He told Sky Sports News: “I don’t think there’s an obvious candidate and that’s a problem for the FA as I don’t think they want to go down the road of a foreign manager again and I don’t want them to”.
Advertisement
Following England’s 2-1 loss to Iceland in the last-16 tie of the European Champions, Hodgson immediately announced his resignation as manager of the national side, but refused to answer and questions from the press.
England’s players just couldn’t come up with a game plan and even resorted to long balls down the middle – a throwback to less-technical times in the English game.
Facing reporters at England’s media centre in Chantilly, north of Paris, Hodgson had begun by admitting: “I don’t really know what I’m doing here”. “I thought my statement last night was sufficient”.
Crouch, who refused to be on standby for Hodgson at Euro 2012, said: “These are good young players”.
“I’m no longer the England manager”. In Nice on Monday, Iceland neutralized the English Premier League’s top two scorers, Kane and Vardy, with tight marking, positional forethought and superb awareness of where the rest of the team was at all times. “But I was told that it was important for everybody that I appear and I guess that is partly because people are still smarting from our poor performance”. I suppose someone has to take the slings and arrows. I am still fragile.
If the goals, the win and the ecstatic celebration were not enough, the Iceland team went on to do a New Zealand rugby team-type “Haka” to celebrate their historic thumping of England. We wanted to do well.
“He’s been in pain since the game, but there are lots of ways for the medics to get you back than maybe in the olden days”.
Southgate is now 6/4 favourite with the bookies having been 6/1 on Monday night once Hodgson’s assistant, former Manchester United star Gary Neville, also resigned in the wake of the Iceland defeat. The 47-year-old had taken Villa to the FA Cup final the previous season, where they lost 4-0 to Arsenal.
Hodgson was accompanied by Football Association chief executive Martin Glenn who said a review would now be conducted into why England were so “brittle” at tournaments. “It certainly is the wrong day for me to be talking about it because emotions are too raw”.
“I think it goes against the principle of global football”.
“They looked at me and said, “No, it’s a lack of experience”.
“On behalf of the players, we completely supported the England manager but understand his reasons for stepping down”. He’s spent four years building the England team and making it much a stronger set up.
Hodgson’s players wilted after falling 2-1 behind, struggling to string passes together and failing to master basic techniques as the enormity of their impending exit dawned on them.
Advertisement
As England’s players slumped onto the grass and the final whistle, Iceland’s substitutes and backroom staff charged onto the pitch as if they’d won the final.
