Roy Hodgson admits to missing Saturdays during his time out of football
Hodgson is back in the game with Watford
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Roy Hodgson admits he could be accused of “not retiring gracefully” following his surprise return to top-flight management with relegation-threatened Watford.
The 74-year-old veteran former England boss looked have called time on his extensive career when he stepped down at Crystal Palace at the end of last season.
Yet when troubled Watford came calling last month following the sacking of Claudio Ranieri Hodgson could not resist another crack at the Premier League.
“I thought that when I left Crystal Palace that that was the right time to to retire gracefully,” Hodgson told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“Of course I did say at the time, ‘I’m never going to say never, I’m not going to say something won’t come along that I want to do’.
“But I suppose I could be accused of not retiring gracefully. I can only hope that the job I’ve been brought in to do, by the people who believe I can do it, will be the right one.”
The Hornets are Hodgson’s 17th club in a 47-year managerial career that has also seen him take charge of four national sides.
Saturday afternoon has always been the worst time because that's the time when you feel you should be involved in football.
Although he has enjoyed his free time since last year, he admits he has missed Saturday match days.
“They’ve been the worst days,” said Hodgson, who takes charge of his first game as Watford visit Burnley this Saturday.
“I don’t think I’ve been waking up every morning thinking, ‘I wish I was back in the in the fray’, I’ve enjoyed the time.
“But Saturday afternoon has always been the worst time because that’s the time when you feel you should be involved in football, and I’ve not wanted to ring around people asking for tickets because that didn’t seem right either.”
The opportunity at Vicarage Road came to Hodgson unexpectedly but he had little hesitation taking it.
He said: “I suppose coming out of the blue as it did was an advantage in some ways as I didn’t have a lot of chance to really think it through and am I doing the right thing or not it?
“It came up, it sounded like a really good idea and I was quite enthusiastic about it, so I accepted it and I’ve now got time to to regret it, if I need to, at my leisure.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments