Roy Hodgson
After saying you will retire from football management at the end of the season, would there be any other role that could tempt you to stay in the game?
I don’t know. Obviously, I still feel good, I still feel lively enough to do something. But I wouldn’t go as far as to say I would be looking for another job at the top level management, I think I’ve done my share of that now. And I think it’s only right, as I did when I left Crystal Palace, look forward more to a quieter time in my life and the chance to spend more time in particular with my wife and a son. But I think it’d be foolish of me to sort of rule out any sort of activity in football because I don’t know, what might be offered to me. So I’ll take every suggestion as it comes and give it full consideration. But it’s unlikely, as I said yesterday, it would involve full-time coaching and management
In terms of relegation, is the writing on the wall?
The writing’s certainly on the wall, I mean, we would need more than a miracle. So I don’t think it’s correct even to start suggesting and giving people false hope, you know, unfortunately, our hope was that in the three games, starting with Leeds, and then through Brentford and Burnley, we would get enough points to keep in touch with the fellow strugglers. We came close, I think in those games, I think we could honestly say that wouldn’t have been wrong if we’d have taken more points than we did, ie more from those games. Because we had our moments and we looked as though we were going to get the result we wanted, but we didn’t. And that’s put us in the position where we are. So we have to face up to that. And it’s going to obviously be tough then for players now because we have four games to play. And they can’t really be continuing to look for that carrot: ‘If you win this one, you might be okay. And you might stay up.’ They’ve got to play these games, knowing that even a good result might not help us to stay in the league. And that’s not easy. But on the other hand, so far in the games we’ve played we’ve been competitive. I think we could have taken more points than we have done in plenty of games. And they’ve got to show pride, they’ve got to show that they are a good team and they are good players, and that the club can trust them next season to help them bounce back into the Premier League, which will be everybody’s goal.
If Watford are in the Championship next season, do you expect them to bounce back?
Yes. Oh, absolutely. I mean, the club is strong. There’s a lot of very good things at this club. So I think there’s a big squad of players. And you know, we haven’t perhaps even seen the best of all of them. Maybe there’s a lot more to come. I would be very surprised if I don’t see Watford among the front runners next season. And I’m sure that the players themselves, that have gone down with the club this season, they’re going to be very anxious to show that, you know, we can do better than that and we can help the club back into the Premier League again, like they’ve done before.
Have you spoken to the owners of about the direction you think they should take with the club going forward?
No, we haven’t had many discussions with regard to that so far. I should be more listening to them and if they’re interested in my opinion in any way, of course, I’ll give it but I don’t intend to force any ideas and thoughts I have, they are more than capable of analysing themselves what is needed and what the way forward should be. But if they ever think that anything I could say, or do would help that, of course, I’m here to do it.
Do you think there needs to be more stability in terms of the managers at Watford?
Oh, well, that’s the old classic Chelsea question, isn’t it? You know, do you want to win championships at Man United with Alex Ferguson in charge for 20 years? Or do you want to win championships like Chelsea by changing managers, often after the manager has won the championship? So that’s a philosophy, that’s a way of working. And I certainly don’t think I would want to be the one to tell the club, the only way to succeed with your club is to keep a manager for a long time. Or, alternatively, sack a manager every six months. That will be up to the clubs themselves to make that decision. And as I say, with Chelsea we’ve seen it work. So you can’t say there’s not a precedent for doing that type of thing. So I don’t know what thoughts the club would have in that respect. But you have to speak to the owner if you wanted to know what his thoughts are.
How do you think Patrick Vieira has done in his first season in charge of Crystal Palace?
He’s done excellently well, I think I’ve been saying that from the offset. Everyone obviously recognises that it wasn’t easy. It’s not easy to come into a club, which has, you know, had a degree of stability, but of course, needed an injection of new players, and then to get that injection, to get the new players, to have the opportunity really to build on what Ray [Lewington] and I were trying to do there. It sounds easy. It sounds like a comfortable task, but it isn’t. It has to be done. And I think he’s done it exceptionally well. And Crystal Palace, I always thought, during my four years, they were a good team. And I think now they’re possibly even better with the quality of players they’ve bought in. And as a result, they’ve got the success which I think they are due. And Patrick has been a big, big part of that success. And I congratulate him wholeheartedly. I shall look forward to seeing him tomorrow.
What are you expecting from the game on the weekend?
I’m expecting to see a Crystal Palace full of that energy that they’ve shown all season you know, full of the running. Dangerous in attack these days with the wingers in Wilf [Zaha], Jordan [Ayew], [Jean-Philippe] Mateta going through the middle, making lots of runs. They’re going to ask an awful lot of questions of our back four. They’re going to be good at pressurising the ball like so many teams are these days. And what we’ll have to do is to make certain that our shape and our setup is right. And most importantly of all particular, try and make sure our minds are right. You know, it’s a sad, sad moment when you get relegated from any division, let alone the Premier League. One of the things you have to do, unfortunately, is to get your mind straight in some way, so that you can prepare for the match that you know you’ve still got to play, albeit that the result is not going to have any bearing on your fate.
