Steve Stammers explains how in international football, you're only as good as your last game, or your last half, as Roy Hodgson is discovering
Getty
Strange how quickly history can be re-written - even in these times of instant heroes and villains.
A week ago the England team was condemned to the Dark Ages after a sterile draw with the Republic of Ireland at Wembley.
Four days later in the Maracana Stadium, they had entered the Age of Enlightenment after drawing 2-2 with next summer's World Cup hosts, Brazil.
Thankfully, Roy Hodgson was greying when he took the post of England manager otherwise sales of Grecian 2000 would have gone through the roof around North West London as he realised what is involved in the most scrutinised job in football.
Hero or villain - nothing in between.
And as he looks forward to his summer break, he will have come to terms with the reality of the situation - that England are in the top ten of world football. Almost the Arsenal of the global game but Arsenal have a better record. By the time the pots are handed out next year, Arsenal will not have won a major honour since 2005. England need to go back to 1966.
But Hodgson's men are not stuck in 1066, as some would have you believe. International football is only a lose-lose in so many ways. There are only two trophies worth winning and they are both on display in Madrid at the moment - the World Cup and the European championship trophy.
The only hope for either of those coming to these shores is if Hodgson can do a "Di Matteo" - that is, win one of the big ones against the odds.
It is possible,? as Chelsea showed a year ago with their Champions League triumph. Not especially easy on the eye but with organisation and the odd match-winning player - like Drogba or Lampard - success is possible.
But it will have to be done under enormous pressure. Hodgson witnessed that for himself inside that four day period. And it will only get more intense as the World Cup qualifying matches against Moldova, Montenegro, Ukraine and Poland appear on the horizon next autumn.
That, however, is the fate of the national manager. There is no grey area - unless you count Hodgson's barnet.
Thanks to the strikes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Wayne Rooney, Hodgson can have a comparatively relaxing summer.
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View gallery ?It is all about the last result in the international football - as Joachim Loew will testify. He is the manager of Germany - the same Germany who are the new blueprint for football.
There were two Bundesliga clubs in the Champions League final - Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. The national team are one of the favourites to win the World Cup next July.
On Sunday Germany lost 4-3 to the United States. Can you imagine the furore if that was England? A long summer for Herr Loew awaits. That's international football for you.
A decision has still to be made about who will be the next coach for the England Under-21 team. Stuart Pearce is the present incumbent but a new face appears certain after the current UEFA championships in Israel. England could so worse than appoint a man who has run - successfully - three club academies at Leeds, Nottingham Forest and Charlton. He has also managed at first team level at The City Ground.
Gentlemen at the FA - I give you Paul Hart.
Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/englands-roy-hodgson-hiding-nothing-1931612
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