Roy Hodgson says it’s no laughing matter bossing Crystal Palace after the England job – because the players are worse and lack the right work ethic
Former Liverpool and Inter manager joked about his Euro 2016 disaster as Three Lions chief but finds nothing funny about life at the bottom of the Premier League
ROY HODGSON says his return to club football after four years in the England job has been anything but a laugh a minute.
Speaking at the Aspire4Sport Congress and Exhibition at Stamford Bridge, Crystal Palace boss Hodgson joked about his Euro 2016 disaster as Three Lions chief.
But the former Liverpool and Fulham boss said returning to the Premier League wiped the smile off his face — because the players are worse and lack the right work ethic.
He said “Going to work at a club like Palace is no laughing matter after the riches of international management.
“More often than not you’re not working with as good players.
“So I’m going to work with players and going to be a bit disappointed every day at their technical ability, tactical knowledge, maybe even the ability to work hard.”
Hodgson added: “A good friend once said to me, ‘You know what the trouble with us trainers is?’
‘We expect players to be as professional as we are, to care as much, and to be as energetic and passionate about football as we are. And they aren’t.’
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“That’s something you sometimes have to come to terms with.”
But Hodgson claims England are now moving in the right direction.
He said: “The current national team and the current squad is very very strong in my opinion.
“It’s still very young. It has all the qualities you are looking for in a football team.
"The players are athletic, you’ve got pace in the team, technically very good, tactically happy to learn, willing to learn, willing to try to do the type of thing the coach wants them to do.
“Do they lack anything? Yes, of course, they lack experience because many of them haven’t played many games even in their club side.
“They certainly haven’t played many matches at international level for their club or for their country.
"But that’s improving all the time. Every year that goes by they get stronger."
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