Roy Hodgson shows Oxford Union his style is as impressive as Psy's

The multilingual Roy Hodgson tries mixing it up with some hand signals during England's World Cup qualifier in Poland.

The Oxford Union was called a "shambles" in the university press last week for its botched handling of the visit of Psy, the South Korean singer. Apparently 1,300 people applied to see the "Korean superstar" but fewer than 400 were allowed in, with "media people" and the paparazzi taking up too much space in the chamber. Psy taught the gathered few the Gangnam Style dance that has been infecting the nation. It all sounds a little naff, but was probably more eagerly anticipated than Roy Hodgson's visit to the Union on Tuesday afternoon.

Hodgson's appearance was not mentioned in last week's edition of the Oxford Student newspaper. Space was allotted instead to a story about a crackdown on the "slob culture" in a college common room and a feature on where to avoid zombies if the dead rise in a forthcoming apocalypse. Two writers in the sport section debated the merits of the north London managers under the headline: "André Villas Bollocks Vs. What an Arsènehole". Where's Lord Justice Leveson when you need him?

With Union hacks dizzy from the visit of a Korean pop star and students either scratching around in their own filth or scouting for post-apocalyptic bunkers, the visit of the England manager must seem rather boring. Hodgson comes with little fanfare. Walking into the room, he could pass for an academic. He would fit in well here if he didn't wear such expensive suits.

Hodgson has his own history of academia. He taught PE in schools in south London before managing football teams professionally and even taught some French while playing in South Africa. The 65-year-old comes across like a benign arts teacher who is too soft to stand up to misbehaviour but a nice enough guy not to attract the wrath of troublemakers. He would be a good boss.

The Union librarian, Rajiv Dattani, introduces Hodgson with a speech that will do little to allay fears that students are overly dependent on Wikipedia. The man from the FA puts on a quick video and we all watch a highlights reel of Hodgson's best bits. We see his teams – Fulham, Liverpool and England, of course – score goals and then the camera cuts to pictures of the manager smiling on the touchline.

If the video does little for Hodgson's varied and illustrious career, the man himself is keen to put things right. Hodgson has managed 19 teams in eight countries and seems happiest when discussing his work outside England. His urbane and cultured approach to life and management seem to go down well with the students. He references the Joseph Heller novel Good As Gold while talking about expectations; he quotes Winston Churchill on the topic of favouritism; and, while discussing the transfer market, he draws the analogy between a player's price being what a club are willing to pay and a piece of art being valued at what the collector will spend.

Hodgson spends most of his half-hour talk taking the audience – "you future leaders of commerce and industry" – through his managerial principles. He admits that the concept of having a football philosophy came to him late in his career, only when he returned to manage in Sweden for the second time in 1983. Before being asked to speak in managerial conferences – "They became a big deal in the 1980s" – Hodgson says he hadn't really considered what type of manager he was, or what he believed about the game. He says he would be "appalled" if he were to look back on his old coaching sessions. He films training with England now, so no learning opportunity is lost.

Hodgson's management philosophy seems to be influenced by the writing of Dale Carnegie, the American self-improvement author who urged leaders to inspire their team by thinking positively. Hodgson says a few times that "the best way to improve people is through praise rather than criticism". He emphasises the importance of enthusiasm and energy, qualities he needed while managing Internazionale. The club's owner had told Hodgson that he would not have to learn Italian and could speak in French to an interpreter, who would pass on his instructions to the players. After a few weeks, Hodgson recognised that his dour translator was not conveying the message with enough gusto, so he learned to speak Italian himself.

Hodgson's flair for languages is astounding. He picked up Swedish in six months but never once used it to speak to his players. They preferred to speak in English, so his new linguistic skills were saved for dealing with the press, giving talks and socialising. He was particularly taken by the Swedes' ability to speak "the Queen's English" with no sign of a foreign accent. While managing the Switzerland national team he learned French, but this perceived favouritism angered the German-speaking media in the country. So he picked up some German and delivered a speech to the assembled journalists in their native tongue. Problem solved.

Hodgson's passion for his time abroad comes up time and time again. He left England aged 28 with a wife and young son, and didn't return again until he was nearly 50. The time away had "a profound effect on him". When beginning the question and answer session, Hodgson appeals for inquiries from people who want to learn about other countries, but, naturally enough, most people ask about England and its football clubs. He is proud of West Brom's progress; he was "pleased" when Adam Johnson left Manchester City for Sunderland "to get a game", as it was "difficult to assess him in the Manchester City reserves". And he speaks fondly of Michael Appleton, the Blackpool manager who is his former assistant at West Brom.

Hodgson deals with each question manfully, but he lights up when asked about the lack of English footballers playing abroad. "That's a good question," he says. "It's about money," he answers initially, before rolling off into a soliloquy on England's island mentality. He refrains from criticising his players, but his desire to see some of them to take more risks is plain. David Beckham is picked out for special praise for "chancing his arm" and moving to Real Madrid, Milan and LA Galaxy.

Hodgson winds things up with a few tips for life. He says to dream big, to keep things in perspective and to not fear failure. As he walks off to appreciative applause from the members of this old institution – founded in 1823 and with a WiFi password that references a 19th century prime minister – it's impossible not to think that this very un-English England manager would enjoy the frenzy caused by a Korean pop singer.