2 May 2012

Hodgson appointed new England football manager

2:18 pm on 2 May 2012

Roy Hodgson has been appointed manager of the England football team on a four-year contract, ending months of speculation over who would lead the national team to next month's European Championship.

The 64-year-old, who has been in charge of Premier League West Bromwich Albion since February last year, becomes the 13th permanent post-War England manager, succeeding the Italian Fabio Capello.

Hodgson will remain in charge of West Brom for their last two games of the Premier League season before joining up with England on the 14th of this month.

He says he's very proud and knows it's a tough assignment with the Euro 2012 competition just a few weeks away.

Harry Redknapp was talked about as the leading contender for the position but the FA chairman David Bernstein says it wasn't a two-horse race.

Hodgson's CV includes eight league titles, and he took Switzerland to the 1994 World Cup finals and Euro 96.