Brigadier Boring - England Watch

[White Noise]

Fascinating insights into Roy's methods from that training session yesterday.

Hodgson yells: "Five passes across the back MAX - then get it forward. I'm not interested in how long you lot can keep it for..."

"Very hands-on," James Milner observed afterwards. Vocal, too. "You don't have to use short passes," the new England manager could be heard shouting at one point. "Not if you want to use your big man up front." Carroll put the ball past Joe Hart and Hodgson nodded his head appreciatively. "Well done, son."

The media are genuinely intrigued by Hodgson and GNev and the players seem to be as well.

Having had the Brigadier Boring (his description of himself on one occassion) thread to follow insights into his work at West Brom I thought it would be worthwhile seeing what comes out of his England work and what light its sheds on his methods while at Fulham.

[White Noise]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/may/24/andy-carroll-england-euro-2012


Andy Carroll likely to replace Wayne Rooney for England at Euro 2012


• Liverpool striker impresses during England training
• Daniel Welbeck remains a doubt for Euro 2012


Daniel Taylor

guardian.co.uk, Thursday 24 May 2012 23.00 BST



Andy Carroll looked sharp and confident during training, as players got a crash course in Roy Hodgson's management style. Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images


If there is one thing we can take as a certainty, it is that Andy Carroll will find the centre-backs in Euro 2012 less obliging than the one lining up against him when England's players had their latest crash course in Roy Hodgson's style of management.

Gary Neville's last match for Manchester United was at West Bromwich Albion on New Year's Day 2011 and it ended with him locking himself in the toilet at half-time, in the frazzled state of mind that comes from "making Jerome Thomas look like Cristiano Ronaldo". In which case it was probably no surprise the latest member of Hodgson's coaching staff could be seen blowing out his cheeks and struggling for breath as he tried to keep control of a player who increasingly looks like he will lead England's attack while Wayne Rooney is suspended. "He [Neville] looked tired before we even started," Joleon Lescott volunteered at the end of a training match in which Carroll was the stand-out performer.

These were revealing moments by the side of Manchester City's pitch, if only for the frequency with which Hodgson halted play to pass on instructions. "Very hands-on," James Milner observed afterwards. Vocal, too. "You don't have to use short passes," the new England manager could be heard shouting at one point. "Not if you want to use your big man up front." Carroll put the ball past Joe Hart and Hodgson nodded his head appreciatively. "Well done, son."

By that stage Daniel Welbeck had already cried off because of an ankle injury that is threatening his involvement in the competition. Glen Johnson, nursing an infected toe, had also gone in for treatment and is doubtful for Saturday's friendly against Norway. Neville had pulled on his boots because, to put it bluntly, England did not have any spare defenders.

All of which meant that the back four Hodgson put together on one side – from right to left, Phil Jones, Phil Jagielka, Joleon Lescott and Leighton Baines – could easily be the defensive quartet that plays in Oslo. Behind them, West Ham United's Rob Green started before giving way to Hart and it may well be that Hodgson gives both goalkeepers time on the pitch. Green has not played for England since his mistake against the USA in the last World Cup and there are clear benefits of easing him back into the system in a friendly.

Hodgson's first-choice practice team, in a 10‑a‑side match, featured a midfield of Theo Walcott, Scott Parker, Steven Gerrard and Ashley Young, with Carroll playing on his own in attack. Welbeck looked forlorn as he made his way to the tunnel, having been restricted to some light exercises, and will have to prove his fitness to Hodgson next week if he is not to be replaced by Daniel Sturridge from the standby list. Even if Welbeck makes it, the indications are that Carroll is now in prime position to replace Rooney for the first two games against France and Sweden. Introduce Gareth Barry as a holding player alongside Parker, then move Gerrard forward into the position just behind Carroll, and this could feasibly be the first side of the Hodgson era, in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

It was probably inevitable in the circumstances that there was the sense of a team starting from scratch, at just about the same time the other Euro 2012 nations are putting the final touches to their own preparations. The Chelsea players do not report until Tuesday and it is perplexing that John Terry should be given time to recover from the Champions League final when he did not even play. Hodgson's first two training sessions have been largely based on the team's defensive cohesion, yet Gary Cahill and Ashley Cole are also missing and Johnson unable to take part. In other words, not one member of the back four who plays this weekend might be in Hodgson's team for the France game in Donetsk, now only two and a half weeks away.

