Football
ESPN staff 9y

Roy Hodgson calls 2014 a 'mixed year' for England, eager for 2015 start

England manager Roy Hodgson has called 2014 a "mixed year" after the disappointment of his squad's showing in the World Cup in Brazil was followed up by successive wins in Euro qualification and international friendly matches in the second half of the year.

Hodgson and England failed to make it out of the group stage in Brazil, losing to Italy and Uruguay before picking up their only point in a 0-0 draw with Costa Rica.

"It's been a mixed year, obviously," said Hodgson in an interview on TheFA.com. "We had great excitement, we had a World Cup to look forward to, and not just any World Cup but one that was going to be played in Brazil.

"When that didn't go well for us that tends to cloud one's views of the year.

"Fortunately, though, we've managed to redress the balance somewhat since the World Cup. The team has been even further renewed. I think the renewal process began at the start of the year really, but it's continued apace."

The challenges of losing senior players like Ashley Cole, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard to international team retirement has also forced Hodgson's hand as the team try to keep moving forward even as they grow younger.

"[Losing those players] forced us to look at what's available and many of them are the younger ones and they have repaid our faith in them during this autumn period," said Hodgson.

The Euro 2016 qualifying campaign has gone better for England and Hodgson than did the World Cup with the Three Lions winning all four of their Group E matches and picking up two friendly wins vs. Norway and Scotland during the international breaks. Hodgson believes the team's form will carry them to the Euro finals in France in 2016.

"We believe that, on paper, we are certainly the best team in the group, and as a result it would be our duty to make certain we qualify," he said. "Nothing I've seen so far has led me to believe that's not possible. But we've got our feet on the ground, we've got work to do and we know we can improve."

The winning form has helped England players step up their dedication to training and preparation and has revitalised fan interest and confidence too, according to Hodgson.

"[The fans] have been great throughout," he said. "You can't expect people in the immediate aftermath of the World Cup to feel different to the way we felt.

"If there was one highlight of the year, which totally revived my faith in the average man's appreciation for football and his desire to support his team, then it would be the experience in Belo Horizonte after we played our final game against Costa Rica with a very young team.

"We went to the fans to thank them, really expecting them to not be terribly grateful for our thanks -- the reception we got there was quite incredible."

Hodgson and England have their next chance to give England fans something to cheer about in their European qualifier against Lithuania at Wembley Stadium on March 29, followed by a friendly with Italy on March 31.

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