Gary Neville not to blame for under-performing Valencia, Roy Hodgson says
Thursday 17 March 2016 15:58, UK
Roy Hodgson says joining up with England will give Gary Neville "a nice little break" from Valencia's "under-performing" players.
Neville has struggled to achieve consistent results in his first management role, waiting 10 games for a first La Liga win after joining on a deal until the end of the season.
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The former England full-back kept his job on Hodgson's staff despite committing to Valencia and will be part of the set-up for this month's friendlies against Germany and the Netherlands.
And, according to Hodgson, the blame for Valencia's indifferent form is down to the players rather than his assistant.
"Gary's confidence won't be shaken by the fact he's taken on a very difficult job," he said. "He was realistic and knows that in terms of coaching and managing, you are a prisoner to some extent of the material you find you've got to work with.
"It's pretty obvious he took over a team that was under-performing, and that's why the coach left. Unfortunately he's taken over the players who continue to under-perform. But I don't think it will affect his confidence in himself.
"I know he's looking forward very much to coming back and teaming up with us again. I know he's looking forward to working with the players, because I'm sure the quality of players we have, they are more than capable of carrying out the coaching instructions and the way we would like them to play.
"I'm hoping it will be a nice little break for him, if you like, from the fairly onerous task he's taken on in leading a Valencia team whose expectations at the start of the season were so high that now they have no chance whatsoever of matching those expectations or living up to them."
