Roy Hodgson appointed new England manager

[Guest firetotheworks]

Class! I had no idea he was that type of manager though. I always thought he was a dad type manager like Wenger.

[Kaizero]

Here's the whole thing then for those interested:

 

Choose "spare change" in Norway ahead of cigars in Monaco

- Here are the best stories from when circus Hodgson coached Viking. Tonight he is leading Fulham in the Europa League final.

 

http://gfx.dagbladet.no/labrador/116/116963/11696392/jpg/active/503x.jpg

He was a Quote-machine: Roy Hodgson coached Viking for ca. two seasons, in 2004 and 2005. And even though he didn't manage to get them the league gold, he'll be forever remembered in Stavanger.

 

With the biggest margin in the history, Roy Hodgson was voted manager of the year by his collegues in the Premier League.

 

With a Europa League final victory against Atletic Madrid tonight he will also be the first English manager in 13 years to win a European Cup, and thus it counts less that Fulham ended on a mediocre 12th place in the English Premier League this year.

 

Because now the 62-year old is declared a genius in the British tabloids, and is linked to bigger and more attractive managing positions, like Liverpool.

 

It's interesting if Hodgson had foreseen this career-path when he a cold January day in Stavanger for just over five years ago placed himself in a chair in the Viking changing room, mildly irritated after a training session where it had been raining heavily, and not to mention the shit astroturf pitch.

 

Hodgson looked up at his players, shaked his head and sighed heavily.

 

- Some of the most fantastic was when Hodgson was a bit annoyed over us, he said: "I don't know what I am doing here. I could've been in Monaco and smoked a big, fat cigar. But look at me, here I am working my ass off for blooy change." Egil Østenstad tells Dagbladet.

 

- Learnt a lot.

 

Vikings current Director of Football had his last season as a player in 2005, the last year Hodgson was manager in the oil city. It was the year Østenstad learnt the most in his career.

- I learnt extremely much football. He is extremely wise, clear and clever, and everything he did at training was extremely related to the way we would play during our games. And then I'm saying really extreme. Play in a square was not done, because it "had nothing to do with football". So you can like or dislike the football he wanted us to play, but it didn't matter, because you learnt so much from it.

 

- But didn't it get boring during training?

 

- Yes, it did. Roy is a fantastic coach, but over time it's not certain he would have been the smartest choice in the case of Viking. But what he did was extremely effective, Østenstad says.

 

- Refused the players to speak to journalists.

 

In England he isn't too well known to be funny or too open in his interviews. At Viking the situation was completely different.

 

- It was never boring with Hodgson, Rogaland Newspaper journo Espen Iversen says.

 

He was among the ones that followed the Viking manager the closest, and got to experience both the wrath and humour of the Englishman, often with very little time in between.

One time it went as for as Hodgson telling his players: "Either you speak to me, or you speak to that fat man over there. And if you, you're out of the team."

 

- We had a front page where he yelled at his own scout, Barry Simmons, which he is also using in Fulham. The story was that I had a chat with Simmons, where he had mentioned players that was in Vikings sights. I confronted Roy with the names, and he wanted to know where I got the information. When he got to know it was Simmons, he yelled and yelled and yelled. I was there and wrote it all down, and got a great story.

 

- The same day as the story got on the front page, he came up to me at the training ground and asked me "what the fuck are you doing here?". I answered that I was doing my job, and then Hodgson told the players that they had the choice to either speak to him or me, and if they chose the latter they would be out of the team.

 

It went a few days where Iversen did not get the Viking players to speak to him. A pair of the older players challenged destiny when they asked Hodgson if a boycott maybe was a bit too strict.

 

Four days after Iversen's phone rang:

 

- It's Roy. Wanna be friends again?

 

- Big Fish in a gold fish bowl.

 

Iversen thinks the mood swings is something of the best about Hodgson.

 

- His mood changed from hour to hour, but he realised himself if he went too far, and then he came around and apologized. He was a fantastic coach at the training ground, outstanding. I don't think the Norwegian people knew just how big Hodgson was. He was a big fish in a gold fish bowl, Iversen says.

 

Iversen was far from the only journo that experienced getting the feisty side of Hodgson.

 

After a match where the referee had gotten the focus, the Viking manager made it clear that he would not answer any questions about the ref.

 

Not everybody followed his demand.

 

- What did you think about the ref? Someone asked.

 

- Where are you from? Dagbladet? Hodgson replied.

 

- No, Nettavisen.

 

- Even worse, Hodgson said, before grabbing the journo's pad and pen and writing ABSOLUTELY NO COMMENT in capital letters all over it.

 

After another match, where Viking gave away an apparently secure three point victory against Molde after two goals against in the last five minutes, Hodgson marched into the wardrobe and shook every player by the hand.

 

- Thanks for everything, he said.

 

Then he went home.

- Didn't manage to win the league with Viking.

 

Hodgson have coached a lot of clubs in a lot of different countries, as we as the Finnish and Swiss national team, and has a league gold in both the Danish and Swedish Premier Divisions.

