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27th Jun 2016

Roy Hodgson resigns as England manager… but *praises* players after humiliating loss to Iceland

Unbelievable...

Simon Lloyd

To be fair, what choice did he have?

After one of the most embarrassing moments in the history of English football, Roy Hodgson confirmed that he would not be staying on as manager.

Speaking shortly after Iceland dumped them out of Euro 2016 with their 2-1 win in Nice, Hodgson told reporters in a press conference.

“My contract was always up after the Euros, so now is the time for someone else to oversee the progress of this young, hungry and extremely talented group of players,” he said.

“They have been fantastic and they have done everything that’s been asked of them,” he added – although given tonight’s performance, some might well question that.

“When I arrived, I was told that players didn’t turn up to play for their country.

“I’ve not seen any of that. These players love to play for their country and their commitment has been unquestionable.”

Significantly, Hodgson was reading from a script that he presumably didn’t expect to be using so soon in the tournament. Given the dismal showing from England’s players in Nice, perhaps he should have made a few tweaks?

“These things happen,” he added after thanking the FA, his coaches and the England supporters.

No further questions were to be asked. And with that, Roy Hodgson’s time as national team manager was done.