England’s players were not to blame for the team’s embarrassing early exit from EURO 2016.
That’s according to a report from The Observer, which claims that it was the relationship between Roy Hodgson and Gary Neville that led to England’s campaign going south.
The report claims:
Hodgson’s training methods – questioned by Steven Gerrard after the last World Cup – were one source of the disagreements. Neville had a close ally in Dave Watson, the goalkeeping coach. Players have complained of mixed messages and the general sense of confusion is not eased by the revelation that one turned to the dugout during the Iceland defeat and asked where a team-mate was supposed to be playing.
According to The Observer, Neville openly questioned Hodgson’s methods in front of the players, undermining him, and causing tension in the camp.
The report also claims:
The fact they took it upon themselves to remove Harry from corner-taking duties indicates they were not always happy with the manager’s tactics.
Reports after England’s disastrous exit suggested the players were unhappy with Hodgson, and that he had lost the dressing room. But if the Observer’s claims are accurate, the extent of the problem was much deeper than simply losing the dressing room.
