Perryman tells England fans to forget trophies for next four years

England fans’ spokesman Mark Perryman has backed the appointment of Roy Hodgson as Fabio Capello’s successor, but warned supporters to forget any prospect of winning a trophy for at least four years.

It comes as Alan Curbishley has warns Hodgson will have to overcome the fact he is not the popular choice if he becomes the new England manager.

Hodgson is due to meet the four-man Club England board later today for talks over the England vacancy.

It is widely anticipated Hodgson will accept the offer, which has come as a major surprise as Harry Redknapp had been the overwhelming favourite.

Whilst many have condemned the FA for ignoring Redknapp, Perryman does not see it that way and has rubbished comparisons between the Tottenham boss and Brian Clough, who was denied the chance to manage England because the FA were fearful of his confrontational approach to the job.

“It is a ridiculous comparison,” said Perryman.

“Harry Redknapp has been a manager for 30 years and won one FA Cup.

“Brian Clough won two European Cups and lots of other trophies besides.

“To link the two doesn’t stand up at all. Clough was the greatest manager never to manage England. Harry is the populist choice, but so was Kevin Keegan and what an unmitigated disaster that turned out to be.

“Roy Hodgson will be a steady hand on the till.

“He took Fulham to the Europa League final, which was a magnificent achievement and on the basis that the best three managers around just now, Marcelo Bielsa, Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho, wouldn’t want the job, Hodgson is a good choice.”

However, Perryman concedes a Hodgson appointment would lower expectations around the Three Lions.

“There is no doubt the general public will expect less of a Hodgson managed team than one Redknapp was in charge of,” he said.

“But is that necessarily a bad thing? I don’t think so. Expectations around the England team have been way too high since 1966.

“People have spoken about Euro 2012 being a push towards making a big impact towards the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Trust me, there is absolutely no way we are going to win that. It is just not going to happen.

“What we should be aiming for are the next European Championships in France.”

To that end, Perryman thinks Hodgson will stick with the youngsters Fabio Capello introduced into his squad after the dire performance in South Africa.

“Jack Wilshere and Jack Rodwell won’t be fit for the summer unfortunately, but the other lads should get some experience,” said Perryman.

“We have to look at this from a long-term perspective.

“Both Fabio Capello and Sven-Goran Eriksson had impressive CVs at club level but they didn’t get us to win something, so maybe we have been looking at this from the wrong perspective.”

Meanwhile, Alan Curbishley, who was interviewed for the England post in the past, claimed Hodgson had the credentials for the job but would have to change public opinion.

He told Sky Sports News: “I think if you look at Roy’s CV, he’s vastly experienced and I think most people’s memories just go back to Liverpool.

“I think most people who looked at Roy’s CV would understand why the FA are going down that route. He’s well respected within the game, but I think the public perception is the Liverpool situation and perhaps the fact Harry was the people’s favourite. He’s got to overcome that.”

But he added: “I think he’d take it in his stride.”

Curbishley claimed Hodgson would suit the FA’s job description.

He said: “David Bernstein, the head of the Football Association, is looking for a certain type of manager I think and with the big move to St George’s Park (the national football centre) coming up, it was a manger that was going to embrace all levels of the game and be involved on the coaching side. I think when it comes down to that then Roy Hodgson ticks most of the boxes.

“I think the job description probably suits Roy more than Harry. I think firstly the FA, once they got the vacancy, decided on a certain type of manager they were looking for and probably Roy ticks more boxes than Harry in that respect.”

Former England midfielder Matt Le Tissier labelled Hodgson as “the cheap option and the safe option”.

The West Brom boss is out of contract at the end of the season so no compensation would be due to the Baggies. The FA would have to pay to release Redknapp from his Tottenham contract.

“I think all the players, all the fans and all the media wanted Harry Redknapp to have the job,” Le Tissier told Absolute Radio.

“It seems to me – as an outsider looking on – the FA has gone for someone who’s going to do as he’s told (and) isn’t going to cost anything in terms of compensation.”

“It looks to me like it’s the cheap option and the safe option... whether or not it’s the right option only time will tell.

“There are a whole bunch of issues... If you look at the committee that is selecting the next England manager. One of them, I think I’m right, is (Director of Football Development) Trevor Brooking.

“I think Trevor and Harry had a falling-out many years ago and I’m not sure if that’s played a part in one of the reasons why they’ve decided against going for Harry.

“The FA has not been known for making fantastic choices in the past and seems to have continued that tradition.

“I’ve never really been excited by Roy Hodgson’s teams and I think that’s where my reservation stems from. I’d like to see the England team play with a little style and I think that’s what the fans want as well.”

But West Brom and Republic of Ireland player Steven Reid came out on Twitter in support of his boss.

“Obviously those in the press who have hammered Hodgson have never met or worked with the man,” he wrote.