Roy's Programme Interview

Have a read of Roy Hodgson's interview with the official matchday programme, on the day he received his well-deserved Forever Fulham award.

The recipient of this evening’s Forever Fulham award is a managerial legend who has held the top job at clubs including Inter Milan, Blackburn Rovers, FC Copenhagen, Liverpool, West Bromwich Albion and Crystal Palace, as well as leading national teams such as Switzerland, Finland and England. Arriving at Craven Cottage as the Whites’ new manager in December 2007, Roy Hodgson oversaw two-and-a-half wonderful seasons at Fulham, during which time the Club achieved our best-ever Premier League finish and reached the 2010 UEFA Europa League Final.

Going back to your appointment as Fulham manager at the end of 2007. How did that come about?

I had decided not to accept an offer to stay on as Finland manager. That was because of the commitment I had made to Inter Milan a year earlier to join them as an advisor to the president. In the period between me tidying up affairs in Finland and taking up the role with Inter, I came back to England for Christmas. Around that time, [former Fulham CEO] David McNally asked to meet with me and talked about the job at Fulham. I met the rest of the Board of Directors a few days later and ended up getting offered the job. It all came about quite quickly. My decision to take the Fulham job meant I had to phone the Inter president and tell him that instead of joining up with them, I was going to carry on coaching and be in the Premier League with Fulham.

Four wins from five at the end of your first half-season with Fulham in 2007/08 saw the Club remain in the Premier League. You must have some fantastic memories of that Great Escape season?

It was a memorable time, not least because we had been written off by most people outside the Club. We were in the relegation zone for pretty much the whole time after I’d come in. There were some memorable games. The big one for me is coming back from 2-0 down at Manchester City to win 3-2. If we hadn’t have won that one, it would have been irrelevant how we got on in the games after, because we would have been relegated. But winning at Manchester City then provided us with those great moments at Reading and Portsmouth, and at home to Birmingham City. To come through that ‘do or die’ match at Portsmouth on the last day of the season was incredible.

From a relegation battle when you first arrived at Fulham, to the Club then having our best-ever Premier League finish the following campaign in 2008/09, that’s quite a turnaround in form. What do you think brought about that change?

The foundations were good and the players were keen to play as a team and in the way we, the coaching staff, wanted to see. We made some good signings in the summer 2008 transfer window... Bobby Zamora, Andy Johnson, Mark Schwarzer, Zoltán Gera and Dickson Etuhu. And the following season we brought in players like Damien Duff and Stephen Kelly, having previously signed Brede Hangeland when I first arrived. We kept the foundation of the team that kept us in the Premier League in 2007/08 and the new arrivals that came after that were able to settle well around them.

The run to the UEFA Europa League Final in 2009/10 is the stuff of Fulham legend. What are your standout memories of that campaign?

There are so many wonderful memories. The campaign started so early as we played Vėtra during what was our pre-season. We made it into the group stage and we had a really tough draw, with the likes of Basel and Roma in there. The win in Basel was particularly pleasing as they have such a good home record. The knockout draw saw us face a number of teams who had dropped into the Europa League from the Champions League. We played top teams like Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus, Wolfsburg and Hamburg... all big-name teams. But the players were fantastic and produced so many wonderful performances to get through to the Final.

We didn’t have the biggest squad by then. We had a nucleus of 12 or 13 players, who made up our team. If we had injuries or suspensions, we didn’t have that many options. But all the players we called upon showed a lot of character and resilience to do what they did.

At the end of the 2009/10 season, you won the League Managers Association (LMA) Manager of the Year Award. What did that mean to you?

All awards should be treasured, but ones from your peers are particularly gratifying as they come from people that understand the difficulty and circumstances involved in the job. When they are giving you an award saying you have done a good job, that is very humbling indeed.

How much did you enjoy working with Mohamed Al-Fayed during your time at Fulham?

