ROY’S ONE OF RUSKIN GRAMMAR

FINAL GAME Roy Hodgson is retiring

ROY HODGSON says goodbye to Crystal Palace at Anfield today – but the love story is not over.

Old friend and Eagles legend Steve Kember would not even rule out Hodgson returning regularly to Selhurst Park as a fan.

The pair have been pals since they were kids and form half of one of English football’s most extraordinary quartets.

Hodgson and Kember attended John Ruskin Grammar School in Croydon, along with Lennie Lawrence, who managed over 1,000 league matches in his career, and Bobby Houghton, who led Malmo to a European Cup

Final and bossed the Chinese and Indian national teams.

All four appeared in the same school football team.

Kember and Hodgson would often walk to Selhurst Park together in the 1950s from the same house on Sydenham, with the former’s family living in the downstairs flat and the latter’s upstairs. That both men went on to manage their boyhood club remains an extraordinary coincidence.

“As Roy said this week, he has supported Palace since he was five,” Kember said.

“We would both walk up to watch Palace play in the old Third Division. We would go to the game from the same house with our dads. There were four

of us who went to John Ruskin at the time, I was in the year below as I was 18 months younger than the others.

“It’s amazing that all four of us went on to become managers – some more successful than others!”

Kember’s infectious laugh has been a regular feature at Selhurst Park since he made his playing debut for the club in 1965. He would have two spells there as a player before going on to manage the club four times, twice in a full-time role and twice as a caretaker boss.

In between, he has done almost every conceivable role at Palace and rarely ventured far from the club. After failing to make the grade as a player,

Hodgson has been a globetrotter in comparison, with his CV like a Lonely Planet guide to football, before he once again put down roots in south London.

“There’s a huge amount of pride in everything Roy has achieved,” Kember said.

“To support the club and then go back there and manage them in the Premier League for four years to establish them there is a fantastic feat.

“You could see how emotional he was at Selhurst Park after the Arsenal game because the club means a lot to him. Whether he’ll go and support the club from the stands is another thing.

“We all followed each other’s careers. Whenever Roy came over from wherever he was managing in the world, he would always get in touch.

“We all followed Bob when he led Malmo to that European Cup Final and Lennie’s career is remarkable too.

“We’re all still in touch because we’re all Croydon boys at the end of the day.

“That will never change.”