Roy Hodgson
How did it feel to lose so late?
Today was typical I thought. To do so well throughout the 88 minutes, or whatever it was, to actually get a very good goal, which equalised, cancels out the Chelsea goal – which came very early on in the game – it would have been nice if the players could have got that real reward for their effort and come off with a point from the game. 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.
What are you emotions now after your final game as a manager?
No I mean, I think the good thing was that the real emotion, of course, was when I decided to stop [with Crystal Palace]. Being sort of tempted to come back in for a short period, it was always going to be a period, it was going to start and we knew it was going to end, so it wasn’t too difficult in that respect to sort of take on a second retirement . Maybe next time, not get tempted back when someone comes my way and asks me to get a rabbit out the hat trick, which I couldn’t do this time.
How do you feel about that decision to come back to Watford?
Yeah, I’m happy with the decision because I took it with my eyes wide open and I thought it was the right thing to do. The club thought it was the right thing to bring us in to give try something to the team. And we came in trying to live up, if you like, to their expectations and do the job they wanted us to do. And unfortunately, as everyone one knows, it hasn’t worked out. But that doesn’t mean to say that I am now looking back with regret. I’ve actually enjoyed very much large parts of this short period I’ve had with the club. I just feel we’ve been a little bit unlucky. I thought today summed it up, in many ways, you can’t really say that was a bad performance. That was a really poor team. But you’re on the end of the odd goal defeat. What could have been something to really celebrate, we didn’t get. It’s the ‘close, but no cigar’ syndrome which has happened to us a lot this season.
So there is no way you will be tempted into management again, no matter what the job was?
I don’t know 100 million pounds a year might tempt me. Like [Kylian] Mbappe I suppose. I think my son and my wife will push me into it. But I don’t think that’s going to happen. So I think I’ll be safe.
Could you end up back in football, even not in management?
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to step away. I think if I’d have had that ability to step away from football, in my mind, I’d have done it 20 years ago, you know. I would have done it when there was still a bit more time to travel, with a bit more time to do things. Now, at the age of 75, it is getting a little bit more difficult to do those things. I’m a good 15 years too late, if not 25 years too late.
Will you stay in England if you did get a job in football?
No, not necessarily. I like going abroad. I like new challenges, living in different countries. I hope that if something was to come up, and it’s very, very unlikely. I don’t want people trying to hold me and say: ‘You said you were never going to work in football again’. I don’t really want to do that. But the questions, as I interpret them, is are you ready for the next Premier League club or the next Championship club? Are you ready to go in and do everything that you need to do, which is what we’ve done these last four months. It has been really hands on. There’s been an awful lot of training sessions and we’ve worked very hard in the training sessions. I think I’m happy now to say: No, I don’t want that. I’m gonna move away from that and leave it to somebody else.
Can you sum up what football has meant to you and what it’s done for your life?
it’s been nothing but positive in that regard. It’s given me everything we need. It’s given me the opportunity to work on something I’m very passionate about and something which, you know, I would have spent most minutes of the working day thinking about anyway. It’s given me the opportunity to do that and the opportunity to do it at a very high level as well. So I think that I’ve benefited also from the fact that my whole career hasn’t been here in England. I’ve been able to work abroad. And that’s broadened my horizons. It’s opened my mind to new things and made me think carefully in many ways about the subject of leadership and how you’re going to approach the job. So the game has given me everything, it really has. I can only thank all those people who have believed in me and given me jobs and given me a chance to pursue my career. And I think I shall always look back and be quite proud of my career because it wasn’t done easily. It’s not easy to work abroad. It’s not easy to work in some other places at work. So nothing but gratitude, really, humility and gratitude, I think are the two words.
Is there any sort of anything that you have to do before you leave the club, like clear your desk?
No, I’m finished. My desk never had much on it, apart from the sheets, and preparing the training sessions – in fact there was plenty of those. Basically, we threw most of those in the bin after they’ve been done. No, there’s nothing to be done now. With the players, it’s the same. I think the players might have some sort of celebration organised for the people who might be leaving. But no for me, I will be pick up my bag, get in the car, and then I’m afraid that will be this adventure over.
Do you have advice for Watford?
No, the people who run the club they’ve got very clear ideas of what they want, how they want the club to operate and how they want things to be. So the last thing they need is advice from me because some of the things that I might say might not fit in with their philosophy.
Have you left a message for the new manager Rob Edwards?
No, Richard [Walker] had told me he has given him 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.
Was this Watford job close to an impossible job?
No, it wasn’t because I think the answer to it not being an impossible job we saw on the pitch today. In fact we’ve seen in the four games played since being relegated. We lost 1-0 to Crystal Palace to a ludicrous penalty decision and played quite well there. Then with a team missing as many as five or six of the players who played here today, who we think are our first team players, we drew 0-0 [against Everton]. Then we had a bad game [vs Leicester] where unfortunately everything went against us, every mistake got punished. And today we’ve come here again and done well so in a way that sums things up so I don’t think was impossible at all. I think that if we could have jus won one or two of those games, or got draws where we ended up losing by the odd goal, and then the other teams below us were winning – it went like that. You know, we were there with them and then suddenly we didn’t quite get the wins, but they did, so it went that way. But no, I don’t think it’s an impossible job and I don’t think it’s an impossible job and 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.
What did you say to Mike Dean at the end?
We just wished each other good luck, really. It’s mutual respect. I’ve always respected Mike. I think he’s respected me. We’ve always had a cordial relationship. We don’t know each other that well, but I’ve always regarded as one of the best referees we’ve got. He’s always been very fair, I think in the games we played. So he’s now, like myself, got to take himself a way a bit from the things he loves to do, because I’m sure he does love going out there in games like this and refereeing the game. But he’s got to accept: I’ve got to walk away from them and find something else.
Are Watford ready to come right back up?
I think so, yeah. I think I think that today, I mean, even though it’s 2-1 and not 1-1 one, I think that the way the team played throughout that 88 minutes, the support from the crowd is excellent. There’s no doubt that they have a passionate and committed support. I mean, for those fans to come down today and support their team as they did, and they really did quiet the Chelsea people down there – I know they were taunting them, but they did quiet them down. That’s also going to be a plus, isn’t it? Because if you’re going to win leagues, you really do need people pushing you from behind and that’s where the fan can be the 12th man, to help you get over the line. So I think things are very positive.
