The Football Association was obviously proud of its pick and of its process yesterday. All four members of the Club England board flanked new manager Roy Hodgson at the Wembley press conference, and three of them spoke enthusiastically about their new man. Confidence in the team and its chances, though, was rather less obvious.
Hodgson's familiarity with the pressures and rhythms of international football clearly counted in his favour. As the FA pointed out, repeatedly, Hodgson was a successful manager of Switzerland who had also coached United Arab Emirates and Finland. To prioritise that was a new departure.
