No obvious Hodgson replacement

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Football Soccer - England v Iceland - EURO 2016 - Round of 16 - Stade de Nice, Nice, France - 27/6/16 England head coach Roy Hodgson REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach Livepic - RTX2IK5T
  • Post published:June 29, 2016

Former England international and football pundit Alan Smith does not believe there is a clear candidate to replace Roy Hodgson at the Three Lions’ helm.

England was knocked out of the competition on Monday following a stunning 2-1 loss to tournament debutants Iceland, prompting Hodgson’s immediate resignation.

‘I don’t think there is an obvious character, and that’s a problem for the FA,’ he told SSN HQ.

‘I don’t think they want to go down the road of a foreign manager again, and I wouldn’t want them to, because I think it totally goes against the principles of international football. We’ve tried it and it doesn’t work.’

England U21 coach Gareth Southgate has been labelled the favourite to take over, but Smith remains unsure.

 ‘There’s talk about Gareth Southgate, whether that would be for the long term or the short term I don’t know.

‘There is not anybody out there that would immediately fit the bill. It’s a big problem for the FA. Roy obviously had to go, and I actually felt sorry for the players out there tonight, because that result will live with them forever.’

Smith, however, did go some way to defending the England players.

‘I’ve been out there, and as an England player I know what it’s like, and you feel the weight of expectation, of desperation from the fans in the stadium and back home.

 ‘You know what’s going to be said in the papers and on TV if you lose that match, and you can’t help but let that affect your game, and that’s what it did. Panic sets in, you lose composure, and in the end, you go to the same level as Iceland,’ he concluded.