Roy Hodgson didn’t know he had a speech impediment until he started managing in England
Former Three Lions boss says the media coverage of his speech surprised him after he returned from Scandinavia
ROY HODGSON has opened up about his time as England manager and his views on the media.
The former Three Lions boss, who has sometimes been mockingly nicknamed 'Woy', including by his successor Sam Allardyce, says he didn't even know he had a speech impediment until he returned to England with Fulham.
Hodgson, who has managed in eight different countries, had brief spells at Bristol City and Blackburn in the 80s and 90s but spent most of his time abroad.
In 2007 he left his role with Finland to take over in West London, and he says it was only then that he realised he has a speech impediment.
He told BBC Radio 5 Live: "I didn't realise I had a speech impediment until I came back to England.
"I spent the whole of my life working abroad and no-one mentioned it. I came back to England and suddenly realised I had a speech impediment."
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But Hodgson added that he took it all in good humour and blasted 'sensitive' souls who believe those kind of jokes have no place in football.
He said: "I don't think anything's cruel - if you're so sensitive these days that you see cruelty everywhere, unfortunately every time a comedian comes on television, you're going to accuse him of cruelty, because that's the kind of humour that the English people enjoy."
He also said that England's players need to be allowed to move on from their Euro 2016 humiliation against Iceland.
Moving forward, he said of England's youngsters: "I just hope they're going to be given the chance to be good and not constantly held back by people trying to lay the sins of the past upon them.
"If we're going to move on as a team, and they're going to move on as players, then it has to be put to rest.
"They have to be allowed to take the plaudits, which I know will come their way in the future games."
And he also backed new manager Gareth Southgate and captain Wayne Rooney.
Endorsing the appointment of Southgate, he said: "He comes into the job with a lot of credibility and a lot of goodwill, so I think he's in a good position to take the team forward.
"He's choosing the right players. I'm convinced these are the guys who will lead us forward, and there's still a few good ones to come in."
On Rooney's recent drunken antics, he commented: "If people are going to judge him honestly, the press people who failed to condone his recent escapade, if they were to be honest they'd have to say he's done a good job as captain.
He also thought it was telling that both Allardyce and Southgate have kept the Man United captain on as skipper of the national team.
"It's interesting that decision to make him captain has been endorsed by two other managers. Gareth will decide if his place is always in the team from the start."