 

In his two years at Viking (came in the spring of 2004 when Viking was at the bottom of the table) he didn't manage to take them to the top, but he finished five points behind league winners Vålerenga in 2005.

 

- What ruined it was that he went away at fall, to coach Finland. Another thing was that we did well in Europe and got to the group stages of the UEFA Cup, it was a strain on our players, Østenstad says.

 

- What was his reason to come to Viking in the first place?

 

- Well, he was available, and at that time he didn't have the status he's worked up now. I think he saw it as a challenge, and he was already champion in Sweden and Denmark, and probably thought it would be relatively easy to do it in Norway as well.

- Demaning for the youngsters.

 

Time would tell it wasn't that easy, and even though Hodgson did a lot well in Viking, it wasn't that easy to be a benchwarmer or a youngster. Like Bjørn-Helge Riise has gotten to experience this year, it's not easy to break into a Hodgson team, where there's less changes and more routine than in other teams.

 

- The way Roy works fits much better for "complete" players. For a club like Viking, and in Norwegian football as a whole where you live by developing youngsters, it can be a challenge to get everything right. Roy doesn't have a reputation for staying very long at one club.

 

At yesterdays press conference he quickly denied questions that was about his future, because now Hodgson is enjoying a status that he's not had in a very long time, and perhaps he will seek new challenges in a bigger club in a while.

 

- Not driven by money.

 

Østenstad does not think it is money that drives him.

 

- Even by Norwegian standards Roy did not get paid extremely well when he was here, I would think a lot of the other Tippeliga managers earnt a lot more. Money wasn't his drive force.

 

- Do you still keep in touch?

 

- I've spoken a bit with him, and texted him after the semis. I've been to London a few times and we keep loose contact. Roy is a fantastically funny and outstanding guy. He's someone you can talk to about anything. Without mentioning any names we have a few Norwegian football managers who can't discuss anything but football here in Norway, but Roy can speak for a day without it having anything to do with football. He's an English gentleman, very well read and interested in culture.

 

But tonight it's just football that matters. Fulham - Atletico Madrid, where the Spaniards are clear favourite.

 

Østenstad  on the other hand still think it's Hodgson who can smile after 90 minutes.

 

- I think Fulham wins. They are so well organized, but there's no pub-club players on their team, they're a good team that's on the middle of the tree in the Premier League. You don't do that with just great organization, he says.

 

-----

 

Roy Hodgson is incredibly funny.

- A blog post by former player Frode Olsen

 

Roy Hodgson is by far the funniest manager I have ever had. At the same time as he is a brilliant footballing coach, he has a connection with the players that is uniqe. He mezmerises and motivates his players before every session with a big stand-up show. Before every Viking training session, he would sit down in his suit in front of the players, and on a tall bar-chair he would go on and on about stories that made us fall together in laughter.

 

At the training field there were also tons of funny quotes. I'm convinced that Fulham have smiled themselves all the way to the Europa League final, here are some things he said to us the year I had the legend as my manager at Viking.

 

" Who are you? Franz Beckenbauer? Get the ball up to the big man and let him deal with it"

- Said to defender Alexander Gabrielsen when he was trying to play in the back four.

 

"He had it coming. He was all over you like a cheap suit."

- Said to Hannes Sigurdsson after he had elbowed Frode Kippe after many tough duels.

 

"I made this exercise yesterday in the hope that we could improve. But I forgot I am in charge of a pub-team."

- Hodgson when he wasn't happy at the Viking players performance in a new exercise.

 

"There are three categories of players. The first one are top class. You admire them. They will win you trofees. In the middle you find normal players. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. In the last category you find players you really dislike. They are shit and dont give you anything. And Bjørn Berland, you are in the last category."

- Said to Bjørn Berland for obvious reasons.

 

"I am really happy that you joined the training session. First of all you seem like a decent player. But most importantly, today I was not the fattest one on the training field."

- Said to a player.

 

"I couldn't care less about that Mickey Mouse tournament."

- Said to the junior team after they had won a local tournament.

 

"All you get from young players is relegation."

- To the board who was saying he had exciting players in the academy.

 

"Don't ever consider yourself a playmaker. Hold the ball. Look up and play simple."

- To Peter Kovacks who tried to turn away a centre defender with  the ball at his feet.

 

"Are you drunk? I really hope so. Because that's the only excuse for your passing today."

- Said at training when a player wasn't preforming.

 

"Another great kick from the goalkeeper. His left foot is a credit to the game."

- Said about Frode Olsen at the training ground.

 

"Well, I really don't fancy the idea of Mr. Olsen defending my goal for a long time period."

- Said to the Director of Football when asked if they should extend the contract with the same player.

[OzzieMandias]

 

With a Europa League final victory against Atletic Madrid tonight he will also be the first English manager in 23 years to win a European Cup

 

 

Bollocks. Sir Bobby won the Cup-Winners' Cup with Barcelona just 13 years ago.

[Kaizero]

 

With a Europa League final victory against Atletic Madrid tonight he will also be the first English manager in 23 years to win a European Cup

 

 

Bollocks. Sir Bobby won the Cup-Winners' Cup with Barcelona just 13 years ago.

