The Football Association chairman, Greg Dyke, has attempted to
draw a line under speculation about Roy Hodgson’s future by saying it will not
be discussed for at least another nine months.
Hodgson’s contract runs until the end of
Euro 2016 and although it is understood he wants to stay on until the World
Cup in Russia, Dyke is
keen for the issue not to dominate the rest of the qualifying campaign.
Confirming that Hodgson would attend the
draw for the qualifying stages ofWorld
Cup 2018 in St
Petersburg in July despite not knowing whether he will be in charge, Dyke said
that there had been no discussion about the manager’s future.
“I get on quite well with Roy and I chat
to him all the time. We have not talked about contracts yet. We genuinely
haven’t discussed it,” he said.
Dyke, who will attend a meeting of the
20 Premier League clubs in London on Thursday at which he is expected to face
opposition over his plans to reform the rules on homegrown players, said that
there would be no discussion of Hodgson’s future for up to a year.
“We will have the discussion with Roy in
the next nine months to a year. When we decided in Brazil that we wanted Roy to
continue with his contract, we thought – ‘he’s got a contract, he sees it
through’. Sometime in the next year we will discuss what happens afterwards.”
The FA has
been caught out in the past after betraying nerves about going into a major
tournament with the manager’s future unresolved, not least when Fabio Capello
was handed a new contract before the 2010 World Cup, but Dyke appears
determined to take a more relaxed approach.
The new FA chief executive, Martin
Glenn, who starts in May, will also want some input into Hodgson’s future and
any likely succession plan.
In the run up to England’s disastrous World Cup in Brazil, Dyke
avoided being drawn on Hodgson’s future but confirmed before the squad returned
toEngland that the manager would see out his
contract despite the team being knocked out in the group stages without winning
a match.
There is support within the squad to
prolong the manager’s stay, albeit Phil Jagielka – one of England’s more
experienced players – conceded the issue of Hodgson’s contract can only really
be properly addressed in the wake of a successful Euro 2016.
“We were all massively disappointed with
the way the World Cup went,” said the Everton centre-half. “Qualifying went
pretty well and we were all confident to have a good World Cup but,
unfortunately, it never happened. It was nice to see Roy was given another chance.
It was always going to be a nervy opening to the European qualifying and stuff
but the boys have been fantastic. It proved we still backed him, and that it
was the right decision to do so. But I am sure we need to have a good
tournament in France if Roy is going to stay on, and the boys are desperate to
do that.
“Without being disrespectful or naive,
the qualifying group isn’t the toughest, so time will tell [over progress] in
the tournament. There is a bit of pressure on and that is when the judgment
will be a bit clearer. But if you look at the manager’s coaching ability and
experience, his quality speaks for itself. When you get 24 people called up,
you’ve got to try and keep them all happy, hungry and wanting to play. That’s a
skill.”
Jakielka said Hodgson’s approach was a
refreshing counterpoint to the authoritarian Capello but conceded England would
have to deliver in France to keep him in his job.
“Sometimes we’ve had managers in the
past who have ruled like a headmaster, being a little bit too strict. With
Fabio Capello you sometimes felt you were treading on eggshells about the
place, which would make the weeks a bit more difficult. Roy’s approach makes
life a lot easier. You know where you stand rather than having to second guess
things,” he said.
“He’s very approachable, he’s got a
variety of people around him who have either played for England not so long ago
or done a lot of coaching, so it makes the whole experience a lot easier when
you’re coming away.
“You can sometimes feel that awkwardness
between players and manager and coaches. But I don’t know anyone who feels that
way with Roy and his staff.”
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