5 Reasons Why England Won't Win Euro 2012?
As we brace ourselves for another European Championship, Joseph Dempsey asks the key question: "Can England win Euro 2012?".
As we brace ourselves for another European Championship, Joseph Dempsey asks the key question: "Can England win Euro 2012?"
1. The Manager
Roy Hodgsons England record stands at two games played, two wins and two clean sheets. Not a bad start at all but how has he fared as an International manager previously? He began his career in January 1992 for Switzerland. In his three year tenure he won twenty one matches, and drew and lost 10 times each leaving him with a win percentage of 51.22%. He took Switzerland to the 1994 World Cup, their first since 1966. The Swiss lost only one game during qualification in a group that contained Italy and Portugal, taking four points off Italy in the process, who would go on to reach that years World Cup final. They reached the round of 16 before losing to Spain. Switzerland then qualified for Euro 1996 but Hodgson quit immediately afterwards to join Inter Milan. During his time with Switzerland, they were ranked the third best team in the world according to the FIFA World Rankings. He became manager of United Arab Emirates in April 2002 after spells with Inter Milan, Blackburn Rovers, Copenhagen and Udinese. There he fared less favourably, winning 4, drawing six and losing seven games in his two year spell, with a win percentage of 23.53%. He was sacked in 2004 after a fifth-place finish in the Gulf Cup of Nations. He then took charge of the Finland national team in January 2006. He won six matches, drew eleven and lost five. He narrowly missed out on qualification for Euro 2008 but pundits at the time applauded his sides well-drilled defensive nature. Five of Finlands 14 qualification games for Euro 2008 ended in 0-0 draws and he received some criticism for his sides apparent inefficiency in attack. He finished his time with Finland with a win percentage of 27.27% - worse than any other manager since 2000. He took over as Liverpool manager in July 2010 but was fired after just six months after failing to win over the Anfield crowd. Verdict: No