7 league titles, 3 domestic cups and an excellent international record isn’t a bad haul for a 35 year career in management, and Roy Hodgson hasn’t had a bad career despite those who have dismissed him as a one hit wonder with Fulham would like us to believe. A man who can speak nine languages, including Norwegian, Swedish, Italian, Danish, Swahili, Japanese, German, Finnish and English, the 62 year old is a multi talented individual who has excelled in continental football and has built a reputation over the decades for doing the impossible.
Appointed to his first managerial post at just 28 years of age, he led a relegation threatened Halmstads to the Swedish league title in his first season in charge. He led them to a second three years later before leaving the club in 1980. He led a revolution in Swedish football alongside his good friend Bob Houghton and Sven-Goran Eriksson, something I talked about in this article on Saturday, and it was a remarkable time for their Swedish clubs both domestically and in Europe. Of course, he wasn’t successful wherever he went, which the brief spells at Bristol City and Orebo are testament to, but he always found his way back to the top.
With Malmo he led the side to four successive Swedish league wins between 1986 and 1989 winning two domestic cups in the process. Leaving Sweden, he decided to try out his luck in Switzerland with Neuchatel Xamax and within two years he was appointed the Swiss national team coach. Switzerland had not qualified for a major tournament since 1966 but Hodgson got them qualified for two successive tournaments. Qualifying for the 1994 World Cup he only lost once in a group that contained Portugal and Italy, taking four points from the Italians who would later become World Cup finalists.
At the tournament itself, Hodgson got the team qualified for the last 16 where they were beaten by Spain; it was the furthest Switzerland had gone in an international tournament since 1954. After the World Cup, he got the side comfortably qualified for Euro 1996 before leaving before the tournament in November 1995 to take on the managerial role at Inter Milan full time. At the time Internazionale were struggling, finishing 13th and 6th in the two previous seasons before Hodgson’s arrival. Coming in halfway through the season he managed to get the side to seventh place.
His second season would however be far more successful. Finishing third in the table, he led the team to the UEFA Cup final losing on penalties after two legs. After he left, the team that he created won the UEFA Cup and finished runners up in Serie A. Chairman Massimo Moratti was forever grateful for what Hodgson did for the club and said recently:
“Roy Hodgson was an important person in the development of Inter Milan to the point we have reached today. He saved us at the right time. When he came we were in trouble, and things appeared dark. He didn’t panic, he was calm and made us calm. Disaster was averted at the most important time. Everyone at Inter will remember him for that and his contribution. He is considered by us all as an important person in our history. He left an endowment to this club that’s important in our history.”
He would return twice as a caretaker manager and in an ambassadorial role. Moratti said of his return as caretaker:
“Roy has experience. He came back to us to help us when we needed someone to step in and calm things down as a stand-in manager. If Liverpool or any club need someone with authority and with a fine reputation people will look up to, players and fans alike, he’s a perfect candidate. We still see him, he is part of our family, and always welcome at our club. I’ve been asked about his qualities, and I’d say he has many, most importantly of all he has qualities as a man.”
From Inter, everyone knows in England about Hodgson’s fateful spell at Blackburn Rovers, after finishing sixth in his first season in charge, the Premier League side slipped to bottom of the league in his second season and he was promptly sacked from his post in December 1998. Hodgson admits it took him a long time to recover from this failure but despite all this, he returned to winning ways with FC Copenhagen taking a side that had finished 7th and 8th in its two previous seasons to become league and cup winners in the space of a year. After brief spells with Udinese, the U.A.E national team and Viking where he admitted he felt he didn’t know where his career was going, he was appointed Finland manager in 2006. A team that had never qualified for a major final, his side still had a chance of qualifying for Euro 2008 in their final match, although they finished fourth in their group with a sizeable points total of 24.
From there on, every Englishman knows his history at Fulham, saving them from relegation before leading them to the Europa League final last campaign. He seems to love saving clubs in trouble. Whether he is the man for Liverpool is another question. He style is not the most attractive and his sides are based on defensive solidity. One thing is for certain though; this man is a very good manager and not somebody to be denigrated.
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Good article! I also think that the stance many fellow Reds hold that our next manager must have won everything already a bit ignorant. Many of our past managers haven’t exactly been household names before they took us over, but became household names with us. Just imagine Valencia would have thought they needed a manager who’d already won this and that. They would never have appointed a certain Mr. Benítez.
excellent article, he would be a very good choice.
Bollocks don`t know anyone who would want this boring old fart as manager! I would not be happy with his appointment and i think 90% of liverpool would agree the other 10 are just blindly loyal to lfc
He’s got real qualities, no doubt but Liverpool FC need that and more. Look at Rafa, he’s an amazing record and clearly a tactical genius in Europe but wasn;t good enough to be trusted with another season after one bad one in 6.
Roy, in my view should be appointed only as a care taker style manager (rolling one year contract)that would allow us to steady the ship and sort out the sale of the club to decent owners and begin the build of the much needed stadium. During that time we should be looking to catch a young talented coach eg Benfica manager or the like. The longer term view is needed now and a process of building toward it started immediately – no knee jerk reactions to appease the market or the fans. Sorry Kenny that means you’ll need to focus only on finding that manager and the board well they need to sell up quickly at a much reduced price to a reliable and sensible new owner. David Moores need not be asked for his opinion this time…….
