He may be the won and onwy, but England manager-elect Roy Hodgson shares something in common with Kim Jong Il's Team America villain. He's ronery.
The backlash has started in earnest in the press after heir apparent Harry Redknapp was overlooked in favour of the West Brom manager. Hodgson is set to be appointed and unveiled at Wembley later today, but the knives have been sharpened before his England tenure has even begun.
In The Sun, there's a cartoon of Redknapp being shown the red card by a referee as Hodgson cheers, with the speech bubble "WE WUZ WOBBED" emerging from the crowd. A former columnist for the Murdoch tabloid, The Sun's backing for Redknapp was unashamed, and given Hodgson is yet to preside over one kick yet, the reaction should he begin to falter as Three Lions coach will be vitriolic.
Also, there's the smarmy headline "England expects (but not a lot Roy so that should help you out)" on the paper's website, as if to reaffirm their distrust-cum-dislike in a manager who isn't Harry Redknapp.
The Redknapp angle won't go away
"Half-price Hodgson just the job" say The Times in rather unflattering terms, making reference to his £2.5m-per-year wages - less than half what Fabio Capello earned in the national hot seat. The ex-Liverpool manager, Matt Hughes says, will get a contract until the end of the 2014 World Cup.
West Brom will be pleased to know they have the 64-year-old in charge until the end of the season though. Hodgson will perform a dual role, with the knowledge that the Baggies are safe from relegation, claim The Daily Mail.
Like HuffPostUK Sport did yesterday, the Daily Mirror today recall Redknapp's appointment-by-Twitter in February. Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand went public in their backing for the Spurs manager, but have been conspicuously silent over the likelihood it will be Hodgson who manages England.
Hodgson is likely to be lumped with the incapable hands of Ray Clemence as goalkeeping coach (he has coached England since the Glenn Hoddle era - David Seaman, David James, Paul Robinson and Robert Green have buckled under his mentoring), but may get his own man to join his backroom staff. Ray Lewington, whom he worked with at Fulham, is set to link up with him again, according to The Independent.
Four hours of "very positive talks" occurred between Hodgson and the FA, say The Daily Telegraph. West Brom boss Hodgson was pictured leaving Wembley after four hours of "very positive talks" on Monday with a "draft itinerary" of England's plans for the Euro 2012 finals, including the training camp in Spain and friendlies against Norway and Belgium.
