Hodgson quits with more speed and style than an England attack

By Andrew Warshaw

June 28 – England are looking for a new manager yet again after Roy Hodgson quit within minutes of the stunning  2-1 defeat by Iceland, the lowest-ranked team left in the competition, in the first knockout round at  Euro 2016.

Hodgson, who succeeded Fabio Capello in May 2012, won only three of 11 competitive games at three major tournament finals and  decided to jump before he was pushed following England’s woeful display in Nice that prompted an outpouring of criticism among fans and expert pundits alike.

“I’m extremely disappointed of course about tonight’s result and ultimately our exit from the competition. We haven’t progressed as far as I thought we were capable of, and that’s obviously not acceptable,” a clearly distraught Hodgson said in a prepared statement after Iceland continued their remarkable fairytale story through the tournament.

Although the pedigrees of the two countries could not be more different, Iceland, where the Premier League is obsessively followed by fans and players alike, looked the better team in just about every aspect of the game as they clinched a surprise quarterfinal berth and a dream tie against the host nation.

Hodgson tried his best to put a brave face on proceedings even though England, ponderous and clueless despite their youth, came up short when it mattered most. “I’m actually proud of the work my coaching staff and I have achieved over our time at the helm of England,” he said. “ The transition from the squad whose average age was 30 to now being the youngest in the tournament is both remarkable and exciting for the future of English football. I would have loved to stay on for another two years.

“However, I am pragmatic and I know we are in the results business. My contract was always up after the Euros, so now is the time for someone else to oversee the progress of this young, hungry and extremely talented group of players.

“They have been fantastic and have done everything that has been asked of them. When I arrived I was told players didn’t turn up to play for their country or that they pulled out at the last minute. I have not seen any of that. These players love to play for their country and their commitment has been unquestioned.”

England have still remarkably won only six tournament knockout games since 1966. In its own statement, the FA said: “Like the nation, we are disappointed to lose this evening and that our run in Euro 2016 has come to a premature end. We had high hopes of progressing through to the latter stages of the competition and accept that we have not met our own expectations or those of the country. We back Roy Hodgson’s decision to step down as England manager and will discuss next steps imminently.”

“It feels fantastic to come here as an underdog and perform in this way,” said Iceland joint-coach Lars Lagerback, who claimed two wins and four draws against England in his days as Sweden manager. “Football is about winning, about not conceding and scoring yourself. This team showed what it can do. You don’t feel like this on a lot of occasions, especially with a team like Iceland. The France game will be even bigger.”

As Iceland’s 10,000-strong blue army of fans – three percent of the population – celebrated long into the night along with everyone back home, Heimir Hallgrímsson, Iceland’s other  joint coach, added:  “If we prepare well and the players perform with the same attitude as today we can beat anybody. This will be a day we’ll talk about for the rest of our lives.”

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