On the plus side, Hodgson will be relieved just to start implementing his ideas. "He gets his point across, but he is calm with it," Lescott said. "He explains to you what he wants from the team and individuals and there are no grey areas."

Hodgson also used the opportunity to experiment with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in his favoured central midfield role. Mostly, though, he worked on the team's structure, getting things tight. "We are going to be very organised defensively," Milner said. "We have talked a lot in training about how the midfielders and defenders are expected to keep their shape. Then it's a case of using the ability we have going forward. We have good players who can get on the ball and express themselves."

Carroll certainly looks sharp and confident, even if there are obvious concerns about his lack of goals in Liverpool's colours. Too much can be read into a training session – particularly one when his opponent is 37 and in retirement – but there are signs of encouragement when it comes to the £35m striker. He did, to give him his due, end the season impressively and he has made an impression with his England team-mates. "It's nice to see him getting the media coverage and praise he deserves over the last few weeks," Lescott said. "He's had a good finish to the season and been called into the squad for a major tournament. So you'd think this is the best he's felt about himself for a while."

Look closely and you could also see Neville coaching Carroll, particularly in terms of his positioning. Carroll evaded him to put the ball beyond Hart again and there was the clear sense, with Welbeck back in the dressing room and Rooney nowhere to be seen, that England will go into the tournament with the Liverpool man suddenly promoted to the role of first-choice striker.

[White Noise]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/england/9288960/Gary-Neville-impresses-the-players-as-he-makes-good-start-as-England-coach-ahead-of-friendly-in-Norway.html

Gary Neville impresses the players as he makes good start as England coach ahead of friendly in Norway


Of the many encouraging signs adorning England's lively training session at the Etihad on Thursday was the exciting sight of Gary Neville taking an exceptionally prominent role.



New broom: Roy Hodgson, left, and Gary Neville, centre, get their message across to Glen Johnson during an iopen training session at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday Photo: AP


By Henry Winter

11:00PM BST 24 May 2012

9 Comments


He even put in an emergency shift at centre half, giving some advice to Andy Carroll and being given a brief but brutal runaround in return.

At 37, Neville's legs may not pump with the piston-like intensity as during his international pomp but the mind remains as sharp as ever and the voice is still reminiscent of a no-nonsense young schoolmaster rounding up truculent boys lurking at the far fence of the playground.

Judging by his patent enthusiasm, Neville is back doing what he loves, organising and exhorting footballers.

Neville has gone from right back to right pain to right-hand man to Roy Hodgson. Joleon Lescott even felt that Neville was a "key appointment" by Hodgson. "He's been brought in to communicate with the boys,'' said the Manchester City centre half.

"He gets his message across and addresses everyone in the squad individually. He passes on his experience of games he's been involved in over the years. It's a great addition.

"I know Phil more than Gary and they are both natural-born winners. He is definitely someone I respect with what he has achieved in football and the way he conducts himself. He will feel closer to the players [than older coaches].

"He's only been out the game a year or so. I've enjoyed his punditry over the last season so hopefully he can bring that level of humour into the squad."

It is widely accepted that Neville's acclaimed analysing with Sky and his pungent newspaper columns could become a concern if he criticises players he must then coach. Lescott seemed unperturbed at the thought, laughing that Neville "probably has" appraised him negatively.

"But I think he's very professional in what he does,'' Lescott continued. "His comments are fair and valid. A lot of people thought he might be biased towards Man United but watching the games and seeing his opinions I don't think he has been. I don't think there will be any problem with what Gary says.''

England's players are more than capable of dishing it back. When it was mentioned to Lescott that Neville looked tired at the end of training, the City man replied: "He looked tired before training."

James Milner agreed with his City colleague about Neville's positive impact. A fullback who used to give a winger such as Milner the occasional "kick" was now making a different mark.

"In the breaks in the sessions he will talk to the players,'' Milner said. "Maybe after the phase of play that has just gone he will approach a player and say, 'You could have tucked in a bit more'.''

There was a pace and purpose to England's training, broken only by drinks breaks in the broiling sun. The keepers were out first, Joe Hart, Robert Green and John Ruddy engaging immediately with the new coach, Dave Watson.

The drills were quick and demanding, Watson firing in volleys, half-volleys and dead-balls to test their reflexes.

