Hodgson insists England have bright future despite Iceland humiliation

A defiant and emotional Roy Hodgson insists that England will recover from their disastrous Euro 2016 defeat to Iceland.

Goals from Ragnar Sigurdsson and Kolbeinn Sigthorsson secured Iceland the biggest result in their footballing history at Stade de Nice on Monday, handing England their most humiliating tournament exit in living memory in the process.

Hodgson announced his resignation with a pre-prepared statement minutes after the final whistle and declined to take questions from the media, but was persuaded to join Football Association chief executive Martin Glenn for a press conference at England's base in Chantilly on Tuesday afternoon.

“I don’t really know what I’m doing here - I thought my statement last night was sufficient," Hodgson began. "I’m no longer the England manager but I was told to come. I suppose someone has to come and take the slings and arrows … my emotions are the obvious ones. I’m very disappointed, I didn’t see the result coming.

“If you don’t turn up and play the football that you know you’re capable of, an opponent like Iceland can beat you. I’m still recovering from that, it wasn’t a good night and I’m very fragile today.

“We believed that we could get to the quarter-final and get beyond that.

“I think this group of players as they mature will have more success than they’ve had at the tournament. I don’t think it’s got anything to do with money, or where they play.”

Reports immediately prior to the press conference suggested that senior players had lost faith in Hodgson's judgement during the tournament, but captain Wayne Rooney issued a statement refuting the accusations and Hodgson was similarly dismissive.

"If it was true, they disguised it very well from myself and the coaching staff," he added.

“We feel very, very sad and we have great sympathy for the fans. Of course we’re sorry we couldn’t give them the results they were hoping for. Whenever you don’t meet expectation it’s a sad day.

“I honestly believe the players were desperately trying to win the games but last night we didn’t have the right performance.”

FA chief executive Glenn opened the press conference by assuring Hodgson that "Iceland is not your epitaph", and confirmed that he will lead the search for a new manager alongside FA technical director Dan Ashworth and FA board member David Gill.

"It's a message directly to all the fans in England," he said. "We're sorry. When it comes to the business end of the tournament we've come up short for many years. Having been a fan before I started this job, I get it. We're very disappointed. We didn't punch our weight. It's something we've clearly got to work on.

"I also want to publicly thank Roy. He's spent four years building the England team and making it much a stronger set up. Iceland is not your epitaph or your legacy.

"The process for finding a new manager is underway. Dan Ashworth, myself and David Gill will be the triumvirate that looks after it. It’s really important that we get it right.

"We'll be looking for the best person for the job. I’m not here to talk about names but I’ve been consistent - we’re looking for the best person, not necessarily the best Englishman.”

When a reporter asked Glenn why he had forced Hodgson to attend the press conference, the former England boss interrupted: “No, I was not forced to come. I did so because I’ve never shirked a press conference, I’ve asked questions for four years, and when I was told it could be construed that I was frightened to come, I chose to come. I’m unhappy about it because it’s no longer my job.

“I can’t give anybody a magic answer to any question they might have. I’m here because this is my last day in the job and to wish my successors well.”