 

That's more likely me slipping my finger on 2 instead of 1 when rewriting all that in English.

[James]

 

With a Europa League final victory against Atletic Madrid tonight he will also be the first English manager in 23 years to win a European Cup

 

 

Bollocks. Sir Bobby won the Cup-Winners' Cup with Barcelona just 13 years ago.

 

 

GLENN ROEDER INTERTOTO CUP CHAMPION

[Parky]

Would love him here.

[OzzieMandias]

 

With a Europa League final victory against Atletic Madrid tonight he will also be the first English manager in 23 years to win a European Cup

 

 

Bollocks. Sir Bobby won the Cup-Winners' Cup with Barcelona just 13 years ago.

 

 

GLENN ROEDER INTERTOTO CUP CHAMPION

 

[Guest elbee909]

Hooray, fail at the final hurdle.  A true Englishman.

[quayside]

Hooray, fail at the final hurdle.  A true Englishman.

 

True enough but a bunch of foreigners fell way before that - and he has done better than most managers would have done with that squad consisting mostly of journeymen and players if not over the hill then certainly looking down the far side of it.

[Guest elbee909]

Hooray, fail at the final hurdle.  A true Englishman.

 

True enough but a bunch of foreigners fell way before that - and he has done better than most managers would have done with that squad consisting mostly of journeymen and players if not over the hill then certainly looking down the far side of it.

 

Not belittling the achievement, just typically 'English' I guess.

[Cajun]

Some managers are winners, some are happy just to take part.

 

Unfortunately hodgson is the latt.....

 

 

 

Only kidding, done an excellent job this season and seems like a top bloke.

[Liam Liam Liam O]

Some managers are winners, some are happy just to take part.

 

Unfortunately hodgson is the latt.....

 

 

 

Only kidding, done an excellent job this season and seems like a top bloke.

 

And he's still streets ahead of Hugh..........................

 

Only kidding too.

[Dr Venkman]

 

After another match, where Viking gave away an apparently secure three point victory against Molde after two goals against in the last five minutes, Hodgson marched into the wardrobe and shook every player by the hand.

 

- Thanks for everything, he said.

 

;D

[matta]

 

 

Amazing season.

[Guest Stephen927]

"Typically English".

 

 

[Disco]

Disappointed they didn't win for Roy but pleased because that dickhead Duff didn't win.

[WarrenBartonCentrePartin]

Disappointed they didn't win for Roy but pleased because that dickhead Duff didn't win.

but disappointed for Aaron Hughes.

[UV]

Would love him here.

 

Never gonna happen

 

"All you get from young players is relegation."

- To the board who was saying he had exciting players in the academy.

 

[Cajun]

Some managers are winners, some are happy just to take part.

 

Unfortunately hodgson is the latt.....

 

 

 

Only kidding, done an excellent job this season and seems like a top bloke.

 

And he's still streets ahead of Hugh..........................

 

Only kidding too.

 

Oh he is without doubt.

 

It is funny that some who rightfully arse lick hodgson will slate hughton for being too much of a "nice guy" though. Hodgson must be one of the "nicest" managers in football.

 

I know someone will storm in, completely miss the point and go on about what hodgson has achieved etc etc now...

[Ronaldo]

Disappointed they didn't win for Roy but pleased because that dickhead Duff didn't win.

 

Bitter.

[Disco]

Disappointed they didn't win for Roy but pleased because that dickhead Duff didn't win.

 

Bitter.

 

Indeed i am. Fucking Duff man, what a twat.

[mrmojorisin75]

Disappointed they didn't win for Roy but pleased because that dickhead Duff didn't win.

 

Bitter.

 

Indeed i am. Fucking Duff man, what a twat.

 

i wouldn't like to see duff (or owen) win a crossing the street safely contest after their time with us personally

[LooneyToonArmy]

bbc gossip column......used to manage Inter and Udinese, speaks Italian so maybe not that unbelievable despite it being from The Sun.

 

Juventus are preparing a bid to take Fulham boss Roy Hodgson to Italy as their new manager. (the Sun)

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/2973888/Juventus-move-in-for-Hodgson.html

[Ishmael]

West Bromwich Albion have granted permission for The FA to speak with Roy Hodgson regarding #England Manager's position bit.ly/JTsk1I

 

 

 

[Ishmael]

FA Statement: Roy Hodgson

Sunday, 29 April, 2012

Approach made to WBA regarding England Manager's position.

 

 

West Bromwich Albion have today granted permission for The FA to speak with Roy Hodgson regarding the position of England Manager.

 

This follows an approach from FA Chairman David Bernstein to West Bromwich Albion Chairman Jeremy Peace.

 

David Bernstein said: "I'm grateful to Jeremy and all at West Bromwich Albion for their co-operation in allowing us to approach Roy, who I have since spoken with.

 

"Roy is the only manager we have approached and we remain on course to make an appointment within the timescale we set-out soon after Fabio Capello's departure.

 

"Further conversations will now take place with Roy and my Club England colleagues before any further announcements can be made."