Let’s face it – whilst Roy Hodgson certainly seems likes a pretty amicable character and someone genuinely well natured on an individual level – he isn’t exactly the most captivating figure to be leading the England national side at this moment in time.
The 68-year-old former Fulham boss seemingly arrives without intimidation, his previous record with the Three Lions at both Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup definitely left a lot to be desired, and it remains questionable whether or not big money English youngsters will ever fully respect the achievements and all round personality of such a man.
However, via his rather disputable selection choices for the previous international friendly against Spain, and the upcoming fixture with Euro 2016 hosts France, Hodgson’s overall decision making qualities have truly been thrown into doubt. Despite facing a couple of recent injury concerns within the current England ranks, his recent decision to select Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard perhaps arrives as the most ridiculous of them all.
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Whilst it would be wrong to criticise Jesse Lingard personally for his recent England call-up, Hodgson has seriously made himself look vulnerable with such a bold move. Although we would all normally be crediting the England manager for selecting young up and coming talent rather than simply starting the same old names over and over again, this particular selection simply feels silly.
The 22-year-old Manchester United youngster has only played a mere 193 minutes of Premier League football after all. In selecting such a largely unworthy candidate, Hodgson has completely de-valued the concept of playing for England, and the once essential necessity for any player to earn their place within such a previously illustrious set-up. How is any up and coming youngster – who is potentially on the verge of signing a massive deal with their domestic employers – ever going to respect the international scene when it remains that easy to break into the England squad?
On the whole, Lingard just doesn’t deserve his place. The Old Trafford midfielder may have impressed somewhat in 2015/16 via a series of progressive performances – but had he been representing the likes of West Brom, Crystal Palace or West Ham this whole time – we all know that Hodgson wouldn’t even offer the lad much of a second glance. It’s always going to be difficult to give England your unreserved support as a fan, when decision making like that is constantly being played out behind the scenes.
Although a player of Mark Noble’s overall quality may well fail to make the international standard at this current stage – had the Hammers midfielder been offered a role with the senior Three Lions squad when his consistent performances were entirely deserving of such an accolade earlier on in his career – life could have been very different for the current West Ham captain on the international scene.
Roy Hodgson therefore just seems like another ‘yes-man’ for the F.A. to have their way with. He constantly prioritises the Premier League’s higher ranked teams on every given occasion, his selection choices have arguably been flawed since day one, and he ultimately doesn’t seem like to right type of tactician or man-manager to bring success with the Three Lions. His recent decision to include Jesse Lingard without the player at all earning such a position whatsoever, only confirms such a theory with all things considered.
As the former Craven Cottage favourite has already selected Tottenham’s Dele Alli in similar circumstances this year however, perhaps the fate of the Three Lions will always be doomed with such an inept manager in charge. Maybe we should all just forget about England for this moment in time – for the less and less relatable our national team grows – the more disappointment we are all bound to endure.
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