Roy Hodgson has said he has yet to hear from future Watford manager Rob Edwards despite providing him with his phone number. The defeat against Chelsea was the 74-year-old’s final game in charge of the club before the new man takes over in the summer. Speaking to the press after the game, he reflected on his time with Watford and spoke about the club’s future head coach. In doing so, he seemed to suggest he was waiting for a phone call.
Roy Hodgson said: “Richard [Walker] (the club’s head of communications and media relations) had told me he has given him [Edwards] my number and that he was going to call me. This was about four or five days ago, I haven’t had a phone call. And it’s not for me to call him. I don’t want to impose on him my thoughts on players on the club. It’d be for him to find those things out. But if he’s got specific questions that he thinks I can help him with, and help the club with, then of course I’ll be more than happy to do it.”
The departing manager reflected on the task he inherited when he arrived at Watford back in January. He admitted it wasn’t an impossible task to keep them up, despite his failure to do so. With that in mind, he spoke of what Edwards can expect as he looks to guide the club back into the Championship next term,
Roy Hodgson said: “I don’t think Rob Edwards, when he comes in, he’s going to have a difficult task. The players are good to work with, they’re good professionals, they’re disciplined, they want to work. And as you saw today, you know, they have some ability as well.”
On the defeat, he said it was ‘typical’ of Watford’s season in the sense that they came away with nothing despite putting in a good display. He did, however, praise the efforts of his players.
Roy Hodgson said: “As it is, they come off once again with a defeat, albeit a very honourable one, a very credible one, considering that we’ve been relegated for a while now. Yet, you wouldn’t have been able to see that from the way the team played.”