You mischaracterise his spell at Inter - he did very well there and it was his choice to leave to go to Blackburn.
“After a terrible start to the season that saw the team bottom of Serie A, Hodgson was brought in and guided the club to seventh place in the
1995–96 season, qualifying for the
UEFA Cup. In an interview with
FourFourTwo in a May 2005 issue, Roberto Carlos stated that he had difficulties with Hodgson throughout the 1995–96 season, and that his decision to leave Inter at the end of the season was largely due to Hodgson's refusal to field him in his preferred position, as a left-back, rather than in a more advanced position on the wing.
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“The
1996–97 season saw Hodgson leave Inter after guiding them to a third-place finish”
Finishing third is Hardly the barely scraping by that you suggest! And Serie A was the best league in the world at that point.