Roy Hodgson is the latest distinguished figure to address famous student society

by Glenn Lavery

To a list of names that includes Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama, Albert Einstein and four US Presidents, you can now add the name of Roy Hodgson.

On Tuesday afternoon the England Manager followed in some very famous footsteps by addressing members of the Oxford Union, the world’s most famous and prestigious student society.

Hundreds attended Hodgson’s talk in the Union’s Chamber and in a 30-minute introduction he plotted his career history, including key inspirations, his joy at being appointed England Manager, his experience of Euro 2012 and how proud he was to see his players mixing with fans in the middle of Krakow during the tournament.

But Hodgson was keen to stress that all eyes are now on Brazil 2014.

He said: “After the Euros, we [the coaching staff] immediately started planning for the next two years – trying to strike that balance between the need to win important qualifying matches as well as making preparations for the tournament itself, and hopefully we will get to Brazil.”

The 65-year-old also spoke at length about his management technique and gave the students some key tips they could use in any area of employment.

The afternoon was rounded off with a Q&A session, in which Hodgson discussed, among other things, the different cultures and languages he encountered during his time in Scandinavia, Switzerland, Italy and the UAE.

Hodgson enjoyed a tour of the Union and said he was delighted to be the latest in a long line of its celebrated guest speakers.

He added: “I am privileged to have been invited here today.

“I am aware of some of the people that have spoken in this room in the past and it is quite humbling to be able to join them.”

You can read more from Roy’s Oxford Union experience on TheFA.com on Wednesday