ENGLAND – With the FA set to announce his Roy Hodgson as England manager, football fans have begun questioning his ability to produce a team capable of underperforming at the highest level of international football.
Following the news of Hodgson’s imminent arrival, suggestions are being made that he lacks the credentials required to lead the England team to abject failure at the big tournaments.
It’s understood Hodgson has already spoken with FA chairman David Bernstein and will meet with a four-man panel to discuss how to ensure the national team continues its streak of disappointing the nation.
Questionable candidate
It is expected any contract will cover the three tournaments up to and including Euro 2016, at which point he would be expected to have crashed and burned on penalties from a minimum of one competition .
With the late announcement of a successor to Fabio Capello, Wembley ticket holder Sean Hackett warned: “The European Championships are just a month away. We need our lads ready to capitulate like they did in South Africa and there’s no guarantee Roy is up to the task quite frankly.”
England fan Gavin Smiley from Huddersfield highlighted England’s recent history of managers that have led them to consistent disappointment in tournaments, and feared the weight of inflated expectation would be too much for the West Brom man.
“The England manager has to be capable of one thing: making sure we come up short in the major competitions,” said Mr Smiley.
“Maybe his time at Liverpool swayed the FA, but that team started off rubbish – I don’t think Roy can claim all the credit for that one.”
Fan’s reaction
West Brom Albion chairman Jeremy Peace resigned himself to losing Hodgson, but remained confident he could put all his good work behind him and continue the efforts of previous managers in making England a non-entity among Europe’s elite footballing nations.
Despite the endorsement, fans remained unconvinced.
“I would have preferred someone with the caliber of Fabio Capello or Sven Goran Eriksson,” said Wembley ticket holder Trevor Nicholls. “Someone capable of making the finest footballing talent England has to offer look no better than Accrington Stanley in the World Cup. “
Though he did later admit that both Eriksson and Capello came with little experience of sustained failure but managed to make the step down required to set English football backwards several years.
“I’m willing to give Hodgson a chance I guess.”
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