ROY HODGSON - Does he get enough praise?

Roy Hodgson is the best English manager of his generation. In terms of longevity he is un-challenged, and his track record stands up against any of his other contemporaries.

Some of you reading this may think this is a crazy statement, but who are his main rivals? Alan Curbishley and Steve McClaren are much younger, whilst Sir Bobby Robson is a fair bit older. Sam Allardyce perhaps? Kevin Keegan? Howard Kendall (excellent, briefly, but not really in the game long enough)? Howard Wilkinson (god forbid!) or… Harry Redknapp?

After winning four league titles in Sweden, Hodgson took Switzerland to the 1994 World Cup in America. This was their first World Cup finals since 1966. They finished above Italy (the 1994 finalists) in qualifying and reached the knockout stages. This huge achievement was mutely noted by the English press, but was he given enough credit?

There were no stars in that Swiss team, just a half decent, average group of players. They defeated Romania 4-1 in that tournament and the Romanian’s were hailed by many to be one of the best teams in the USA.

Switzerland beat some of the best teams in the world under Hodgson’s stewardship. They posed the attacking threat of Stephane Chapusait and Adrian Knup, but the majority of the players were hardworking journeymen.

The country also qualified for Euro 96 in Hodgson’s home country, and despite losing all three games, Hodgson will always remain a hero in Switzerland. He molded that team together and made them a genuine force. He did a terrific job.

His success with the Swiss took him to Italy and the prestigious job of Inter Milan boss. He did a solid job, but Inter were not the force then, that they are now. He signed Paul Ince and guided the team to the 1997 UEFA Cup Final. They lost on penalties, but he had made his mark.

The UEFA Cup was still a huge competition in those days, and Hodgson became a popular figure at the San Siro. The club also finished third in Serie A, but Juventus and Parma were particularly strong sides at that time. Hodgson was certainly not a failure though, and remains highly rated in Italy to this day.

He took over at Blackburn Rovers with the club bottom of the table in the winter of 1996. They had won the title only a year or so earlier, but had lost key players David Batty and Alan Shearer to Newcastle, and Graeme Le Saux to Chelsea. He guided the Lancashire club to 12th place by the end of the season.

The following season, his Blackburn side were well in title contention up to February, but injuries affected them towards the end of the season, They eventually finished sixth, but it was still enough to qualify for the UEFA Cup.

It would be easy to say that Blackburn still had the nucleus of the title side and Hodgson didn’t deliver there. However, they were bottom in November 1996, and the three players who departed were all England internationals. He deserves credit doesn’t he?

The following season, however, was a disaster and severely damaged his reputation. It took years for him to recover. He signed a very young Kevin Davies for huge money, but Davies fell ill early on and Hodgson’s team was bottom of the league after a dozen matches. He was sacked in November.

Whether it was just bad luck or bad judgment is anyone’s guess, but he paid a huge price and it certainly affected his career for a long while after.

In 2001 Hodgson was one of three serious candidates for the England job, but Sven- Goran Eriksson was chosen. You get the feeling that if it had been three years earlier, Hodgson may well have been selected. He was certainly the best English born choice at that time, and possibly along with Harry Redknapp, still is.. His age may well now have got the better of him, although he is still younger than Fabio Capello, so there is still hope.

He won the Danish title with F.C Copenhagen, but that could be the said to be the equivalent of winning the Premier League with Manchester United in Denmark. He also spent six unhappy months in Serie A with Udinese.

The Croydon born coach did, unfortunately, slip off the radar, despite so much earlier success. However, it could be said that he was ever high on the radar in the first place in most football critics’ minds.

His reputation and confidence were restored when he took over Finland’s Euro 2008 qualifying campaign. They were not a potent attacking force, a little like his current Fulham side, but they still gained 24 points, one more point than England managed, but finished fourth in a very tight group. They had five 0-0 draws, but still had the chance to qualify in their last match in Portugal.

Countries like Finland very rarely have a chance of qualification going into the last game of qualifying. Hodgson’s love affair with International football and un-fancied nations is there for all to see. His record is outstanding.

There is no hiding the fact that Hodgson has done an astonishing job with Fulham. They dramatically escaped relegation last season, and he has re-built the team in such a short time. I watched the game with Middlesbrough on Saturday and they are so difficult to break down.

Hodgson’s current side are very efficient. Mark Schwarzer is an excellent last line of defence and Brede Hangerland has been one of the players of the season at centre-half. Konchesky, always a good attacking outlet, has improved defensively under Hodgson, whilst John Pantsil is a tough, uncompromising full back.

Aaron Hughes, meanwhile, is a shadow of the nervous, fidgety player he was at Newcastle. He is commanding and solid on the ball, and looks so comfortable playing under the London born coach.

The midfield is full of tidy, hard working, but gifted players. He has revitalised Danny Murphy, who is playing his best football since 2003.

Clint Dempsey, meanwhile, is developing into a fine attacking wide midfielder, and I think many clubs will be looking at him in the summer. Hodgson lost Jimmy Bullard, but it doesn’t seem to have affected the side. In fact they look even better.

Bobby Zamora doesn’t score enough goals, but Hodgson has acknowledged his excellent hold up play. Andy Johnson is always a threat, but should score more. However, the front two are very busy and seemed to have rediscovered their confidence. Hodgson deserves praise for this too.

Fulham don’t score enough goals, but don’t have to with a defence as solid as their’s.
Hodgson knows he can’t compete with the attacking flair of the top clubs so he plays to his team’s strengths - organisation and counter attacking.

The Cottagers have beaten Arsenal and Manchester United and have drawn against Chelsea, Liverpool and Villa this season. They are one point off a UEFA Cup spot and have an excellent chance of snatching it. They have a hugely experienced manager who deserves respect and is unlikely to fall out with his players. He also is a very dignified man.

Hodgson has been successful at big clubs, small clubs and at international level. As well as this, he is incredibly humble, and just let’s his record to his talking.

So why doesn’t he get the respect he truly deserves?

I think it is his persona. He is not out-spoken, cocky or, indeed, aloof. He is just like the guy next door, a family man, who just happens to know a lot about football.

He is multi-lingual too, almost unheard of for an English football coach, and has that ‘middle class gentlemen’ feel about him. Does he appeal to the average football fan?

Is it because he was out of the English football scene so long, that people feel he is, somehow, not really ‘English’? He certainly still sounds it!

When you compare his record to Martin O’Neil, for example, it matches up favourably. O’Neil is so highly rated and rightly so. However, apart from the signing of Andy Johnson, Hodgson has not had the money or time that O’Neil has had at Villa, a much bigger club. However there is currently not that much between the two teams.

Fulham will do well to hold onto Hodgson. Recent press reports suggest that their financial position is such that they may have to lose players in the summer. Although, subsequently, this has been refuted by the chairman.

Hodgson has built that team in super-fast time, and if this is the case, would he be prepared to build another one? Or is it time to move on again?

He is without doubt, a great manager. It’s a travesty he has never had the England job.