I enjoyed working with him a lot. He had a lot on his plate at the time with Harrods and owning a Premier League football club. It must have been a big ask finding the balance between the two. A lot of the day-to-day responsibilities at Fulham fell to David McNally and then Alistair Mackintosh. So, my communications with Mohamed were easier as I was only responsible for the football side of things rather than the business aspect of the Club. There are few people I’ve met in my football career that have had the ability to make me laugh more than Mohamed. He did a wonderful job for Fulham and the Club was always in good hands under him. That still appears to be the case under Shahid Khan, who has been carrying on in the same vein as Mohamed with generous investments and ensuring Fulham can compete at the highest level.

You became Liverpool’s new manager in the summer of 2010 – a wonderful opportunity and one few in your position would turn down. But at the same time, were you sad to be leaving Fulham?

Very much so. The truth of the matter is that I was very happy at Fulham and I was not looking to get away. The job found me rather than the other way around. The opportunity to manage Liverpool wasn’t one I felt I could turn down. I had a similar situation a few years later when I was happy at West Bromwich Albion but I was offered the England job. Those are the sort of positions – like the one I had at Inter Milan too – that come along once or twice in a career if you’re lucky.

You departed your most recent managerial role at Watford last summer. What have you been up to since and do you think there’s ever a circumstance in which you could be tempted back into management?

I won’t say I’ve been busy, because that would be an exaggeration. But I’ve certainly had no problem with finding ways to spend my time. Opportunities have come my way, some of which have involved travelling. I’ve also had the chance to do some punditry work. I tend to pick and choose the games I cover quite carefully and I always enjoy it. I’m less committed now than when I was a manager, when you are pretty much spending every minute at the football club or thinking about it. It’s nice to have some days where I don’t have a commitment. There are circumstances that could tempt me back into a job in football, yes. Management... I don’t think so, but you never know. I’d be foolish to say I’d never consider a managerial position if it came my way, but it’s certainly not something I am thinking about or pursuing.

You attended Fulham’s matches against Crystal Palace and Southampton at the end of last year. How impressed were you by their performances?

Fulham have been playing so well this season. In addition to the games you mention, I went to the Fulham-Manchester United match at Craven Cottage and I was at another of their games earlier in the campaign. On each occasion, their performances have been very impressive. I watched the Newcastle-Fulham game on television recently, too, and I thought Fulham were very unlucky not to get something from that game. I’m looking forward to this match against Spurs because it will be a very good test for Fulham. I’m hoping they can get a result against an opponent they’ve not always had the best record against.

You spoke to Marco Silva after the aforementioned Crystal Palace game. How impressed are you by the job he is doing at Fulham?

I’ve always been impressed by Marco, as both a person and a manager, and that’s even before he took the job at Fulham, I must add. I got to know him as a coach and a manager with other clubs. When he was appointed as Fulham manager, I remember my first thought being, ‘that’s a very good appointment.’ I thought he would be a good fit for the Club and so that’s proven to be the case. He’s doing an excellent job. I also think Fulham are a good Club to work for as a manager. They give you a lot of help and support. Most importantly, they allow you to do the job you are good at. I can’t speak for Marco, but I would imagine that’s how he feels.

We paid tribute to the late George Cohen MBE at both the Crystal Palace and Southampton games. How will you remember George?

I will remember George with enormous fondness and with great respect. It was a real honour to be invited by the Club to the Southampton game. Marco mentioned the possibility of me attending the match in his interview after the Crystal Palace game when I said I’d like to be a part of the occasion. He arranged that with Alistair Mackintosh so I could come to the game. It was nice for me being able to play a part in George’s send-off, which was so respectfully conducted by the Club. We all got to say goodbye to a real Fulham legend, and a football legend also. There were a few players in that World Cup winning team of 1966 that dedicated their career to one club, and George was one of those. He was a special footballer and an incredible person.

You are back at Craven Cottage this evening to collect the Forever Fulham award. What will it mean to you to receive this?

As I said earlier, any award you receive is special. It’s an honour to be recognised by Fulham in this way. Fulham will always be a club I follow. I was very happy during my time at the Cottage and it played a big part in my career and my life.