The secret's out
Posted on 13/05/2010Fulham's European fairytale was cruelly shattered by Diego Forlan in Hamburg last night, but despite the defeat Roy Hodgson is hot property now, writes Oliver Holt in The Mirror.
They told Roy Hodgson after it was all over that he must be very proud. They suggested even that he must be delighted. They patronised him and they patronised his team, too. Plucky little Fulham. How well they did.Hodgson said they would have to forgive him if he was not dancing a jig of joy. Once, he bristled. That was when someone suggested losing to Atletico Madrid in extra-time last night would be a confidence-booster for next season.
Hodgson deserved better than that. So did Fulham. If England's Manager of the Year has achieved anything in his time in charge at Craven Cottage, he has earned respect for his side.
Fulham matched Atletico last night. They were not overawed by them. They did not cower in front of them. They did not freeze in the limelight.
They may have fallen to a 116th minute winner from Diego Forlan in an enthralling Europa League final but the superb football they played in a defeat they did not deserve will only have enhanced Hodgson's reputation.
His achievement in getting Fulham to this football showpiece in the first place has alerted Europe's top clubs to the fact that there is an old maestro working in our midst.
The Fulham boss will surely be in the reckoning if any of the top jobs in the Premier League are up for grabs during the summer.
If Rafa Benitez leaves Liverpool, for instance, Hodgson would be on a short-list with Martin O'Neill and probably Bayern Munich's Louis Van Gaal.
If Manchester City were to tire of Roberto Mancini, then what better option could they pick than a man with Hodgson's cosmopolitan urbanity?
Hodgson has been a well-kept secret for the last 30 years and finally the secret is out.
Fulham fans will not want to hear this but Hodgson is a hot property now and it is going to be hard for the Cottagers to hang on to him.
Making amends
Meanwhile, The Guardian reports that an female golfer has punished herself further for storming off the course.
The Japanese golfer Yuko Mitsuka has banned herself from a total of 11 women's tournaments after being fined for storming off the course over a two-stroke penalty. The 25-year-old downed clubs and quit midway through her first round at last week's World Ladies Championship in protest at being penalised for slow play.Mitsuka was fined a record ¥2m (£14,400) but voluntarily withdrew from eight domestic and three overseas events as a sign of contrition.
"This is the biggest fine in Japanese LPGA history and reflects the seriousness of what took place," said the tour's Hideaki Otani. "The player offered to withdraw from those tournaments and the tour accepted that as the right punishment."
Mitsuka could have faced far more severe punishment as the JLPGA in 2006 suspended a player for 10 years for falsifying her score card.
"It will have a serious impact on her to miss these tournaments,"JLPGA chief Hisako Higuchi said after imposing the fine."Let this be a lesson to other golfers."