How do you as a manager go about getting the players into that right mindset at this point?
Well you remind them of all the things that are important for them to be reminded of. That, you know, there are more games of football to be played, despite the fact that the last two or three we were hoping would help us get out of the relegation zone haven’t worked for us. But most importantly of all, they got to play for their pride, they’ve got to play for their own personal satisfaction. You know, ‘I’ve been given a job to do. And I’ve been able to go on the field and do that job.’ And they’ve got to play for their futures as well. Because I’m pretty certain that people who are analysing at the club: which are the players we need to take us forward – they’ll be watching these games. And if you really want a good example, if you like, whether the players have got the sort of mentality you want, what better time to analyse or evaluate that in these last four games? Because of course many teams will, in that situation, not down tools, but they won’t go about their jobs in the way they should go about it. But if you’re the owner of the club, or the sporting director and you analyse these players, you might be learning quite a lot about them. I think it’s it’s a time when the players have got to show absolutely their best side – not only for the club, but for their own personal well being.
Are some are playing for their futures then?
I think that in football you could say that at all times, really. You know, there’s no question about that. I think that there are moments perhaps when it’s more noticeable than ever. But, you know, if you’re wise, you should accept that you’re always playing for your future. Because things move on too quickly. And a good result and a good game is quickly forgotten if the next one is a poor result and a poor game. So that’s the onus that’s on you at all times. And I think players, if they don’t understand that, it’s about time they did. And I’ve got to understand too, yes, I’m confident they can bounce back. I believe in the club and the players in this club. In that respect, it’s easy for me to say that. but they’ve got to get out there in those 46 games next year, and prove they can do it. And that will be far from easy and they are going to need a lot of character. And I think the character of the players is going to be very, very evident for all to see in these last four games.
Do you stand by your choice not to make any substitutions last week?
It’s being wise after the event. I mean, in the 83rd minute, we were leading 1-0, and the players were the ones out there who got us to that 1-0 position. If I’d have made changes either before that, or after, in particular before it, and then they equalise and then they score the winner, everyone would have been saying you shouldn’t have made the changes, these guys are out they were doing okay. So it’s one of those classic situations. Yes, of course, with hindsight, you can think back yes perhaps X would have done a good job or Y could have given us a bit more, or given us some fresh legs. But no one will know, because it’s all hypothetical.
Wearing your sunglasses in the dugout caused a bit of a stir last weekend, what did you think of that?
Have you seen my eye? I’m suffering from shingles. So in actual fact, I wasn’t really even supposed to be at the game, because I wasn’t well for a start. I’m still not well, because it doesn’t go away in a couple of days. But I’m working and trying to get through it. My eye, as you see it now, is ten times better than it was on Saturday – when it was really like a balloon and my face was swollen. So I think wearing sunglasses was the most sensible thing to do. I didn’t wear it because I’m trying to make a fashion statement. I wore them because, unfortunately, I’ve been hit by an illness which has disfigured my face.
And you’re on the mend now?
Yes, but I’m not right. They don’t know how long it will take. It’s one of those things that people don’t know if it’s going to last for a week or even months. I’ve got a very bad headache all the time. Like now, I’ve got a very bad headache, and my face is still in a bit of a mess. But I’m trying to get on with it as best I can.
How do you feel after picking up your CBE this week?
Yes it’s fantastic. I mean I suppose the reactions in some way were most notable last March, when I got the letter telling me that this is what we’ve decided to do and the Queen is going to honour you with a CBE. That was fantastic. Of course, 15 months have gone by, in waiting for the day to come around. But I must say, the big day was everything I hoped it would be. It really lived up to expectations. It was great to meet Prince William again, who of course is the president of the FA. Still is and was during my time [as England manager]. And it was a really wonderful occasion, in particular, going into Buckingham Palace – which not everyone gets to do. So a very good day, a really good moment in my life to receive this recognition. And one which I’m very grateful for, but I suppose I’m also very proud of.
Is there anything you would like to see from your players in the final few matches of the season in terms of spirit and togetherness?
Yeah, I’d like to see that absolutely. I mean when things don’t go right, as they haven’t done for us, so we find ourselves as you say all but relegated, it’s very easy to take a global view and be very critical, perhaps of certain things, or the way the team has played. But if you analyse the games, there haven’t really been that many, I think, where I could really, after the game, come in and say today the attitude was terrible, or today we were really poor in terms of our team spirit, in terms of our wanting to win. The late goals are a testament to that, I think, to some extent. But now as we’ve said early on, this is an opportunity for the players. It’s four more Premier League games, they won’t be playing them for a while now. They’ve got to go down the Championship and get back up for the next Premiership game after these four. They need to take these four games very seriously, they need to be aware that their futures, to some extent, are on the line. And people’s assessment of them, as players and as characters [will continue]. And make certain that they come out of it with more ticks than minuses. And that’s what I’m expecting.
