Seems Merson isn't overjoyed at the appointment! http://www.skysports.com/opinion/story/0,,15205_7721120,00.html?
I think everyone expected Harry that's the problem, when players who have quite a lot of power like wayne rooney and rio ferdinand are tweeting their backing for harry before the announcement is made it seems an inevitability.
I was appalled by this article, so much so that I posted a response on Sky's website. At the moment it's up for moderation, surprise, surprise. He's says he doesn't want to 'disrespect Roy' but that's entirely what the whole ****ing article does ! I think that given the chance Roy Hodgson could well do a good job
Exactly. Given the chance, and yet he has been tried and convicted by the likes of Paul Merson before he has even finished his press conference. The words 'chalice' and 'poisoned' spring to mind....in no particular order!
The Sun of all things hit the nail on the head. Hodgson suffered at Liverpool because he wasn't King Kenny, he'll suffer as England boss because he's not 'Arry. Fans won't be happy unless he wins every single game and some of the senior players, like Ferdinand and Rooney, who were vocal in their support for 'Arry and have been very silent since, could make life difficult for him. The media, naturally, will be on his back the second there's a bad performance.
Just saw this quote by Steven Reid, WBA player. "Conor McNamara ‏ @ConorMcNamaraIE Interesting from @stevenreid12 on @bbc5live "Hodgson won't provide any stories for the front pages." Is that really why papers wanted Harry?" Kinda makes you wonder, the red tops especially won't get much from Hodgson - apart from back page stuff
Has Dalglish really been an improvement for Liverpool in the league? No I don't think so. Yet the media were far more critical of Hodgson than they are of Dalglish. Being who he is, not that he has done anything bad, more that he is boring. They need something to write about so they have a go at Hodgson.
what an appalling article! merson certainly doesn't speak for me - i wanted woy all along. redknapp was wanted by the media - that never made him the fans favourite. i'd say as many fans wanted redknapp as wanted hodgson/a n other. anybody who knows anything about how international football works would have suggested hodgson the more capable candidate for the job than harry. being organised is far more important than havin' a laugh in training - just cos the players wanted to be on 'easy street' yet again. they should be going to the tournament to work hard, not piss about and have a good time
This sort of covers the point I made re Holt and England.Anyone who takes it on is on a hiding to nothing whether they are the manager who is expected to deliver Euro success or a centre forward expected to knock goals in for fun. Let's be honest England are in the second tier of national teams.It's a bit like expecting the Championship play off teams to compete against the two Manchester clubs.Roy Hodgson is a good bloke,too good for the job he has undertaken.Merson,well he's just a retired crackhead.
This is typical bloody England isn't it? Hero or zero. I reckon the FA played safe because 'arry may have some dirty washing with his tax affairs and stuff might still come out in the future, they have been there once with Venables and they are not going there again. Football wise I don't think there is too much to choose between them but of course for the press, just football stuff is not good enough. Murdoch and all the other tabloid moguls expect an England manager and their families to fill half the paper every day (cheap reporting again) and Woy hasn't got a daughter like 'arry so that counts against him. I wish Woy well but fear he has an uphill battle for all the wrong reasons. Murdoch would be happy if we appointed Jordan (the tossp*t)
interesting stuff from opta again this morning! they claim, with statistical evidence, that anthony pilkington should go to the euros with england. http://www.eplindex.com/14251/england-best-xi-part-4-uncapped-players-opta-stats-analysis.html/2
Hodgson is a very safe appointment, we assume no skeletons in the cupboard, after the debacles we have had recently. I have no idea what the FA are seeking. I remember when Clive Woodward took the England rugby job, he brought in new players and took a bit of a caning early on but we ended up with the WC eventually. If we really want to build a squad for the next 6 years and three major championships, then I think Hodgson can do a decent job. If we want to go to the Euros with the slightest chance of doing well, we would need a radical change and a manager who will pick on form not reputations or the clubs they play for.
fully agree with this who wanted Rednap anyway, he screwed Portsmouth and then went to spurs created a good team with loades of money and then could not manage them to finish a season, hardly a great advertisment for someone to do the England job. Roy will do alright just cause he is not a wise boy or a chav the pundits will give him a hard time , but who cares about them anyway just a bunch of has beens!
I would suggest that after the Euro's Roy should take a 'new broom' attitude and get rid of the old guard completely and build for the future. I would include Gerrard in that too as he will be well past his best come Brazil 2014
......i see that downing is not listed in those stats at all but i bet he is (wrongly) on the plane ahead of pilks and dyer and sinclair. on hodgson, he has managed, successfully, all over europe and has also been manager to three national teams. at least he has a background knowledge of the needs and stresses of international management. i hope the media will back off and give him a chance, but i won't hold my breath.
