5 Reasons Why Roy Hodgson Is Perfect Choice As England Manager
Why Hodgson and not Harry Redknapp is the best man to guide England into the Euro's this summer.
When the FAs announcement came on Sunday evening that they had approached West Bromwich Albion with a request to talk to Roy Hodgson about the vacant England manager position, the nation was shocked. Spurs boss Harry Redknapp was meant to be the only candidate, everyone else was there just to fill the pretense of a shortlist. But the more you think about it, the more the appointment of Hodgson as England's new national coach makes sense. Assuming this isnt part of a long winded headhunting process which will see other managers interviewed once their clubs have nothing left to play for, Hodgson has a lot of qualities that the FA should be looking for.
International Management Experience
Many a fine club manager has struggled to deal with the unique circumstances that come with managing an international side. Reduced time with players on the training pitch, less say in when players can play, and increased scrutiny from the press are just some of the factors that make managing a country too much of a challenge for some. Hodgsons tenures in Switzerland, Finland, and the UAE were successful by those countries standards at the time. He has managed at tournaments, often only to be let down by the talent restrictions of the talent pool that he could do nothing about. While nothing can prepare a manager for the media glare and eventual character assassination, international football will not be foreign to Hodgson where it would have been to Redknapp and other candidates.His Coaching Style Suits England
Note the number of people in football who say Hodgson is a great coach, whereas Redknapp is referred to a great manager. While man management is still key, a well drilled side can go very far in international tournaments, as shown by surprise victors Denmark in 1992 and Greece in 2004. Hodgson can get the best out of a limited side because he will make his team practice and practice and practice until his tactics become second nature. Englands best result in recent times was the backs-to-the-wall effort against Spain in November last year. Hodgson could be the ideal man to replicate that result. St Georges Park
Thirdly, and related to his status as a coach as opposed to a manager, Hodgson would buy into the St Georges Park project. This is the FA project to use the England base as the location to train more coaches to a higher standard. England lags behind the likes of Germany and Spain in terms of the number of UEFA-qualified coaches and the next England manager would be expected to be the public face of their coaching campaign. Would Redknapp really be willing to do this or would he think of it as a waste of time? Cheap
Hodgsons contract with West Brom runs out at the end of the season, so any compensation will be minimal. His wage demands are unlikely to be an issue such is his willingness to take the position, and unlike Redknapp the former Internazionale and Blackburn manager does not have a coaching entourage following him from job to job. While a five year contract means nothing if the press get their teeth into him, the FA is unlikely to face another Capello-conundrum if they need to make a change. Croydon
Born in South London, Hodgson ticks the one remaining box hes English! The initial reaction from the Press has demonstrated Hodgsons biggest problem should he get the job hes not Harry Redknapp. Without the champions in the press, and after his struggles at Liverpool (which look better in light of his successors efforts), Hodgson will have to find a fine balancing act between being his own man and keeping the media sweet. His first squad will be examined with a fine tooth comb, while results in the Euro's this summer will set the tone for the next few years. If Roy gets the job, hell need to make a good start from the very beginning.