The following article was written by Tom Costello of Football Fancast. Make sure to check out the latest news, blogs and podcasts at FFC – ed.
Roy Hodgson’s time at Liverpool has been a disaster for one reason or another. He looks a manager out of his depth, devoid of tactical knowledge and Liverpool are a club lacking an inspirational leader. Liverpool’s new owners, NESV have accepted that it will take time to rebuild Liverpool, and the vast majority of fans agree that this is a fair assessment. However, will Liverpool continue to take steps backwards, rather than forwards, if they continue with Roy Hodgson at the helm?
The problem with Roy Hodgson is there is one excuse after another. If he isn’t blaming Rafa Benitez for the failings of the club he is blaming players’ fitness or the lack of funds that he was given in the summer. Now, he may be right on all of these points but he has continued to roll off excuse after excuse. If you are managing a team like Liverpool and you have taken 22 points from 17 games, languishing only six points off the drop zone at Christmas, you have to take responsibility for that. Hodgson is seemingly incapable of doing this.
In terms of transfers, Liverpool need to invest this January. They need to add some extra quality to their first team as well as buying younger players for the future. It is looking increasingly likely that they will lose Glen Johnson this January. If last summer is anything to go buy, Liverpool fans can’t get too excited about this transfer window. Last summer Roy Hodgson purchased Paul Konchesky and Christian Poulsen – for Liverpool? They would be decent signings for Fulham but not acceptable for a club like Liverpool. Does Roy Hodgson really have the foresight in the transfer market to achieve the results that the new owners expect? When you waste nearly £9m, it scares you when Tottenham were able to sign William Gallas for free and Rafael van der Vaart for £8m. Even more worrying for Liverpool fans is Hodgson’s hint that he may not even buy in January.
“Clubs have virtually been destroyed by people making bad decisions. It’s not because the owners haven’t given money or supported the manager. It’s just that they have brought in the wrong people.”
At the biggest clubs in the world, there is expectation. The question is, have Liverpool fans and the press been too harsh on Roy Hodgson? He only arrived in July and to be totally fair he has had very very little money (whatever money he has had, he has wasted) to shape a squad in his vision. He hasn’t had the chance to work with Damien Comolli on transfer targets. This is a fair argument, but to be given time you need to have shown somewhere that you deserve it. Has Hodgson done anything that says he is the man to turn Liverpool around? A very impressive win against Chelsea, and that is it. It is time for John W. Henry and Tom Werner to seriously consider Roy Hodgson’s position. They were incredibly awkward in the recent fans phone-in when asked about Hodgson’s future. They would make themselves very popular with Liverpool fans if they were to fire Roy Hodgson sooner rather than later.
Liverpool are in a transitional phase, but that does not mean they have to be where they are in the table. It is becoming too easy for Roy Hodgson to make excuse after excuse and not take responsibility for his own shortcomings. He sounds like a product of Tom Hicks and George Gillet at the moment. Roy Hodgson is out of his depth at Liverpool in terms of the transfer market and on the pitch. Do Liverpool fans really think that if NESV gave Hodgson a vast amount of money he would be able to attract top names? When a club needs to rebuild, it needs to get rid of deadwood. Sadly, Roy Hodgson is part of this deadwood and he will take Liverpool backwards before any progress is made.
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Tom, the next step to calling up Roy’s time at Liverpool is to ask “what next?”
In view of the circumstances, surely the departure of Rafa from Inter is a blessing in disguise for Liverpool.
Liverpool are currently stuck with a manager the fans – and probably the current leadership – would never have chosen in the first place and certainly do not rate after the terrible start to this season. Meireles aside, grave errors in the transfer market (entry of Poulsen and Konchesky, exit of Aquilani) have not made Hodgson especially popular with practically ANY section of Liverpool fans.
Roy is surely a competent manager, albeit one better suited to manage a country as opposed to a club team. Rafa, on the other hand, has proven again and again that he is one of the top managers in the world, often performing miracles against expectations (Istanbul, a second final and semifinal in the Champions League, earning enough points for Liverpool to top the European rankings, his pre-last season in the Premier League, his two Spanish championships with Valencia against Real’s galacticos and Barcelona, his UEFA victory with Valencia, and so on) and rebuilding Liverpool from the bottom up (the revival of the Academy is due entirely to Rafa’s reforms and shrewd recruitment of staff and players).
