Hodgson: This Is My First Top Job

Though he has managed at international level and headed Inter Milan Roy Hodgson has suggested taking charge of Liverpool is perhaps his first top job in football.

The 62-year-old believes part of the reason for this has been his willingness to take posts just to remain in the game rather than sit back and wait for a bigger clubs to come knocking. He suggests his career path may also have played a part.

"I wouldn’t say I’ve done things the hard way because there are all kinds of routes a person can take in football management that throw up contrasting challenges," he said.

"It would be disrespectful to other managers to say that I’ve had it tougher. What I would say is that my route to Liverpool has been slightly different.

"My problem has been that I love working and I hate being out of it. Whenever I have been, after a few weeks I have found myself yearning for a return. So maybe on occasion I’ve been prone to jumping at an offer at a smaller club when I should have waited a little longer before a better job has come around."

Though the Londoner is Liverpool's first British manager in over a decade Hodgson believes he is not necessarily seen as an English manager.

With only Bristol City, Blackburn Rovers and Fulham on his CV amongst an extensive career in Europe - where he has done as much as he could to absorb the local culture - Hodgson can only conclude his career path may also have been a factor in his apparent isolation from high profile jobs.  

He added: "There have been times when I’ve tried to blend in too well to the surroundings I’m in, rather than be myself and portray my Englishness.

"I sometimes think that people in England probably view me as the least English of the English managers. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why it has taken me longer than others to get one of the big jobs.

Source:shanklygates