Assisted by Ray Clemence, Watson mixed moments of levity with the serious stuff, even allowing each keeper one volleyed ball at him as he bent over on the line, offering an inviting target.

It was a bit of fun, and soon the keepers were back to their reaction work. If Hart is the established No 1, Green looked like he was enjoying England again while Ruddy certainly seemed at home.

There was a unity evident in training that was not always noticeable during the stilted Italian era. This was England unplugged and exclusive, with no foreign additives.

"We all knew what Fabio Capello wanted us to do,'' stressed Lescott. "Of course Roy being English helps with the terminology and communication but there wasn't a problem with Fabio."

At least none of the coaches is calling Joe Hart "John" now. Messages are immediately absorbed in training. Hodgson's training regimen contains few fireworks, simply an extensive appliance of the rehearsing required to make a team hard to beat.

Hodgson did this in pattern-of-play work and also a practice match, standing in the middle, his legs almost porcelain white, and shouting occasional words of advice but mostly encouragement.

"Good, good, good" became a familiar mantra. "He gets his point across but he is calm with it,'' Lescott said.

Hodgson's preferred shape seemed 4-5-1, either breaking down into 4-2-3-1 with Scott Parker and Gareth Barry sitting or 4-4-1-1.

There was width (Theo Walcott and Ashley Young), a target-man (Carroll) and an attacking midfielder in close support (Steven Gerrard). The ball was moved forward quickly, often angled wide for swift crosses in, frequently to the far post.

Afterwards, one of the most revealing comments emanated from Milner, who noted the difference between Capello's tournament preparation, putting the players through their punishing paces in Austria before the 2010 World Cup, and Hodgson's more benevolent approach.

"We kept going in Austria and didn't take your foot off the gas,'' Milner said. "I didn't go into the World Cup feeling fatigued but if you look at the number of games people play, having five or six days off can only do you good.''

Slowly but willingly, England's players are slipping into tournament mode, keeping the boredom at bay with chats over coffee in their Salford hotel or wading through box sets.

"I've just started Alcatraz, which is pretty good, and I play Joleon on the Xbox,'' Milner said. "It's an important part of tournament football. It's about not getting into mischief or using up your energy doing stupid things."

That would be difficult with Neville around.

[White Noise]

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/hodgson-makes-sunny-start--with-nevilles-help-7786096.html



Hodgson makes sunny start – with Neville's help


England in bright mood under their new manager as coach puts his boots back on


Sam Wallace


Friday 25 May 2012



All England managers are entitled to begin their time in charge with the fresh spring of optimism and a clean break from the decades of disappointment that have followed the national team since its solitary triumph in 1966. Yesterday, even the notoriously unreliable Mancunian climate obliged Roy Hodgson by bathing his second training session at the Etihad Stadium in sunshine.

There are 17 days left until England play their first game of Euro 2012 against France in Donetsk and having convened his squad on Wednesday, Hodgson has – as it stands – only two fit and available strikers for that game. Yesterday, Danny Welbeck once again played no part in training, his ankle ligaments still a concern, and it grows increasingly inevitable that Andy Carroll will have to start the game.

Nevertheless, these are still the early days for Hodgson who, as is his way, took training himself yesterday morning. For those players summoned in from the margins, who now believe they have a chance to play games, and for the new coaching staff, it is a time to be hopeful. If they cannot be that way now, without a game played and none of the recriminations and grudges that have characterised so many regimes of the past, then when can they?

It has been the way of the Football Association in the recent past to swing from one extreme to another in choosing the kind of manager, and therefore the kind of regime, that the organisation thinks is best suited to achieving success. After Glenn Hoddle's hardline attitude to his players came Kevin Keegan and his card schools. When the pressure became too intense under Keegan, the FA appointed Sven Goran Eriksson who let everyone do what they wanted.

After Eriksson was Steve McClaren, unfortunately not the FA's first choice but in the end not regarded as enough of a heavyweight name to deal with England's problems. He was followed by the austere years of serial winner Fabio Capello, the disciplinarian who gave his instructions in broken English and was, in the end, regarded with mixed feelings.

Where the Hodgson years will fit into this cycle of light and shade, boom and bust – mostly bust it should be said – will emerge in time. What was obvious from yesterday was that Gary Neville, his coach, will be a crucial figure in the England camp. With a shortage of defenders in the squad yesterday, especially with Glen Johnson still struggling with a toe problem, Neville put his boots on and played in a full-scale game at the end of training in a makeshift three-man defence with Martin Kelly and Adam Johnson either side of him.

