Visibly irritated, is the media spotlight already getting to Roy?

During Fulham’s fantastic run to the Europa League final last season, the media were literally falling over themselves in giving superlatives to Roy Hodgson’s management of the club. The praise was justified too as in three years he had turned around a team who were almost certain to be relegated, into an organised unit capable of beating teams such as Juventus, Hamburg and even taking Atletico Madrid to extra time in a European final. How things have changed in a few short months.

The press have already decided to call Liverpool a club in crisis despite us not being out of September yet. Perhaps such a fall was inevitable and despite Roy still being the same polite gentleman he has always been, his temper has already begun to be frayed around the edges. In his press conference today with reporters, Roy was visibly irritated with a bumbling journalist who asked a vague question; Hodgson was perplexed as to what he was asking. “Has your approach changed as manager since you have taken over at Liverpool?” the reporter asked. Roy replied “What do we mean by approach?” The discussion then tailed off for a couple of minutes while Roy became increasingly impatient with the line of questioning.

Certainly it suggests that the media spotlight is already getting to Roy. At Fulham he was at a club where they were always underdogs and not much was expected of him. He pulled out miracles and he was duly rewarded with good press reports. At Liverpool though, the situation is entirely different. Expectations are way higher than Fulham’s, and are probably higher for a club than reasonable considering the current financial constraints Roy is working under. 5 points from 5 games and a humiliating Carling Cup loss to Northampton has led to hyperbolic press headlines being printed to sell papers.

Roy, of course, puts everything into perspective; it’s only five games with a new manager, some new players and a chaotic sale of the club in process but he cannot hide the irritation he has for what he sees as the media blowing everything out of proportion. The club is in difficult times off the pitch and he does see it as an “unpleasant situation”:

“I, like anyone at Liverpool Football Club, would be very happy if the ownership situation got clarified, and in particular if we got a very good owner that can help us move forward. It (the protest) doesn’t help but is something I’ve had to live with since I came to the club. It is a major issue for a group of people who are very much anti the owners and the current people who are trying to solve the situation. It is often the case that when things are conspiring against you there is always an extra thing to come in and make it that little bit worse. It tests our mettle, our desire and strength. I am very confident the strength of this club, the strength of the playing staff and the people around me is more than enough for the club to come through this period. But while you are in that period it is unpleasant.”

Underpinning these remarks is the phrase “conspiring against you.” He already feels a bit under siege. The constant press conferences and everything else that comes with managing a big European club are not entirely new for Roy, but in his 35 year career, he has rarely been under as much pressure as he is currently. If he wins against Sunderland on Saturday, some of the weight will be lifted off his shoulder, but he will have to keep a level head in the weeks and months to come.

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