reported asked a question and for the translation part the manager had to wear the headphones. He struggled with them and then claimed they did not cover his ears. Even the then captain of the team Wayne Rooney, who was present, had a laugh about it.
The disappointment GIF:
During the 2014 campaign of Roy Hodgson with the English team, he had to face the ultimate disappointment of getting knocked out of the world cup. During the build up of that Luis Suarez goal which would eventually put England out of the race, Roy can be seen getting his hopes up that his team can defend it but it culminates in the form of a disappointing sigh and head down moment.
Roy seems to be working alongside his team from the touchline with whole hearted passion and seems to share all the happy as well as sad moments with them.
The Chin up moment GIF:
Roy Hodgson is a huge presence in any dressing room and time and again he has proved so. He can be seen cheering for goals alongside his team and pulling them up, asking them to keep their chin up during the times they were struggling. During his early Crystal Palace days, he can be seen motivating his players from the touchline when all seems lost for them during the 2017 campaign.
The frustration is real GIF:
During his Liverpool days, Roy didn’t manage to put up many good performances on the field but off field he gave us the ‘cheese grater’ impression which still works as a treat for all watching. During a failed attack from Liverpool after the team was trailing 2-1 behind their opponents, he seemed visibly frustrated. After that brisk facial rubbing, the manager did look fired up to take on the world for sure. Even the ‘head banger’ moment during his West Brom days is up there.
Let’s not take the piss here GIF:
Hodgson has always been a straight arrow and even during the press interviews he doesn’t seem to take anything lightly. During such an interview in 2011, he was mentioning how his team West Brom were “rocked back” by the penalty decision and the reported then followed up ‘which penalty decision ?’. That line of questioning seems to have irked Roy and hence producing one of the most iconic interview lines of them all “Lets not take the piss here”, “There wasn’t a fucking penalty in the game”.
In an era dominated by fleeting trends, Roy Hodgson’s GIFs serve as timeless reminders of a footballing personality whose charisma transcends the boundaries of the beautiful game.