Good post jim and do you think TORRES and Gerrard would play for hodgoson? Ha ha don`t make me laugh! We need kenny to step in its the only way to keep are best 2 players
How arrogant of you to dismiss anyone with a different opinion as simply being ignorant. Well I’m as well aware of Hodgson’s track record as you and I think that it’s decidedly average. His major successes have been in lower quality leagues of European minnows. His reign at Blackburn was disastrous and he does’t seem to have achieved anything at Inter apart from steadying the ship when they were at a low point. As much as I like the man, affable and educated as he is, his only appeal to Liverpool is that he may maintain mid table mediocrity before the club moves on to better things, much as he did at Inter. But if he does get the job, then good luck to him, he’s going to need it.
re:fizer
The risk with Kenny is great: If he doesn’t cut it what do we do then (plus his legendary reputation would be at risk)? Also, Gerard & Torres could still easily leave even with Kenny as gaffer. I think only Guus H could keep them and improve us on the pitch (he’d also be a good attraction for other top players to come in).
Kenny MIGHT just be the ticket but it is still a big risk….
Well said al !! don`t want him anywhere near Anfield though mate no matter what
re: al
Perhaps that’s what we need – stability? I’m not saying he’s the right man but he is if nothing else, reliable and his current status in the premiership is good with Fulham. Kenny was brilliant but it was a long time ago now. Both carry risks & as it looks like there is no money to go after a bigger & current name maybe it’s a step we need to take whilst looking for a proper longer term solution….just thinking out loud!
Good Point 🙂
Spot On David!
Magnificicent Achievements, especially what Roy Hodgson done in charge at Swiss national team it’s remarkable.
I can’t be sure that Hodgson is better than Rafa, but I’m sure of one fact: Roy Hodgson deserves a major chance to prove his value.
Seven league titles in rubbish leagues. He has won the equivalent levels to the Scottish league 7 times. The guy is 62 and has never managed in the Champions League. He might fight for 4th place but that’s his limit. And his football isn’t exciting either.
I think Roy is at his level. One good Uefa cup run with Fulham, which Steve McLaren also did with Middlesborugh, doesn’t make him good enough for Liverpool. He’s the darling of the media but his actual CV doesn’t show much experience at the very highest level of the club game. A short spell at Inter Milan over 10 years ago is as near as he has got to understanding Liverpool’s level.
Can’t help this King Kenny hype is turning us into a laughing stock. Are we to become the new Newcastle Utd where idiotic fans dictate who should be appointed. Remember the chants to Shearer “you should of stayed on tv”. I fear a similar outcome for Dalgish, a cult figure now.
Dalglish may do a good job, but based on current CVs there is no choice between him and Hodgson who has vast experience in Europe, is up to date on the premier league etc.
Sentiments do not win trophies.
I think Al’s comments represent the opinion of a large percentage of Liverpool fan’s, mine included.
ALan, sometimes in life is only a question to be in the right place at the right moment.
I think that Rafa is a World Class manager (although his time at the Club is largely over, and look at the Gerrard’s face at Birmingham to see the facts), but Rafa had his great occasion at Valencia, in a particular time, after Hector Couper’s reign, in which Players like Claudio Lopez, Marchena, Albelda, Baraja, Joaquim, Angulo, Carboni, Canizares played for the Club.
Maybe (Maybe) Roy Hodgson hadn’t the same fortune..
Maybe..
You can’t debate the quality of achievements He reached with Swiss: Can You expect Switzerland to win the World Cup? Fulham? Come on Guys, it was a huge miracle that Cottagers get through the EL’s final…and Roy Hodgson worked in a good way.
I think that We could give a chance to Roy Hodgson.
After nineteen defeats, 7th place, I can’t be sure that Roy Hodgson will be worse…
Roy can also speak German and French…
Curious how Moratti waxes lyrical about him but doesn’t want him for Inter… he’s not the right man for Liverpool. Unfortunately the right man for Liverpool is currently managing the Turkish national side so Hodgson is who we’re going to be saddled with. Heaven help us
Moratti doesn’t want Hodgson for the same reason for which Liverpool don’t want Dalglish as manager.
Joke article. If you’re going to cite successes from the 80s and 90s then Dalglish start to earn brownie points for winning the league here.
He’s this year’s Curbishley or Allerdyce. Soul destroying that we’re in the mess, and that people genuinely think Roy would be a good appointment.
hodgson is only good enough for the small clubs. is fulham currently in the top four? played in the europa final? fluke! his CV spells disaster in the premier league. the liverpool baord wants to appoint hodgson over kenny is because they are not done siphoning liverpool’s cash. the bandits plan to leave after the fire sale of torres, gerrard and masherano.
roy does deserve respect. however i dont know about you guys but one of the reasons i began to follow this great club of ours was due to the possession based attacking football the club was built on. with our previous two managers we have been starved of our foundations and been fed dire defensive garbage which we have seemed to accept. can you imagine barca playing a defensive long ball game for example. i have struggled to watch liverpool this last ten years and for that reason i say to the board and to the fans to march until we ‘get kenny’.