Having Neville around is helpful when it comes to making up the numbers but there is a lot more to it than that. Joleon Lescott said yesterday that the new England coach had – in jest – already warned him to "stay away from the chocolate cake" at lunch. Neville, it was pointed out, had looked a bit tired after the practice game. "He looked tired before it," was Lescott's reply.

The joshing is not as trivial as it may first appear. A successful tournament can rely so much on the mood of the camp and getting that right is a kind of alchemy in its own right. The atmosphere will be one thing now and when the last of the big guns – Wayne Rooney, John Terry, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole – turn up next week after tomorrow's friendly against Norway in Oslo it will change again. In Neville, Hodgson has a bridge to the players that none of his predecessors enjoyed.

Lescott, who at 29 will be playing in his first tournament, is typical of those who may benefit from a new manager. He would have been selected in the squad for the World Cup two years ago but for injury and he has a chance of featuring this summer, even if Terry and Gary Cahill are probably the first-choice pairing. Lescott said that Neville's presence as a coach had already changed the mood.

"If coaches and staff feel the need to address you, they will but I think it's more natural for Gary to do that and he will feel closer to the players," he said. "It can come across a bit differently from Gary because he's only been out the game a year or so. I've not worked with him before. I've enjoyed his commentary and punditry over the last season so hopefully he can bring that level of humour into the squad."

The question of Neville the pundit becoming Neville the coach, living and working among the players whom he analyses during the season was, Lescott said, not an issue. "He's very professional in what he does. His comments are fair and valid. A lot of people thought he might be biased towards Manchester United but watching the games and listening to his opinions I don't think he has been.

"Because he is level across the board, he's not biased to any team, so it's easier to take the criticism he's giving you anyway. I don't think there will be any problem with what Gary says."

Lescott denied any suggestion that there was any problem between him and Terry. There was, he said, "no animosity" between them. He did, however, go out of his way to pay tribute to Rio Ferdinand, his "good friend" and someone who has clearly been an influence on him. "We spoke after the league season. He texted me after that to say congratulations... Rio is a person I look up to and also the way he plays."

On a sunny day in Manchester with a summer of possibilities stretching out ahead of them and a good training session under their belts, the mood felt good. But as Neville will know better than anyone, with England at major tournaments, that is not something that can ever be taken for granted.

Hawk-Eye to be used but refs will not see it

England's friendly against Belgium next Saturday will be the first high-profile match in which goal-line technology is tested, Fifa has announced.

The Hawk-Eye system will be installed at Wembley for the match – Roy Hodgson's first home game in charge of England. The match will not be affected, however, with the results of any close calls being known only by scientists monitoring the system – the referee will not have access to the findings.

If tests are successful, Fifa is expected to give the go-ahead for the technology in early July. Next week's trial will be the final live test for Hawk-Eye and follows a previous test at the Hampshire FA Senior Cup final last week.

Class of 2010: England's changes

Only 10 of England's 23-man squad for Euro 2012 played at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Gareth Barry (Manchester City)

Ashley Cole (Chelsea)

Jermain Defoe (Tottenham)

Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)

Robert Green (West Ham United)

Glen Johnson (Liverpool)

Frank Lampard (Chelsea)

James Milner (Manchester City)

Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

John Terry (Chelsea)

* Manchester City's Joe Hart was a squad member but did not play.

The new boys

Leighton Baines (Everton)

Gary Cahill (Chelsea)

Andy Carroll (Liverpool)

Stewart Downing (Liverpool)

Phil Jones (Manchester United)

Joleon Lescott (Manchester City)

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal)

Scott Parker (Tottenham)

John Ruddy (Norwich City)

Theo Walcott (Arsenal)

Danny Welbeck (Manchester United)

Ashley Young (Manchester United)

[White Noise]

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/early-doors/hodgson-lowers-england-expectations-081019519.html


Hodgson lowers England expectations

By Eurosport | Early Doors – 35 minutes ago.. .



"You don't have to use short passes. Not if you want to use your big man up front."

It could be a line ripped straight from the script of 'Mike Bassett: England Manager', that affectionate yet searingly honest deconstruction of the stereotypical England boss and his traditional hankering for "four-four-f******-two" and a more rudimentary interpretation of the game.

