Roy Hodgson wasn’t exactly first choice elect for the England job when he was appointed earlier on this year before the Euros. Everyone wanted cheeky chappy Harry Redknapp, an Englishman who would hopefully lead his country to a tournament victory like Sir Alf Ramsey did all those years ago.
Yes, we have ourselves an Englishman, but Hodgson is proving less and less popular by the minute. His latest gaffe was to announce publicly on a London tube that Rio Ferdinand’s international career was all but over, without having notified the Manchester United centre back of any such news.
Then you consider the players he is bringing in to the squads, and more importantly those who are being left out on a regular basis. What more do the likes of Grant Holt and Nathan Dyer have to do to get a chance to don the Three Lions jersey? Holt in particular, is a player who has the ability to test the very best of defences, as he proved with his latest goal against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
He was the second highest scoring English forward in the Premier League last season, but yet Roy Hodgson seems to be oblivious to that fact. When you see the likes of Martin Kelly being drafted in ahead of an experience Micah Richards as well, you know things aren’t quite as they should be in the England camp. Kelly is a top player, but is he really ready to take on the world’s best for England, when he’s not even first choice right back to his fellow countryman Glen Johnson at Liverpool?
Hodgson has a lot to answer for in the coming months, but if this current England squad can bring some pride back to these shores come 2014, then Roy will begrudgingly have to be given credit for his decisions.
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