Euro 2016: Roy Hodgson won't 'beg' to continue as England manager with Iceland banana skin on horizon

In a trenchant and indignant defence of his work with the national team, Hodgson has indicated that he does not consider himself to be at the governing body’s mercy

Roy Hodgson has plenty to ponder before Monday night (Getty)

England manager Roy Hodgson has told his Football Association bosses that he will not “beg” for an extension of his contract beyond the European Championships, as the governing body’s chief executive Martin Glenn last night denied that there were doubts about the six team changes for the stalemate against Slovakia..

In a trenchant and indignant defence of his work with the national team, Hodgson has indicated that he does not consider himself to be at the governing body’s mercy after the tournament and that he is prepared to continue in the role, rather than walk away.

“I’m not begging for the job,” Hodgson said. “I am prepared to carry on. It is different to wanting it. I’m prepared to carry on if the FA want me to. If they don’t want me to then my contract will have run out and that is how that will be. I believe in what I’ve done in particular over the last couple of years. I believe in the team I am working with and believe the team is showing such potential that it will go on and do good things and if the FA want me to continue with me looking after them I will be happy to do so.”

Glenn insisted that neither he or chairman Greg Dyke had any problem with his wholesale changes for the Slovakia match and that Hodgson had their “total support.” Glenn said: “I actually don't know where these stories are coming from. They don't come from me. They don't come from the chairman. He has our full support, he has been a great manager and I think we are going to do great things in this tournament. We want to just see progress, that is all we have said all along. This is a building team. We should turn up to every tournament being prepared to win it.”

Defeat to Iceland in Nice, in England’s round of 16 match on Monday, would render Hodgson’s position untenable but he described the suggestion that it was unfair to be judged on one game as a “stupid comment.” He said: “I am not prepared to go into that. I’ve been working for 40 years, don’t ask me those sort of questions. So don’t ask me to make stupid comments like that.”

Hodgson clearly believes that criticism of his decision to make six changes to the starting line-up for the disappointing goalless draw against Slovakia is confined to journalists. He staunchly defended those changes, arguing that every individual except Jack Wilshere delivered in Saint Etienne. He expressed hope that the governing body will not be influenced by journalistic interpretations of his work which he believes run against the evidence of what the quality of football delivered on the pitch.

“The FA will make the decision on what they want to do,” he said. “One hopes they will do it on their thinking and their observations and judgement and analysis on what is happening with the national team and not because some journalist has written something contrary to that.”

To the notion that he should not be judged on one game, he said: “I am not prepared to go into that. I’ve been working for 40 years, don’t ask me those sort of questions. The game is cruel. There is no correlation sometimes between how well a team has done and the result, that is something that is part and parcel of my life as I deal with criticism and judgements that are made. So don’t ask me to make stupid comments like that.”

Hodgson is expected to change England’s attacking options again on Monday, by returning to Harry Kane to the starting line-up at the expense of Jamie Vardy, relegated to the bench. But Daniel Sturridge is expected to retain his place ahead of Raheem Sterling.