Rafa would fit back into Liverpool FC like a glove – especially with the new regime. If only our new owners would make this daring move, I have no doubt that they and Liverpool fans would be richly rewarded.
Hodgson is out of his depth but the answer is not Rafa. He has had his chance and we need to move forward not backwards.Hopefully before they hand Woy any more cash in January so the new manager does not have anymore second rate players to offload.
Rafa already had 6 years so we need a new direction. Didier Deschamps is the answer in the summer. Put Kenny in charge until then and we might, just might, get 4th. If Kenny got 4th he should keep the job. Otherwise, Deschamps has proven himself as a winner both as a player and a manager. He is a calm head with lots of experience of big clubs. Deschamps would be perfect unless Kenny takes the job.
credit to rafa what he did with helping remove dumb and dumber, along with the academy revival ….. but he was awkward to get along with and man-management of the top stars was not his cup of tea.
When rafa was here, he had total control top to bottom, now i dont think he will fit in as we have comolli and can see more bickering and ripping our beloved LFC institution apart.
Roy was the wrong man from the start, we need a proven man manager who can get players playing – like Hiddink.
NESV – if you are reading then please do the decent thing and get rid of Roy and replace with Hiddink.
GREAT POST VOLAND,, you have said it all.
I have sent Mr HENRY a 22 page document stating why I want Rafa back at the helm.
I have faxed this into the owners and all 17 executives that make up the NESV group. (fsg).
Think we have had all had enough of Roy and I am going to move heaven and earth to get him out.
ynwa!
a 22 page document? you must be a real hit with the ladies.
—- Samuel —-
YNWA, the majority of us have had enough of RH
Get this clown out. He’s certainly doing his best to talk himself out at this moment. Every time he opens his mouth I cringe.
Bring back Rafa!!!
Agree 100% with Voland in that we want Roy Hodgson out and Rafa back.
I’m sick and tired of Roy’s excuses. It’s either he inherited a poor squad from Rafa, the club is in a transitional phase so he needs time or it’s the players poor form. Roy has done absolutely nothing to make me think that he’s the right manager for the club. We’re Liverpool and we’re six points above the relegation zone in Christmas. All he does is use excuses to cover his inept tactics and decisions and whenever he opens his big mouth, all we can expect is tripe. The guy’s out of his depth and is a mid-table manager at best. With Roy as manager, not only will the club not progress, the club will go backwards and we won’t be able to attract any world class players. The sooner Roy goes the better and I hope NESV realise sooner rather than later that he’s not the right man for the job. Hopefully Roy will be sacked before January so we won’t be wasting any funds on more Jones, Koncheskys and Poulsens. Getting Rafa back will be perfect, if not, I hope we appoint a world class manager like Hiddink.
all the negative comments here are surely not liverpool fans So IN RAFA WE TRUST AND LIVERPOOL FANS ARE WAITING FOR THE CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR GIFT “”THE RETURN OF RAFA BENITEZ will move forward our darling Club Liverpool Fc as Rafa Loves Liverpool ”’ BRING BACK RAFA BENITEZ ” HE’S THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE CLUB
What`s their fax nr. would like to send em a few things my self 🙂
roy out now
i have never seen a manager be so nagative constantly giving negative veiws eg liverpool could be on champions league wilderness for years,its not my team its rafas the list goes on
his buys have been a disaster konchesky and poulson but they are constantly getting games after poor performances week in week out,the negativity continues on the pitch with his dull mind numbing tactics of pass and hoof if any player shows any kind of flsre and creativity of they come.i have not watched a liverpool game in months i get more fun watching astro turf grasss grow
any fool who asks for Rafa back does not support Liverpool – he failed at this club -ask the players about his man management skills and he was a big flop at Inter leading them to 7th position(same decline he brought to Liverpool). He is not the answer nor is roy – get over it
Hodgson out, definately NO to Rafa return, get a guy wuth a bit more gusto and personality, one that does’nt rub his chin all the while, or gripes about the owners ( that’s why Rafas not with us or Inter anymore )
Voland & his supporters are right.