Instead, Early Doors is happy to report, according to The Guardian it was shouted from the sidelines by one Roy Hodgson as he held court during an England training session for the first time at lunch on Thursday.

Now, ED is not about to dismiss Hodgson as Bassett 2.0 just yet - at least not until he starts writing his team out on the back of a packet of fags - and exploring options to utilise a direct approach is eminently sensible. After all, England are not going to out Tiki-taka Spain, or introduce the Dutch to a new conception of Total Football, are they?

With a dearth of technically proficient midfielders in the 23, it arguably makes sense to bypass them altogether on occasion.

However, for those England fans - and ED is one of them - who hope for at least a cursory nod to possession-based football that is easy on the eye, it was a comment that hinted at a more pragmatic approach from a coach from whom in truth little else was expected.

This is Hodgson's England - the FA knew what it was signing up for when giving him the job - and it is right that we wait to see how it all plays out before leaping to assumptions about how England will fare under their new manager.

From this brief articulation of Hodgson's philosophy, however, we can perhaps draw one early conclusion about the composition of his first XI for Saturday's friendly against Norway and moving ahead into the Euro 2012 finals.

Though the indications from said training session are that Hodgson will abandon the 4-4-2 that has served him so well during his career in order to accommodate a more progressive 4-2-3-1 - a transition that confounded the fictional Bassett - his very vocal desire to see England exploit a "big man" in attack has left Friday's newspapers in little doubt as to who will benefit from a less subtle approach to the game.

Step forward Andrew Thomas Carroll.

A man who appeared to win his place in the squad off the back of a second-half cameo in the FA Cup final - and has spent the season being the butt of jokes while turning in largely turgid performances - now finds himself best placed to lead England's attack heading into a major tournament.

With only one cap in his collection, and just nine goals to his name all season, his likely elevation to the starting XI given the suspension of Wayne Rooney and Darren Bent's injury is rather unmerited, but it does neatly display the paucity of high-class options available to Hodgson.

Deploying Carroll - a man frequently said to resemble a horse tripping over a ball - should help England to drive down expectancy levels in the manner of a wily presidential candidate approaching a crucial televised debate: any kind of coherent performance will look good given what is anticipated.

Germany are likely to start the finals with a striker, in Mario Gomez, who has scored 40 goals in all competitions this season for Bayern Munich. France have Karim Benzema, scorer of 33 for Real Madrid. Netherlands have the luxury of both Robin van Persie (36 for Arsenal) and Klaas Jan Huntelaar (44 for Schalke).

Spain could prove the exception if the loss of David Villa opens the door for Fernando Torres, yet they have the option to use Fernando Llorente, scorer of 29 for Athletic Bilbao, or Roberto Soldado, who has 27 for Valencia.

Of course, England shouldn't really be comparing themselves with teams on this rarefied level, but these unflattering comparisons do serve to underline the chasm in quality between England and the continent's best sides.

Perhaps this reality is one of the reasons why preparations for Saturday's friendly against Norway have been decidedly low-key.

A pre-tournament friendly usually commands a fair amount of attention, yet with Joey Barton's 12-match ban being pored over and Liverpool stepping up their interest in Roberto Martinez, England's preparations for Euro 2012 are being marginalised a touch.

Of course, it hardly helps when the FA puts up James Milner and Joleon Lescott for Thursday press conferences. The former in particular is a physical embodiment of the England national team: functional, uninspiring and likely to send observers to sleep.

On the face of things, Norway are not exactly opponents to get the pulses racing either. England haven't beaten them in 30 years - a run which includes an infamous 2-0 defeat in Oslo in 1993 which hastened Graham Taylor's departure as manager.

The Sun greeted the result with the headline 'Norse Manure', while the loss featured heavily in a documentary called 'The Impossible Job' that explored in painstaking detail the manager's struggles to get to grip with international football.

Coincidentally, it was also the key source material for the Mike Bassett parody.

Another former England manager, Ron Greenwood, also suffered in Norway, losing 2-1 in a match in September 1981 that inspired one of the greatest pieces of commentary of all time. Lady Diana and Winston Churchill were invoked as Bjorge Lillelien celebrated what seemed a seminal victory for the Norwegians.

The same result on Saturday is unlikely to be met with similar euphoria. "Andy Carroll, your boys took a hell of a beating" just doesn't have the same ring to it. But then this just proves England are at a low ebb and explains why Hodgson is preparing the team in the way he is.

