Roy Hodgson has admitted he does not enjoy the attention that comes with the job of being England manager.
England boss refuses to comment on Beckham Olympic omission
Roy Hodgson has admitted he does not enjoy the attention that comes with the job of being England manager.
Hodgson took the reins as England boss shortly before Euro 2012 and much of the build-up was overshadowed by media speculation surrounding the omission of Rio Ferdinand.
The 64-year-old then endured criticism for the manner in which England were eliminated from the tournament against Italy at the quarter-final stage.
But the furore surrounding England is just something the former West Brom coach is learning to deal with.
"I don't know how much I enjoy it," said Hodgson. "I enjoy the job of being the England national team manager and I accept the things that go with that.
"I certainly don't seek out the cameras but I know they're going to follow me and I have to learn to live with it.
"I'm sure I will get caught out on many occasions doing something I shouldn't!"
Honour
Hodgson also revealed that he anticipates the club versus country balance being an ongoing issue.
"We can never get away from the fact we as a national team don't pay the players," he said.
"They play for the honour of representing their country, and their money and livelihood comes from the clubs.
"Which master do you serve, the one you want to because you want to play for your country or the one who pays your wages?
"It hasn't been a problem so far, the clubs have been very co-operative and there have been no problems with players.
"I've been party to it with Switzerland and Finland, situations where clubs have an important game coming up and would rather their player stay with them rather than risk injury.
"It's better now FIFA have these dates where the club game is closed down for 10 days. They're doing everything they can to ensure the clubs don't suffer from loaning their players out.
Commitment
"The players do value it. On the evidence of the Euros, the commitment is first-class.
"Twenty-two million people in England tuned in to see our game against Italy - it's been suggested the national team is not viewed as being as important as the Champions League but more people watched our match than the Champions League final."
Press attention has moved away from Hodgson in recent weeks with Great Britain coach Stuart Pearce in the spotlight following his decision not to select David Beckham for the Olympics.
But Hodgson said: "Stuart was given the autonomy to select his team, it was his decision that David would not be a part of it and it wouldn't be appropriate for me to be involved in any comments towards that.
"I'm sure the decision has been debated pretty thoroughly but I've not been a part of it.
"It should be a very good event, the England group is a very interesting one," he added, mistakenly referring to Team GB as England.
"It's a very good competition because it's open to the top professionals, that's very different to the old days."
