It is a familiar story for anyone that has watched Football Focus or Soccer Saturday- one team dominates for 89 minutes then concedes a goal at a fatalistic moment. With Harry Redknapp appearing all but set to be the new England manager, who could have anticipated Roy Hodgson sneaking in behind the defences and being named the man to lead England into Euro 2012? Everybody knew Roy was a candidate but I don’t think any supporter, journalist or player ever really thought he would get the job; indeed, it seemed more likely he would be used as a pawn by the FA to bring Daniel Levy’s valuation of Redknapp down. But when all the paper analysis and pub talk should be on the aftermath of the biggest Manchester derby in recent memory, the focus is again on the England hot seat and the pressures that come with it.
Already by some quarters Hodgson has been written off as the second choice- a ‘yes’ man or a safe pair of hands, and he may well be all of these- but that is what England needs right now. England spent over £50 million hiring the Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson, the sometimes English, sometimes Dutch Steven McClaren and Italian Fabio Capello and advanced no further than the quarter-finals and didn’t even qualify for the last Euros. Of course, Redknapp should have been interviewed for the job. By discounting Redknapp without even talking to him (as the four man panel have done), they have done little to stop the Redknapp supporters from believing that he would have been a good and successful manager and that will be the headline every time England lose- the FA have unwittingly made Redknapp the new Brian Clough.
As England fans we must make sure that we do not let Hodgson suffer the same fate that he did at Liverpool; he lasted only 191 days at Anfield while the fans choice, Kenny Dalglish, sat watching from the Directors box hanging the Sword Of Damocles over Hodgson’s head. On Merseyside he was not the King and it seems his fault this time is that he is not ‘Arry. As soon as it came through on Sunday evening that Hodgson was the preferred choice, all comparisons were made between the two managers, and it was not a flattering conclusion for Roy. From the moment Fabio left, even the senior figures of England such as Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand were ’tweeting’ their support for Redknapp; he was regarded as a football purist, an advocate of attacking football with an abundance of flair.
To say Redknapp does not have a tactical side is unfair, but he is a manager who does not throw caution to the wind if needs be, and seems more than happy to play two up front with two proper wingers. Although Hodgson is portrayed as a manager of organisation and repetition and instils ridged discipline from the training ground to the stadium, do not be fooled by his suit- Roy Hodgson is the ultimate tracksuit manager who is never off the training pitch. Neither approach is wrong but Hodgson will have to tailor his methods to the players at hand, something he failed to do at Liverpool.
Let us not forget, when you compare the honours of both managers, Hodgson is by far and away the winner. His main problem seems to be convincing the public that winning titles in unfashionable countries such as Sweden and Denmark are noteworthy achievements. He has also managed Inter Milan twice, and for anyone that knows their football, the press in Italy are notoriously unforgiving, and so Hodgson will know what it is like to work in a pressure cooker environment.
He has international experience, having managed 80 matches with Switzerland, Finland and the UAE, and took Fulham to unprecedented heights with momentous victories against the likes of Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus, Wolfsburg and Hamburg on the way. Furthermore, if he can make Bobby Zamora look like a world beater, imagine what he can do with someone with the talent of Wayne Rooney. What seems to be one of the major points that gave Hodgson preference over Redknapp is the fact that he will take to the new player and coaching centre at Burton like a duck to water, passing on his vast knowledge of European and World football to another generation.
I am not a huge fan of Rednapp and Hodgson certainly has the credentials for the job, so I have no problem with the appointment. However, I do take issue with the FA’s daliance with the decision. It was very interesting that a West Ham blog earler this week pointed out the influence of Brooking in all this. Whoever was appointed is doomed to failure, however, as England have very few top class players as the shambles at the last World Cup showed. No wonder Capello jumped ship with the Euros approaching. He could not face another fiasco at the Euros. Nothing at the international level will improve until the FA is cleaned out. This point was made by many after the World Cup and will be a refrain again after the Euos.
I agree, i wrote on it a few weeks back. http://thisisfutbol.com/2012/04/blogs/for-how-long-will-the-fa-continue-to-damage-englands-chances-in-euro-2012 It worked on the premise that Redknapp would get the job, but the general points remain the same.
Another appalling show by the FA, the laughing stock of the world, has ended with needless carnage at Spurs. I actually think Hodgson is a good choice, but their approach this last 3 months has been pathetic and disrespectful. After allowing months of tedious media speculation and the capitulation of an exciting (and largely English) Spurs team, they have decided to ignore Harry as a candidate. Intending to avoid disruptions in the league, they have achieved the exact opposite, and for no reason at all. Presumably they changed their mind over the appointment after Spurs’ slump in form; a slump they created. What an incredibly callous way to treat English football, and to treat an English team full of national players. Another shambolic chapter in the disgraceful governance of the FA. I wrote an in-depth article on the subject actually, if anyone is interested http://alex-keble.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/fas-treatment-of-england-vacancy-has.html