Wanted: New England Manager, Passion Not Enough

Many criticisms can be levelled at Roy Hodgson in the wake of England's embarrassing exit from Euro 2016, but a lack of commitment or passion should not be among them.

Reluctantly attending a valedictory media appearance he was a walking warning for the toll that the job takes on even the most experienced, and every answer was laced with a disappointment that runs deep.

The day after a tournament exit is the toughest press conference any England manager has to give but it comes to them all in the end, assuming they've been good enough to get England to a finals.

Sven Goran Eriksson was the last to face the media in such circumstances a decade ago. That was the day after a World Cup quarter-final defeat on penalties to Portugal, and some thought that was bad.

Hodgson made no secret of the fact he did not want to be there. It was the first thing he said, a sign of admirable honesty, but also the occasional tin ear that means he is sometimes misunderstood.

But having been persuaded to answer questions after only a statement in the wake of elimination, he spoke plainly.

He said he felt "fragile" after a long night, and spoke of his shock at elimination.

"I'm disappointed because I didn't see it coming. Nothing in our first three games gave me an indication that we were going to play that poorly, but we did."

He touched also on the personal price for a failure that may cost him the respect he believes he is due for a distinguished itinerant career, as well as the young players who now share the taint of failure that marked the previous generation.

"One particularly bad game has caused a lot of damage to me personally and the team going forward. We have a major bridge to repair - had we played better last night that might not need repairing."

Throughout this tournament Hodgson has clung to the view that performances have not been matched by results, and that his changes - cast by some as indecision - have delivered all but goals.

But Hodgson knows results are the yardstick of football management, never more so than in major tournaments for a manager with three lions on his blazer pocket.

When I asked him if he felt he had laid out a clear plan that the players delivered on, his answer was both clear, and laced with emotion.

"That depends whether the analysis is based on performance or results, and if it is based on results then the answer has to be no, but over the three games, we played some very good stuff from box to box and didn't take our chances."

Delivering results is now someone else's problem and the Football Association will begin a recruitment process led by chief executive Martin Glenn, advised by technical director Dan Ashworth and Manchester United director David Gill.

Glenn said he will conduct a review into why England are "brittle" and "fail to punch our weight" at the sharp end of tournaments, but he will not limit his managerial candidates to Englishmen.

He said he wanted the best man for the job and that may mean a foreigner, given the lack of stand-out English candidates in the limited field of Premier League coaches.

Gareth Southgate, currently under-21 coach, may be asked to takeover on a temporary basis while the credentials and enthusiasm of others is assessed.

Arsenal's Wenger has been targeted by the FA in the past, Claudio Ranieri's cheerful, wise inspiration of Leicester will have been noted, and Jurgen Klinsmann may feature on a long-list, though even in its impoverished state the English game may balk at a German.

Whoever it is eventually would do well to talk to Hodgson first, and to watch back his last official act as England manager. It should remove any illusions, as well as setting the benchmark for how much they need to care.