West Brom now join Tottenham Hotspur in facing the prospect of losing their manager at the end of the season.
Fabio Capello certainly chose his moment to resign as England manager, hours after Harry Redknapp was cleared at his tax evasion trial.
The Spurs boss was immediately installed as favourite for the job, but so far it has been more of a curse than a blessing, with Tottenham losing three of their four league wins since then, and needing two attempts to beat League One side Stevenage.
Roy Hodgson on the other hand is emerging as a steady, safe, and experienced contender, whether that be for the job solely at Euro 2012, or to take the country to the 2014 World Cup.
The West Brom boss is as low as 5/1 with some bookies to be the next England manager, and 7/1 with others.
When Capello resigned, Hodgson was best priced at 13/1 to take over, with certain bookies even suspending betting on Redknapp’s appointment?
So why has Hodgson suddenly emerged as a contender, and would he be a good choice?
The reasons his price has shortened are three-fold. One, he is doing a sterling job at West Brom, even leading them to a win over Chelsea a fortnight ago. Secondly, there is the poor form of Spurs under Harry Redknapp, with the Spurs boss showing signs of cracking under the pressure after a third successive league defeat against Everton on Saturday evening.
Thirdly, and perhaps not as obvious, the struggles Kenny Dalglish is experiencing at Liverpool at present, is only making Hodgson’s aborted reign at Anfield seem even more as though he did not get a proper go at it and was treated unfairly.
Redknapp is clearly the ‘popular’ choice- although his crown may be slipping, but we feel Hodgson could be the better option.
His teams are generally well-drilled, and importantly he has experience internationally, dating back to World Cup 1994, taking Switzerland to the last 16, and a well-received stint with Finland in 2006-07 helping them to their highest ever Fifa ranking, before landing the Fulham manager’s job.
He could easily step into the breach with England at Euro 2012 with little need for adjustment.
Two big questions are whether he can handle the pressure, the Anfield cauldron proved tricky for him, and how would the players react? Many including Wayne Rooney have publicly backed Redknapp, and would appreciate his ‘arm around the shoulder’ style.
Would Roy Hodgson give the squad the lift they need? We’d like to think so, but there likely wouldn’t be the same feelgood factor there may be if Redknapp were in charge.
Of course there is the issue of West Brom, how will their board deal with an approach for Hodgson, would they stand in his way, or insist on a job-share?
All are intriguing questions, and could be answered in the coming months. What we do know is that Hodgson is emerging as a viable, realistic front-runner for the England manager’s job, and supporters should be thankful that a man with Hodgson’s vast experience is a candidate in the race.
Who do you think should manage England? Redknapp? Hodgson? Or other? Let us know…
image: © nicksarebi
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