England recently parted ways with Stuart Pearce as the under 21 team manager after a run of poor results in the last three years at a time when a lot of progress was expected from the young team. The English FA have been searching for a replacement for the last few weeks. In the meantime, the team was scheduled to play against Scotland in the second week of August. The English FA have decided to ask manager Roy Hodgson to be in charge of the team for this one match, and this offer has been gladly accepted by the former Liverpool and West Brom manager.

England lost all three matches at the recent Euro under 21 championship, and were knocked out of the competition in the most disappointing manner. As a result, the English FA decided not to extend the contract of former Manchester city manager Stuart Pearce. Incidentally, the England senior team will also be playing on the same day, and it is learnt that Hodgson will be back at Wembley to take charge of the senior team as usual. The senior team will also be playing against Scotland. A number of candidates have been linked with the role in the last few weeks.

Former Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate and former Blackpool manager Michael Appleton are some of the names mentioned.

“There is an opportunity while the recruitment process goes on to work with this squad and it is something I very much wanted to do. I watch the under-21 fixtures and I was in Israel for the European Championship but, as a coach, nothing can beat the training field and the team hotel for getting to know players properly. In a World Cup year it makes absolute sense while there is the chance to do it,” said Hodgson.

England national team manager Roy Hodgson has said that the achievements of Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who will be stepping down from his post after more than 26 years in charge of the club, will probably never be equalled. Ferguson is regarded as one of the greatest managers in the history of the sport. He has managed to guide United to more than 30 major titles during his time at the club. This includes 13 league titles and two Champions League titles as well. He has decided to retire as a manager after more than 40 years in the sport.

He will be stepping down at the end of the season and Everton manager David Moyes is expected to be announced as his replacement. Ferguson was appointed as the manager of Manchester United back in 1986. Hodgson has revealed that Ferguson had more qualities than just being a very good manager. He has recalled how the 71-year-old has helped him at various stages in his career. Ferguson will be leaving United as the champions of England after getting the club to their 20th league title this season.

Hodgson, whose England team are fighting with Montenegro for a spot in the FIFA World Cup 2014, has wished the 71-year-old the best of health and happiness in his retirement career.

“It’s impossible to add anything really to all the tributes that have been made. I’m personally a little bit sad he’s not continuing, although I more than respect his decision to retire and hope he enjoys it. The only thing I can add is his human qualities. His footballing qualities and everything he achieved is never going to equalled. The epithet ‘the greatest’ is more than well deserved. I’m sure in terms of being available for the new man, he’ll be a godsend,” said the England manager.

The England national team manager Roy Hodgson has said that he would be happy even if the England national team made it to the 2014 World Cup only in the play-offs. England are one of the favourites to qualify for the competition from the group stages after they have made a good start to the qualification campaign, but the presence of several high-profile teams like Belgium and Ukraine mean that qualification is not guaranteed for the team. Further, they are already in the second place behind Montenegro, who currently at the table by four points ahead of England.

Roy Hodgson’s men recently suffered draws against Ukraine and Poland, which have meant that we have not been able to occupy the top spot going into the new year. England were also recently defeated 4-2 by the spectacular Swedish team. Hodgson has said that the most important thing is to play in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and it does not matter whether the team qualifies through the play-offs or directly from the group stages. England lost failed to qualify for a major tournament back in 2008 when they did not appear for the Euro 2008. Hodgson has suggested that the current crop of England players do not need any additional motivation apart from the prospect of playing in the World Cup.

“If we don’t succeed in being No1, I’d be more than happy to go into the play-offs. The important thing is we get one of those two positions. The group we are in was quite underestimated but that is often the case. I can assure the England football fans there is nothing the players want more. They don’t need motivation, they need to perform,” said Hodgson. England will be playing against the world cup host Brazil in a friendly match in February.

The England manager Roy Hodgson has said that he has called up a number of young players for the friendly match against Sweden in the hope that they will be able to outperform the older players and qualify for the 2014 World Cup in style. England will be playing against Sweden in a friendly match, and the England manager has decided to omit a number of high-profile first-team players partly because of injuries. The Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney and the Arsenal midfielder Theo Walcott will be amongst the high-profile names absent from the squad. In their place, Roy Hodgson has included the three young strikers in the form of Daniel Sturridge, Danny Welbeck, and Zaha.

This is the first time that the Crystal Palace winger Zaha has been included in the squad. Many have been raising eyebrows, but it is due to the excellent performances shown by the 20-year-old in the Championship according to the England manager. He has said that it is highly unlikely that a number of players like Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard will be at the peak of their careers when the 2014 FIFA World Cup kicks off. Hence, he has challenged the likes of Zaha to replace these players.

“There’s no doubt we’re going to see a vast improvement over the coming ten years, and I think you see it already if you look at the young players that are coming through today. Oxlade-Chamberlain, Welbeck, Cleverley, Bertrand, Gibbs, Wilshere – in all of these players you can see that technically they are of a very good level. It can only get better,” said the England manager ahead of the friendly match with Sweden. England have made a great start to the World Cup qualifying campaign and they are undefeated in the matches played so far.

England manager Roy Hodgson has said that he is extremely confident that the experienced players like Michael Carrick and Frank Lampard still have a lot to give for the England national team. The England manager decided to recall Frank Lampard and Michael Carrick, who missed out on the opportunity to play at the Euro 2012, for the friendly match against Italy. England managed to win the match quite convincingly 2-1, while they had earlier lost in the quarter-final match against the Euro 2012 finalist on penalties. Roy Hodgson has said that the return of both Michael Carrick and Frank Lampard was crucial in securing the victory.

Many have been predicting that the England manager will not be calling of the Chelsea midfielder and the Manchester United midfielder due to the age. Many expected Roy Hodgson to utilise a much younger squad in the hope of being prepared for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The 34-year-old Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard is entering into the twilight of his career, but has not ruled out retiring from the international scene claiming that he still has a lot to offer for the national team. It proved to be the case after he was instrumental in the 2-1 win over Italy.

“We deserved victory over 90 minutes and there were some very good performances. When you miss players like Lampard and Carrick because they are not available you are maybe going to regret it because of the quality they bring. It is not about systems, it is about players. The three in midfield passed very well and our wide men worked very hard, but everyone played their part. I don’t think there was a great difference between what we did in the Euros and what we did tonight,” said the England manager Roy Hodgson.