Hodgson: The brave or safe choice for England?

So Roy Hodgson it is then. Is that a safe appointment by the four wise men at the FA or is it, actually, a brave one?

Safe because there's no questioning Hodgson's experience, intelligence and respect within football. It could also be considered brave because he is very definitely not the popular choice andif it doesn't go well you can expect a backlash of Graham Taylor proportions.

The FA chairman stated in the hours following the messy Capello divorce that England fans would be listened to when the gang of four blazers decided on the next England boss.

It appears they have in fact turned a deaf ear to public opinion and will have some explaining to do when they officially unveil Hodgson sometime later this week.

I for one cannot remember a clamour for Hodgson in the past few weeks. I suspect Spurs would like a few answers too.

So why was Harry Redknapp ignored then? Not even interviewed. If we assume he did not turn them down (and he didn't) was there too much baggage? Did an ancient feud with Trevor Brooking play a part? Was it cash?

Surely an appointment of this significance could not have been influenced too heavily by compensation payments, despite the absurdly embarrassing sums paid to Fabio Capello.

Or was their perception that Redknapp was less likely to embrace the bigger picture? And by that I mean the new national football centre at Burton and the various teams that the FA run, below the one we all know about and have an opinion on.

One of the criticisms occasionally levelled at Redknapp is that he only has eyes for his Spurs first team and rarely expends too much energy beyond it.

I think most Spurs fans, who just want to see wins in the Premier League would see that as a strength. England supporters would too.

Neither man can hold a torch to Capello's club achievements before he was signed up but Hodgson has an international pedigree. He speaks several languages, has worked in 8 different countries and with Switzerland has experience of tournament football. Neither Capello before he took the England job or Redknapp now have that.

The one blot on Roy Hodgson's CV (and it's both recent and large) was his failure when given the chance to manage a big club in the Premier League.

Liverpool sacked him after 31 games - the shortest reign of any manager in Anfield's history. And that's the worry.

At Fulham and West Brom he has done very well but they are mid table teams. They are not burdened with the pressures, the expectations or the big egos of a club like Liverpool.

Although many point to the ghost of Kenny Dalglish undermining his chances of success, the fact is he failed there.

So what can we expect from Hodgson? Well, he plays a safe brand of football. He favours the type of system that was exposed as old fashioned and ineffective in the last world cup. So don't expect too many risks or too much flair but do expect well organised England teams who are difficult to beat.

Those I've spoken to who've played under him describe him as a brilliant organiser, a man who is very good at communicating with his players but also a man whose tactics have limitations which may become more apparent when England takes on the very best.

There's no question press conferences will be less entertaining without Harry holding court and I suspect the football we'll witness at the Euros will be less enjoyable too, but none of that will matter if Roy Hodgson can eke out a couple of quick wins.

The good news for him is that his appointment won't be universally slaughtered, in fact given a couple of days I think most might accept he is a sensible choice, even though sensible can sometimes mean dull.

Most helpful for Hodgson though is that the England team has been so disappointing for so long the slogan 'England expects' is really a euphemism for 'Actually, England doesn't expect too much these days.'