Rafa did have a poor final season but his miraculous efforts prior to that ‘should’ have allowed for that, remember that all our best players were either injured/out of form or both.
Whilst he is far from perfect he is a perfect fit for us NOW.
I would understand the club not wanting to go back for rafa if not agree but one thing remains & HAS to be sorted-WobblyWoy.
He has to go now & get Hiddink if not Rafa.
Participants in our best season when we finished second – Alonso and Paco helping with tactics.
Still personally say we need Paco back as he was outstanding with tactics and players. Alonso would be another great re-union for LFC.
The trend was Rafa alienated both and thats why they left.
so, some people are calling for Rafa’s return. why? in 6years he didn’t win the league.
He just got the sack at Inter. Only 6 months into the job.
He’s taken the Italian and European champions backwards to 7th place! That shows you his pedigree!
He took Liverpool backwards, and he has now taken Inter backwards.
Can’t you see he has no man management skills, can’t get the best out of his Euro winning squad!
Some of you are living in a dreamworld.
He’s the wrong man for Liverpool!
And, so is RH.
Trouble is… If Rafa comes back it would be great ( Personally i’m a fan and he has unfinished business, also the way Hodgson is managing has made Rafa seem like a Gem) but if rafa does a bad job then lets face it, the liverpool fans will turn on the owners saying they dont know anything about football, and who would ever rehire a manger etc. I feel that it would be a huge risk for them.
I will say though that we have a manager at the moment that appears to know the Liverpool way and yet seems to not know how to apply it. He is too bashful and he cant moan about the player he recieved because he is selling some of the good ones that he had at his disposal
Masherano
Aquilani
Johnson ( Reportedly)
and i am not a betting man but im willing to guess that if Johnson goes then as soon as the doors shut we will get a real insite into the goings on inside.
My plan would be this
Wait till the end of the season.
Y.N.W.A
Hodgson is inept. I’m not a Rafa fan but he is infinitely a btter manager. For those who state he hasn’t done well at Inter, he took over an ageing team and has had numerous injuries. he has actually done pretty well in the circumstances. For those who keep calling for Kenny, I’m getting sick of this one. I love the man, but its years since he managed, and I actually doubt if he’d want to take it one anyway. He only put his name forward in the summer because he was not impressed with the candidates, including Hodgson. Those who call for Hiddinck are in cuckoo land – he’s already said he isn’t interested in leaving his current job.
There is no simple answer. I’m convinced Hodgson is on his way out. I’m also convinced he won’t be given money to spend. the owners will want to keep any war chest for whoever the new manager is. I’m sure they are looking round hard at the moment, but don’t want to go in for a knee jerk and find themselves with another lemon
The real question isn’t SHOULD ROY BE SACKED? That’s a no brainer !!! it should be WHO CAN WIN LIVERPOOL THE PREMIERSHIP??? Don’t get me wrong!!! Silverware is silverware and winning it, helps enhance our clubs reputation but everybody around the world knows LIVERPOOL as the most decorated club based on our 18 PREMIERSHIPS now the enemy hold the same amount and in a year or two they will claim that which has always been ours.WHAT PREMIERSHIP HAS RAFA WON IN THE LAST 6 OR SO YEARS…………??? Sure he won La Liga but they’re not playing this time of the year unless they’re playing catch up matches or COPA Del REY. LIVERPOOL UNDER RAFA WOULD ALWAYS HAVE A POOR RUN LEADING INTO & COMING OUT OF CHRISTMAS & IT NEVER CHANGED. THE OLD SAYING “IT’S NEVER HOW YOU START BUT HOW YOU FINISH” That’s how you win premierships & manures been winning them based on just that. BRING IN SOMEONE WHO HAS WALKED THE WALK & TALKED THE TALK NOT SOMEONE WHO RANTS & RAVES & WALKS THE PLANK !!!
Everybody is saying “Give Roy Time” I dont agree. “Bring back Rafa?” I dont agree either. Sack Roy now. Bring Martin O’Neill in for stability. Then we start builduing for the future. That would be the best Christmas for LFC.
Martin O’Neill? Are you joking, mate? He’s a mid-table manager who plays defensive, counter-attacking football who got sacked by Villa. I’d much rather stick with Roy.