THE ENGLAND MANAGER hit out at journalists following the Three Lions’ narrow 1-0 win over Norway and says he cannot understand why there has been so much reaction
England manager Roy Hodgson has played down the fall-out after he responded to a journalist’s question by claiming it was “absolute f****** b*******”.
Hodgson was quizzed about his side’s inability to create clear-cut chances against Norway at Wembley, with the Three Lions managing just two shots on target in the 1-0 victory.
He then hit out at his players in an open training session, but explains he is a grown man and his swearing was used in the right context. “I swear all the time. I swear in front of my wife — I never used to when I was a kid but I do now, so there you go,” he said. “It’s 2014. People swear – and I swear.
“What sort of world are we living in? You are scraping the bottom of a barrel to say something negative from me swearing.
“I’m a football coach. I played in the non-League with dockers whose every other word was a swear word. They didn’t even know they were swearing because they didn’t know any other words.
“If you asked me why, I couldn’t tell you. I think my vocabulary is good enough to allow me not to do it.” Hodgson insists that his Wembley rant was not designed to offend anyone, and that he is not feeling the pressure after a group-stage exit at this summer’s World Cup.
“If you get it written down, ‘We are very annoyed and morally offended by Hodgson, the England manager, using a swear word. And we insist that in the future he never swears…’ then, okay, I will never swear in your company again.
“I just thought I was with mature enough people to understand that a swear word, which I thought was probably used at the right time, should not provoke a fit of moral indignation.
“I will put the message forward quite strongly, even a little bit aggressively sometimes.
“But there was no need for me to be upset and there was no ill feeling. The pressure is the pressure in this job. I don’t know I can feel more pressure than I put myself under.
“The pressure sometimes unfortunately will come from outside and there is not so much you can do about it.”
Meyler will be happy at Hull
Be great to see Sheff Wednesday back in the premiership a throwback to the 90s
On a plus from Ireland’s point of view, all 3 Derby players are likely to be on the plane to France, and If they are available now for the 2 friendlies it is a plus. Keogh and Hendrick are not far off the starting 11 against Sweden.
Wednesday please! I fear Hull might have too much for them though.
Anyone but hull!