Will Roy's honesty go down the tube?

Hodgson is a personable and open man, writes Sam Wallace, but his little mishap will have reminded the England manager not to cross the boundaries

Hodgson mixes with all kinds of fans - but perhaps this little mishap has crossed a line (AFP)

In a sport obsessed with cars – and the variety that come with tinted windows and chauffeurs – there is something reassuring about an England manager in 2012 who takes the Tube, just as the late Alf Ramsey once did on a daily basis from Liverpool Street to Lancaster Gate. On Wednesday, however, Roy Hodgson discovered another harsh reality about his new job.

He learned there is no scope for unguarded conversations when you are England manager and that every casual pronouncement takes on significance. Unlike Hodgson, Ramsey did not have to worry about camera phones or Twitter on his commute from Ipswich to the Football Association's Lancaster Gate headquarters, and the former's leaked conversation this week says as much about the society we live in as it does about Hodgson's lack of discretion.

Hodgson's confirmation to Tube passengers on Wednesday that Rio Ferdinand had been omitted from his England squad found its way into yesterday's newspapers. It was hard not to feel sympathy for Hodgson yesterday when he was forced to apologise for any upset he might have caused to Ferdinand.

In his Tube carriage, Hodgson had simply been trying to answer a question from a fellow passenger about Ferdinand and had said too much. "It's a mistake and I need to apologise for that," he said. "This is one of the hazards, I suppose, of travelling on Tube trains when you go up to London – which is the best way for me to travel – and then of course speaking to people who ask me questions rather than sitting there tight-lipped, refusing to ever open my mouth. I've paid for it.

"I shall learn in future and maybe this will be a lesson for all the people who see me on the Tube in future: please don't be too offended if I refuse to answer any questions you ask me."

If that last part sounded a little po-faced, it was not intended to – Hodgson was simply laying down a marker. He has tried hard to engage with supporters, especially in Krakow during the European Championship, and he is a personable man. But he knows the limits now. As a little reminder of the pitfalls, this was hardly the worst thing that could have happened to him.

As an individual who has been in his fair share of scrapes down the years one can only assume that Ferdinand will not take it too personally. He is undoubtedly aggrieved at being left out of the England squad, and certain voices have even hinted at a conspiracy to do with his brother Anton's involvement in John Terry's criminal trial on charges of racial abuse and the subsequent FA charge.

The precise nature of Rio's feelings on his treatment by Hodgson, however, are not known. Give or take a few ambiguous tweets, the man himself has remained quiet on the subject.

Hodgson might be derided for his "football reasons" explanation for omitting Ferdinand but he was very clear yesterday that he did not want to take players in their mid-30s to Brazil – providing England qualify – simply to sit on the bench. His policy might be challenged in the case of Frank Lampard, who is six months older than Ferdinand. For now, Hodgson is, in his own words "sticking to my guns". "I am staying with the players I selected for the Euros," he said. "I am looking to the future. It is not for me to call time on anyone's career. It is up to an individual player to decide when he is not selected if he doesn't want to play any more. When I speak to Rio, I will make that very clear to him."

In the meantime, Hodgson has a World Cup finals to qualify for and after two points dropped at home against Ukraine, he needs the full six from the two matches coming up over the next 11 days. That should not be a problem against San Marino on Friday – the test comes against Poland in Warsaw a week on Tuesday.

The obvious deficit is at centre back where his decision not to pick Ferdinand, and Terry's retirement have left him short. He has picked Ryan Shawcross in this squad and hinted that Michael Carrick could be involved as a centre-back – an interesting role for a man who has never found his niche at international level.

The call-ups for Fraser Forster and Kieran Gibbs demonstrate Hodgson's desire to look to the future and it seems as if Carl Jenkinson will get a first cap before the end of the year. It might have been an awkward 48 hours for the England manager but nothing that six points from his next two qualifiers will not solve.