In recent weeks, Liverpool have been greeted with optimism throughout the English press. This is a far cry from only a few months ago when, at every possible opportunity, Liverpool Football Club would be dragged through the mud and slaughtered for the way in which their 2009/2010 campaign unfolded. Some would argue that the club deserved every ounce of their criticism, nevertheless, with the new Premiership season fast approaching the woes of the previous campaign seem to have been placed on the back burner and a wave of optimism has struck everyone associated with Liverpool. As we enter a new era under the guidance of boss Roy Hodgson you would envisage, after the debacle of last year, that the only way is up. Roy’s reign so far has done nothing but suggest that, under his control, the team can once again produce the football that the fans know they are capable of.
Under pressure and with a second-string squad full of youngsters, Roy and his team, in the manager’s first competitive game in charge, managed to secure a vital result against FK Rabotnicki whilst putting in a comfortably impressive performance in the meantime. Many Liverpool fans have, in the past, had to endure the painful experience of having to watch Liverpool struggle away from home in Europe, often with a full-strength squad. So to watch the team comfortably defeat our Macedonian opponents with a starting 11 packed with players unfamiliar to first-team football was an inspiring and encouraging sight to behold. There is a strong, refreshing sense of positive change at Liverpool since the start of Hodgson’s tenure as manager and, although the boss indeed had his critics when first appointed as Liverpool manager, he has, with what he has achieved so far, proved most of his doubters wrong. A winning start to competitive life is always the perfect way to kickstart a successful campaign and that is what us fans will be hoping Liverpool can produce this season.
For me, this feeling of optimism surrounding Liverpool Football Club really started when it was announced that we had secured the signature of England international Joe Cole. A signing of that quality can only be a positive thing for the club and after we were able to beat off the competition from other high-profile clubs, even without the opportunity to offer Champions League football, it sent a clear message of intent to the rest of the teams in the Premiership; a message that Liverpool were down but they are right back up again. In terms of transfers in and out of the club, Roy Hodgson has put players up for sale that the fans have been crying out to be sold in recent months only for Rafa Benitez to keep faith with these underachievers. Names such as Phillip Degen, Damien Plessis and Emiliano Insua spring to mind. Overall, with the transfers that have been completed so far Hodgson has ticked all the boxes for the type of players that the fans want to see coming through the door at Anfield; quality to improve the first-team, strength in depth for the squad and players for the future.
With the domestic campaign set to begin in only two weeks, Hodgson is shaping together, piece by piece, a squad capable of challenging for top honours. I, for one, am relieved that, finally, as a Liverpool fan, I can look forward to watching the team and fill my thoughts and expectations with optimism rather than the all too familiar pessimistic viewpoint. It’s fair to say Roy Hodgson has done no wrong since walking through the doors of Melwood at the beginning of the month and may his successful first few weeks as boss be a sign of things to come for the future and give us fans something to cheer about after suffering a dismal twelve months.
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i think the change of attitude from many people came BEFORE cole’s signing! i think it came with the departure of the supremely arrogant benitez and the arrival of mr. hodgson, a man with a little humility and integrity!
Well said but i think Uncle Roy still got critics they are just waiting for him to make mistake and capitalise on it. One thing is for sure, he can’t be 100 % but so far kudos to d xperience manager. YNWA
A little too early for this kind of language me thinks….
Yes there is an air of optimism or is that more because there is much less of an air of pessimism? I wonder…
The reality will soon be upon us (when the prem starts) then we can say whether we are on the up again or on something of a false dawn/yet another transitional phase.
My concerns remain open – how will Roy make this team play, 4-4-2 is his drum that he beats but we simply do not have the players available at present to play that way well (we have only one out and out winger – Maxi).
He’ll need to bring in more such players to lay that way & will also need more players to play Rafa’s system even temporarily (with Masch wanting out we could have an Alonso like problem waiting to happen unless he replaces him well…)
I really fear for the loss of Masch in terms of how it will impact the defence this season. Roy needs to pull out a rabbit (&a really good one at that) to ensure he doesn’t leave an settled back four exposed….
Which players has Hodgson signed apart from Cole? Javanovic and Jonjo were signed by Rafa. Wilson was identified and almost signed during his time. Banera was reportedly on his radar too if he had stayed. According to Roy himself, Remy was identified before he arrived. So unless I have missed some headlines, which new talent has been discovered by Roy? Players associated with him include Luke Young, Konchesky, etc. They hardly instil any confidence or excitement. If you think signing Cole, despite his top quality will lead us to glory, you need to wake up.
Well said but i think Uncle Roy still got critics they are just waiting for him to make mistake and capitalise on it. One thing is for sure, he can’t be 100% perfect but so far kudos to d xperienced manager. YNWA
well said dee, soon as Woy slips up everyone will jump on the bandwagon.
Personally i still think the media is against us, and was always against Rafa, but you’ll see soon as we get a billionair arab owner which will be soon they’ll all be supporting LFC just as it is for Man City.
I also think players like, Riera, Yossi, and Mascherano dnt help with giving the media more fuel against our glorious club, even tho i dnt want to see Maschearno go i think its the best thing all around for the club, now all we need is the Yanks to walk away soon so we can go back to traditional LFC everything being done in-house, well heres hoping……YNWA
re:Kaleem
Good points & well made at that – Rafa had singled these player before he went. Who knows maybe he would have signed Cole aswell if he had been allowed to stay…?
