Hodgson not surprised by England appointment
Roy Hodgson, the newly-appointed manager of England, has said he was not surprised to be approached for the position despite the widely-held belief Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp would be offered the job, the BBC has reported.
Instead of Redknapp the Football Association plumped for West Bromwich Albion’s Hodgson, formerly manager of Liverpool and Fulham. Hodgson also has experience of international management with the United Arab Emirates, Finland and Switzerland, taking the Swiss to the 1994 World Cup and Euro ’96, although Hodgson resigned to take charge at Serie A side Inter before the latter tournament.
Hodgson, 64, said while he did not expect to be appointed as Fabio Capello’s replacement, he felt he had a fighting chance based on his long record in football. He added: “Given my CV I had the right to hope and harbour the wish that the FA, after going through the process, would choose me. I didn’t expect though…I wouldn’t say I was particularly surprised. I was always hoping the choice would be made and would work in my favour.”
A number of England players had however previously come out in support of the idea of Redknapp as the next England manager, including Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand. Hodgson added that he has dealt with similar situations before and was confident he could do so again.
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