The painful memories of their embarrassing World Cup exit still linger, yet the Euro 2016 qualification campaign has allowed the Three Lions to quickly focus on the future. Hodgsons men have started impressively and sit atop Group E having won all three matches to date, resulting in some bookmakers pricing England as short 1/12 to win the group with seven games remaining. Such odds highlight their opponents paucity of quality as well as the exciting, youthful side the England boss is putting together - players which could light up the finals in France. Id like to think our prospects are good, Hodgson said of Euro 2016. This batch of young players are an exciting group, theres no doubt about their talent and potential. Were daring to dream. Whether were favourites or not it doesnt matter. Its 11 men against 11 men, and if were a team that is well organised were going to make life difficult for our opponents. If you can be solid and hard to beat and add players like (Raheem) Sterling, (Daniel) Sturridge, (Jack) Wilshere - players that can win you games - then who knows. Hodgson was addressing the Union Chamber at Cambridge University, where he praised the attitude and aptitude of skipper Rooney. The one thing I will tell you about him is that hes a very passionate person about playing for his country, he said. Hes a super professional and the one thing I know I can get from Wayne is that I can trust him. Thats a great quality for a player to give a coach. Im speaking from years and years of experience when I say that reliability is an essential quality. I dont know if I knew that at your age, but I know that now. Rooney is closing in on Sir Bobby Charltons all-time scoring record for England, yet some have questioned whether he is a better player now than the one that burst onto the international scene at Euro 2004. When that was put to Hodgson, he retorted: It was Oscar Wilde who said comparisons are odious. I cant compare and I certainly dont have the right to compare. I can only comment on Rooney over two years Ive been working with him. I believe Wayne is going to have an important role to play. Rooney is set to bring up a century of caps when England take on Slovenia next month, 11 years on from making his debut as a 17-year-old against Australia. He has been in the public eye ever since so knows all too well how teenager Sterling is feeling at the moment. The 19-year-old winger dominated the debate in the last week and was ridiculed in some quarters for saying he was tired before the recent qualifier in Estonia. Such coverage and comments have irked Hodgson, who was quick to deny any club v country row with Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers. With young Raheem Sterling this week, it guts me to see that sort of treatment, he said. Its totally unfair and totally wrong. Its suiting peoples agendas. But, you know, hell be stronger for it. Is that right? Of course its not right. But I cant turn the clock back, Im living in 2004, I cant go back to Downton Abbey. He added: Ive been lucky. I think there have been club vs country conflicts in the past, but Ive been pretty shielded from it luckily. Journalists would like more conflict, because they work in a slightly Machiavellian situation.
Posted on: Fri, 24 Oct 2014 07:39:04 +0000
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