West Brom boss Roy Hodgson's credentials to be the next England boss may have been strengthened after he revealed UEFA have used him as an official scout at their top tournaments for the past 16 years.

The former Inter Milan boss is already noted for his experience on the continent and today disclosed he has been a member of UEFA's technical study group for almost two decades,

Under technical director Andy Roxburgh, Hodgson said he had compiled dossiers on all the leading international and club teams.

The 64-year-old has been on duty at the past four European Championship finals and was also at Stamford Bridge last night to assess Chelsea's stunning Champions League comeback against Napoli.

Hodgson will not engage in conversation about being a possible candidate to replace Fabio Capello as England boss but demonstrated he has a wealth of knowledge should he come into the frame.

"I've been involved since Andy Roxburgh took over in 1996 when he became technical director at UEFA," the 64-year-old said.

"He really had a blank sheet because I don't think they had ever had one before to set the boundaries and agenda for what one does.

"He invited me to join this small group of people which he labelled 'the technical study group' and throughout Euro 96 we watched the games and helped compile a technical report on the championships.

"It was basically about how each team plays, the characteristics of the team, the formation, and it's gone on from there.

"For example, after the tournament you could read about 'what was the Czech team like?', how did they play?' 'how did they get there' etc etc."

Hodgson added: "I've done all the European Championships with Andy since then and, when the Champions League started, it was decided to produce the same sort of documentation.

"It's really a scouting report. You'd put in it how Chelsea and Napoli lined up, what sort of characteristics each team showed. It's more that than a detailed match report.

"If you had never seen Napoli play and you wanted some idea about them, you could read the report and find out a few things about what made them good.

"We don't go there with a critical eye - quite the opposite. We say they are good at this, good at that etc."

Hodgson will take a break from this summer's finals to participate in a holiday with his wife after a recent hectic schedule.

"It's okay when we are working for national teams and you have plenty of time. But at club level it can be difficult and you don't get much of a break.

"Frankly, that's one of the reasons why this year when I discussed it with Andy, we agreed it might be my year to step back and have a few weeks holiday."

But when asked once again about any interest in the England role, Hodgson said: "As I say, I only discuss jobs you are offered."