Reduced ambitions have finally been embraced, and rightly so. Now Hodgson just needs to coax an adequate performance out of his team.

[Scrumpy]

Thanks for this thread WN.

I am a Fulham Season Ticket Holder and an England member. I've got to say that my enthusiasm for England was waining until Roy was appointed. I have so much respect for the guy, and it will be very interesting to see how he does with the National team.

[White Noise]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/england/9291601/Norway-v-England-Brede-Hangeland-warns-that-Roy-Hodgson-will-need-time-to-implement-ideas.html


Norway v England: Brede Hangeland warns that Roy Hodgson will need time to implement ideas


Brede Hangeland, the Norway defender, has suggested that Roy Hodgson could have to adapt his managerial style with England and admitted that some of his Fulham team-mates used to find his training sessions boring.



Tactical talk: Roy Hodgson and Paul Konchesky during the England manager's successful tenure at Fulham Photo: REUTERS


By Jeremy Wilson

11:31PM BST 25 May 2012



Hangeland achieved success under Hodgson at Viking FK in Norway as well as at Fulham, but he believes that his former manager may face a bigger challenge to implement his methods on the international stage with England.

"Individual players should always sacrifice themselves for the team," he said. "That will be his main challenge: to try and mould all these great players into a team. You could say that is probably more difficult with the England team than, say, Fulham.

"Coaching a national team is different than with a club. You have maybe four or five days to prepare a match. England have some really good player players. He is capable of doing it. His style works really well with the national team. He is very clear on what he wants to do then it's about whether the players take the message on board.

"Roy has a very clear idea of how to do things. I'm speculating but maybe he will have to try to change it slightly with big-name players. He'll be pragmatic. It could take some time before they reach their maximum level under Roy but they don't really have time.

"Roy has coached at international level before and got some incredible results but England is a big job and a big test for any manager. At Fulham and Viking he made a team stronger than the parts should suggest."

Of Hodgson's training methods, Hangeland said: "He keeps repeating it until you can't help but understand what he wants. That's what he did at Fulham. Some used to say it was a boring training session.

"Then after a while some understood it was working, you start getting good results and you are happy to do it. A lot of training sessions are 11-a-side either against mannequins or another 11 players and then he had certain drills he wanted to do offensively or defensively.

"Some said it gets boring. It's not like a five-a-side game all the time. But in terms of working on the shape of the team it definitely works."

Hangeland also likened Hodgson's style to Egil Olsen, his national team manager at Norway. "There are a few similarities even in the way they try to play, especially defensively. Everything is done with simple messages. I have had two spells with Roy and on both occasions he turned our team around to be successful. When he was in charge of Fulham it was probably the highlight of my career."

Olsen, who managed Wimbledon during the 1999-2000 season, also compared his philosophy to Hodgson. "We are quite close," he said. "I guess in England many people did not like the more direct approach and more strict defensive organisation.

"Roy has had a big influence on this region. He started a revolution in terms of how football should be played. He was early with zone defence and a flat back four."

Olsen, who was also the manager when Norway famously beat Graham Taylor's England 2-0 in 1994, believes that Hodgson's team would benefit from a more direct approach. "Yes, that's my opinion," he said. "I am a more direct manager. I played four times against England and have never lost. Never lost against England or Brazil. It is much tougher to be English manager than Norwegian but the salary is better."

[leonffc]

Fascinating insights into Roy's methods from that training session yesterday.

Hodgson yells: "Five passes across the back MAX - then get it forward. I'm not interested in how long you lot can keep it for..."

"Very hands-on," James Milner observed afterwards. Vocal, too. "You don't have to use short passes," the new England manager could be heard shouting at one point. "Not if you want to use your big man up front." Carroll put the ball past Joe Hart and Hodgson nodded his head appreciatively. "Well done, son."

Worrying!! Surely possession is key?!? He may not like lots of passes across the back but I hope we are 'to get it forward' in a constructive manner and break the opposition down rather than lump it up to Carroll.
I hope Roys got the nous to realise that the public won't accept that. And the press certainly won't.

[HatterDon]

Fascinating insights into Roy's methods from that training session yesterday.

Hodgson yells: "Five passes across the back MAX - then get it forward. I'm not interested in how long you lot can keep it for..."