I liked Rafa (still do!) but he’s gone & we must look forward HOWEVER I am worried about Roy’s ‘reported’ targets as Luke Young was a right footed LB who did not enjoy playing as a LB at Villa. Anyway the man’s 31 !! Today we read about Konchesky – again not great but at least he’s younger.
Surely we have some money to spend on a more effective LB? Come on Roy!
Yes things maybe a little more optimistic because of Uncle Roys calming influence,thats exactly the reason the board went for him.Liverpool fc & supporters will be full of optimism when we get the caring owners we truly deserve. YNWA.
“..when we get the owners…”
That’s the point, when? We have been for sale for it seems, an age…why is it taking so long
We have been up for sale for what seems like an age because investers dont want to pay for something that doesnt exist! The YANKS took out loans to by us for 200 odd million 3 years later they want to sell us for 800 million! The sum of money these 2 gready old .a$.a..d. want is unbeleivable thats why weve been & will continue to be up for sale for longer than we are told.
I agree, so far Roy is doing everything right in the eyes of the fans just by winning the first leg Europa qualifier by showing faith in the talent of our youngsters. I for one is a great believer of the quality of the youth we have in our reserves (credit to Rafa i guess). It is also good for once reading some of the quality players we’re linking with in the transfer market even if it’s just rumors…it shows intent what Roy’s planning not just rebuilding but ambition in winning the league with limited resources he has. Only time will tell and good luck to Roy may his success be our victory.
Well put. I for one also sense this optimisim. Last season was awful. I think the cole signature bolstered the idea that liverpool could attract top talent not only that, but that Hodgeson could too.
Good article in terms of writing about a mood swirling around Anfield. If some journalists concentrated on this instead of negative conjecture I feel that they would have more respect from the anfield faithful.
Y.N.W.A
We have always had the players in this squad to win silverware. Rafa did not place these players in their ideal positions, due to his stubborn 4-2-3-1 formation, over-reliance on two players Torres and Gerrard to produce goals, exposed our midfield. Dirk Kuyt is not a right winger, he is a striker. Gerrard is not a center forward, he is a midfielder. Roy should put Aqua and Gerrard in midfield along with Cole and Maxi, we still need to solve our left-back position but Johnson Carra and Agger should be our defense and Torres should be backed by Dirk Kuyt up front, that’s a 4-4-2. Babel Lucas Pacheco Jovanovic Skrtle Kyrgiakos Kelley + whatever we get for mascherano = a pretty good team. There are weaknesses to be sure, left-back being the obvious one, lack of depth being the other. But I think Roy is a man who knows what he’s been dealt, and if he plays his cards right then this squad could be quite successful. Don’t even get me started on European media. Roy did bring Cole in and he brought Jovanovic and Wilson. Just because Rafa was rumored to show interest in these players doesn’t take from the fact that Roy was able to put pen to paper and actually get them on board. As for his targeted players I won’t believe any of it until they’ve signed.
re – PhilC. Which quality players are we linked with at present? Can we have specific names please, especially those who were not mentioned in Rafa’s time? Let this well guarded secret be shared by us all!!!
One win against the absolute minnows of Europe, DO NOT prove anything, all reds fans know that.
Yes, there is an air of optimism and that is so heartening to see. Lets hope that it lasts till December, hopefully at the end of the year we will be one of the contenders.
Breaking news – Aurelio re-signs for us! Goes to show that the great club HAS NO MONEY. Also confirms that Rafa did not sign rubbish players. Roy is not only endorsing all his previous squad but we managed to win our European tie with our reserve and youth players from last year. I don’t remember when was the last time we had so many options from our youngsters and squad players. A BIG thankyou to Luke Young for staying at Villa and saving us 2.5m. When fit, Aurelio is more than a very decent player. Roy has now reportedly turned his attantion to the very exciting and skillful Konchesky. I am beginning to wonder if he really capable of thinking beyond such Sundat market stuff!
Aurelio for two years, not bad Roy.
Seems like the author of this article has a very short and selective memory when it comes to Red performances in Europe.
We’ve beaten a third rate side in that footballing capital of europe… Macedonia and already the idiots are talking us up into Premiership Champions.
Our total transfer expenditure so far amounts to about £2m up front. We’ve realised funds on losers like Yossi in order to acquire… an injury prone cockney loser whose no better than Yossi and rarely available for selection.
We’ve totally embarassed ourselves by ditching Insua and Aurelio until it was pointed out by the press that we had no left back. Unable to secure the services of a replacement we’ve had to go back cap in hand to Aurelio begging him to come back on board.
Where is the news on the takeover we were promised by Broughton?
Where are the substantial transfer funds that were promised?
Liverpool fans are being taken for idiots by parasites like Hicks, Gillett, Purslow and Broughton?
Unfortunately many of them are… only a short time ago Lucas was booed off the pitch by some of those idiots who are now proclaiming him the hero of Rabotnicki.
Lets see how we get on against Arsenal before jumping to stupid conclusions based on reports from a treacherous press who have always betayed and lied about us in the past.
Gullible idiots! Who needs them? Not Liverpool FC that’s for sure.
Support the boycott.
liverpool have always been strong away from home in europe barring last year. You dont get to 2 x champs league finals in the last 5 or so years plus regularly getting through to final 8 and 4 stages if you are poor away from home!
we’ve resigned fabio…great if he can stay fit….i hope roy doesn’t get a direct replacement for masch…buy a striker an some flair players…
We’ve seen an upturn, but let’s not be too happy here. You can bet the negative headlines will return from journalists and pundits every time Liverpool draws or loses, and every single week when the CL rolls around, you’ll hear comments about our absence…
The media is disgustingly reliable in that way.