Roy Hodgson Appointed England Manager: What the Papers Are Saying

On Tuesday the FA hired Roy Hodgson to manage England's national team. On Wednesday the papers reacted.

Hodgson, who will finish the domestic season with West Bromwich Albion, signed a four-year contract.

England's Euro 2012 campaign begins June 11 against France in Donetsk. While we wait to see what Hodgson can do, here's what the papers are saying.

The Guardian: Winning over Disenchanted England Will Be Hard

The Guardian's Daniel Taylor praised Hodgson for his handling of his first press conference as England manager.

But Taylor quickly moved to the two-pronged task at hand: Preparing for Euro 2012 in a short amount of time and, as part of that, winning over England's players and fans.

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All this, and Hodgson knows he is inheriting a squad that, by his own admission, had expected and wanted Harry Redknapp. By the time Hodgson sat down, there still had not been a single England player to back his appointment publicly. All of which would not have been so noticeable had there not been such a stampede of players chirruping in support of Redknapp after Fabio Capello's resignation. "I'd have to be on another planet not to be aware of that situation," Hodgson conceded.

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Ultimately, it came down to the decision of the FA and, put simply, it concluded that he was the better man for the job. "This is the first time that England have ever appointed a manager who already has international experience," the FA chairman, David Bernstein, noted during a long eulogy about the manager's past achievements. What happened at Liverpool was quickly glossed over.

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The Sun: Mocking Headline

The Sun published a reaction piece, like the rest of Britain's papers.

But the infamous tabloid drew heavy criticism for its headline mocking the Hodgson's speech impediment.

And for good reason.

(h/t Jon Slattery)

The Sun: Rabbit in the Headlights

Inside, The Sun traded mockery for snark, courtesy of Steven Howard.

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As Roy Hodgson walked in to face the welcoming committee at Wembley yesterday, Sky TV were plugging the James Cameron film Voyage to the Bottom of the Earth.

It was a suitable reminder of most people’s expectations when England travel to Poland and Ukraine this summer.

Hodgson is under no illusions, either.

He has seen what the England job has done to some of the biggest names in the game.

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Howard then listed several former England managers, including Fabio Capello and Kevin Keegan. According to Howard, the England job got the best of all these men.

He then returned to Hodgson.

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For a while yesterday’s invasive spotlight caught him off guard.

Faced by as many TV cameras and assorted media folk as he has ever seen at one time, Hodgson looked like the proverbial rabbit caught in the headlights.

This was the moment he had waited for all his life and here he was sat in front of a bit of white cardboard saying ‘Roy Hodgson — England manager’.

You felt he might want to take it home with him and put it on his bedside table.

Or, alternatively, send it to Anfield.

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Actually, I've always heard the expression as "deer in the headlights."

In fairness, though, Howard later wrote that Hodgson's "huge experience…pulled him round."

The Independent: Good Debut

Sam Wallace, writing in The Independent, expressed admiration for the first impression Hodgson made as England boss.

Along the way, Wallace invented a few words.

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It is said that nothing and no one can prepare a man for being England manager and the level of scrutiny it attracts, comparable perhaps, in British public life, to just a few people in high office. But if Roy Hodgson felt the slightest bit intimidated or overawed by his new job, he did not show it yesterday.

Whether you were a Redknappist or a Hodgsonian, you could hardly deny that at his introduction as England manager, the new man conducted himself with dignity and composure at Wembley. The nature of the job, its highs and its lows – with a tendency towards more of the latter, it should be said – often contrive to rob a man of his composure, but to be fair to Hodgson yesterday he looked as if he has deep reserves of the stuff.

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Telegraph: All We Are Saying Is Give Peace a Chance

Daily Telegraph writer Henry Winter focused on Hodgson's pledge to bring together defenders John Terry and Rio Ferdinand for "peace talks."

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Hodgson “accepted” the FA’s decision to remove the armband from Terry while he awaits an appearance before a magistrates’ court following an allegation of racially abusing Ferdinand’s brother, Anton. Terry denies the charge. “I’ll have to get in touch with John and Rio to speak with them, hopefully face to face, and find out where they are in this situation,’’ said Hodgson.

“John and Rio, as respected members of the team, are going to be two I need to speak to. I’ll have to speak to as many senior players as I can.”

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Evening Standard: Good Hire, but a Decade Too Late

In the London Evening Standard, Patrick Barclay hailed the FA's decision to hire a "serious candidate" and panned their predecessors' "horribly expensive policy of hiring foreigners."

Such a waste, Barclay wrote, has set English football back by several years—and several million pounds.

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How much was wasted over a decade in the breaking of a traditional principle observed by most of the leading football nations such as Germany, Italy and Brazil?

A rough calculation, made by adding up the inflated salaries of Eriksson, Capello and a host of mainly compatriot assistants and subtracting the job’s true value—of their English predecessors, only Kevin Keegan received more than £500,000—is that £40million gushed out of the English game for no good reason.

Had it instead been poured into the project now known as St George’s Park, the national football centre would have been up and running for years, not still awaiting its inaugural ceremony.

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Birmingham Mail: England's Gain Is West Brom's Loss

Birmingham Mail writer Chris Lepkowski gushed about Hodgson's man-management, technical know-how and personality.

Lepkowski's only grumble was that England's gain will be West Bromwich Albion's loss.

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On form, he is a witty, intelligent, well-versed orator - possibly emanating from his passion for reading.

He is the ideal statesman for the FA. Unlike, say Harry Redknapp, Hodgson will wear the Association’s blazer with dignity and class.

The St George's Park project at Burton-on-Trent is also ideal for his remit. Development of footballers is something he cares passionately about.

Hodgson has international credentials, tournament experience and a proven record for dragging footballers across the boundaries of over-achievement.

In that respect, and given England’s drift into mediocrity, he sounds ideal. Who knows, he might just inspire a touch of legerdemain from a Rooney or a Gerrard.

It’s just a shame it’ll be to Albion’s loss.

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