"Very hands-on," James Milner observed afterwards. Vocal, too. "You don't have to use short passes," the new England manager could be heard shouting at one point. "Not if you want to use your big man up front." Carroll put the ball past Joe Hart and Hodgson nodded his head appreciatively. "Well done, son."

Worrying!! Surely possession is key?!? He may not like lots of passes across the back but I hope we are 'to get it forward' in a constructive manner and break the opposition down rather than lump it up to Carroll.
I hope Roys got the nous to realise that the public won't accept that. And the press certainly won't.

You obviously missed his interview. He said that he asked the defense to curtail their passing since they only had 30 minutes to practice and he wanted them to get the ball back to the attack so that could get more work.

The press is working extra hard to discredit Roy.

[leonffc]

I did miss the interview. I was just commenting on what I read.
I didn't even see the game. How did England play?

[Lighthouse]

I did miss the interview. I was just commenting on what I read.
I didn't even see the game. How did England play?

Bright for the first ten minutes against a very tired looking Norway side. But England then played very Roy like and were frankly dull. Relying on breakaways. Clearly the better side but did little to prove it.

[finnster01]

Denmark? Starting early today on the cocktails Mr Beamer?

[Lighthouse]

Denmark? Starting early today on the cocktails Mr Beamer?

Not so much starting as never actually finishing. Thanks for pointing out my slight geographical slip. I have amended it and so nobody will ever notice. Now just time for a quick one for the road.

[White Noise]

http://www.people.co.uk/sport/football/news/2012/05/27/roy-hodgson-tells-ashley-young-his-time-has-come-after-netting-first-england-win-102039-23875654/


Roy Hodgson tells Ashley Young his time has come after netting first England win



May 27 2012



By Dave Kidd



ROY HODGSON has told Ashley Young 'your time has come' after the Manchester United forward gave the new England manager a winning start.

Hodgson hailed Young's combination with Andy Carroll which brought the only goal of the game in last night's friendly against Norway.

And the Three Lions chief insists Young is ready to shine at Euro 2012 and prove himself as a major international player.

Hodgson said: "I haven't studied his performances for England but I am studying very close now.

"It is the right time in his career - if he is going to be a top international player the platform is there for him in the coming Euros.

"He's had a good season with Manchester United but with all the talent he possesses now might be the time for him to really kick on.

Answers "I got a lot of answers in this match. Carroll and Young was a new combination. I took an awful lot from it. No one can accuse us of choosing easy games with Norway and Belgium and it will help in the Euros.

"I thought Carroll was good, full stop. Not only was he when we had the ball, and he did all the things we were hoping he'd do, he was also very important defensively.

"I'd have quite liked to have given Jermain Defoe a game as well but I also wanted to win the game and I knew that if I took Andy Carroll off, we were losing a major piece of our jigsaw in dealing with all the long throws and balls that were being pumped into our area."

Young also insisted he enjoyed combining with Carroll.

He said: "It's down to the manager now. I think it worked well with Andy and there were a few good combinations. It was good between us and obviously we got the win. I think I did all right and took the goal well."

Discipline Hodgson praised his mix-and-match side as England beat Norway for the first time since 1980, despite missing their resting Chelsea contingent while keeper Joe Hart was also absent.

The England boss said: "I thought we showed a lot of discipline. We worked very hard but I don't think we were as good going forward as we have the potential to be. We showed glimpses of it.

"Changing the team so often does disrupt any attacking rhythm you might get.

"I'm aware it's very much work in progress but, after three days with this team, I've got to be satisfied that we've given a more-than-reasonable performance and got a result which everyone was reminding me doesn't happen too often.

"With five players missing and a couple of others injured we had limits placed upon us but I think it was important for some of these players who haven't always been first choice to get on the field, in a game where it's never easy to get a result, and show what they can do.

"A few of the players out there will have thrown a few spanners in the works and given me something to think about."

Hodgson also praised Steven Gerrard for a tackle on Tom Hogli which angered the Norwegians but did not earn the captain a yellow card.

He said: "These days all those tackles where someone comes out on the wrong end are heavily criticised but I thought it was fair, a very strong and very brave challenge.

"It was the type of challenge I hope our players will be putting in during the Euros because it shows their commitment."

[RidgeRider]

with regards to the English press, they better get used to 1-0 wins because that is 'Roy-ball'....and it works!