Former Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson was certainly not everyone’s first choice when he was appointed manager of the club back in July. It is fair to say that some were against the appointment from the off, but I feel the majority of Reds fans were at least willing to give the former Fulham boss a chance to prove himself. Even when some were questioning his credentials even just after his appointment, I felt it was necessary to back the manager and offer some evidence that he could well succeed at Anfield given the time. On the opening day of the season, a 1-1 draw against Arsenal with ten men indicated there were signs of promise, but from that very moment, Roy made backward step after backward step.
His signings in the summer were much criticised. The loaning out of players such as Alberto Aquilani and Emiliano Insua, and the signings of Paul Konchesky and Christian Poulsen, became sticks to beat the new manager with, and it didn’t help when Aqua began to play well for Juve and both Poulsen and Konckesky started their Anfield careers very poorly. The many poor away defeats that followed also began to irritate me and many other Reds fans, but the real bone of contention, came in Roy’s pre and post match press conferences. For a man who has had 35 years in the game, and managed a team like Inter Milan, his comments appeared ill-informed or completely out of step of the mentality of Liverpool Football Club. His words were the biggest contributing factor to many Liverpool fans believing that he just didn’t get the club.
A perception that Roy had a “small club mentality” increased in popularity and it became all too apparent in his post match comments. The fact that he was willing to settle for mediocrity rather than reach for the stars and build the club up like the great Bill Shankly once did, was the main area of annoyance. His “famous victory” quote after the Bolton win irked many, but it was his comments after the Merseyside Derby defeat to Everton that bemused and infuriated me and many others. He seemed to be watching a different game and the standards he expected of his players were way below those expected by the fans. From this point on, my opinion of Roy became more and more negative.
His failure to defend his own players such as when Torres was accused of cheating by Alex Ferguson, his attack on Benitez in an argument he could never win in the fan’s eyes, blaming the size of his squad for being too big or small rather than blaming himself for the poor performances as well as criticising Glen Johnson in public, which is not the done thing by a Liverpool manager. All of these issues, convinced those who were undecided on his appointment in the summer to turn against him and side with those who were not happy with his appointment in the first place. Many were unhappy with the influence of “Championship Manager” Christian Purslow who had removed Benitez and appointed Hodgson. Roy would later reveal that Purslow had given him a list of players he would liked to be sold, but Hodgson turned down his recommendation.
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This week it is former Liverpool WAG Jennifer Ellison!
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Excellent and honest piece. Although I agreed with most fans’ sentiments and opinions, the rabid nature of a lot of the comments disturbed me somewhat.
But then again KENNY’S BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Excellent assessment David – I think we all wish Roy Hodgson the best in another role. It’s not his fault it did not work for him at Anfield, but there is little doubt that he was the wrong man for Liverpool.
At the same time, it’s good to know the King is back – and impossible not to feel a strong sense of optimism as a Liverpool fan. As one fan wrote on another website (I wish I’d noted his name) “King Kenny we love”!
Comolli is Director of Doing Nothing. Clarke is a terrible appointment, it should have been Thompson. NESV are Hicks and Gillette Mark 2, they are taking money out of the club but not improving the squad. Glen Johnson is a terrible rightback, if Dalglish plays him there at Blackpool, Liverpool will drop more points.
^^^ Moan moan moan. You’re not part of our club. You people live for dissension and division in the ranks. Kenny will do his best and you’ll watch and shut up.
I agree with Desy on his reply tp kenneth. Kenneth seems like a nagging negative wife..Instead of complaining why not support the team.Well to bad we’ll all have to tell you I told you so when we are winning games again(regularly)
Agree wit u@leelaz,@kenneth sory 2 say dat ure a negativ kopite or maybe ure a manure fan trying 2 explore our site.welcome back king let me n other kopite arrange ur throne….OK SIT DOWN WE BOW B4 D KING!
I personally think that Roy is a decent man and a good manager with lots of experience but he’s just not the man to move the club forward and I have to say the job was just too big for him. I wish the guy all the best in his future managerial career and I hope he will succeed elsewhere. I wasn’t one who wanted him as our manager in the first place but I really hoped he would have succeeded but it’s a shame things just didn’t work out. The guy came at a difficult time after a bad season and failed but still I think he is a good manager for lesser clubs. Also, it was the clown Christian Purslow who appointed him and sacked Rafa and I’m pretty sure NESV wouldn’t have chosen him if they were at the club. It’s disappointing that he has failed here but he’s a nice bloke and a experience manager who will no doubt succeed at other clubs where his philosophy will work out.
A great piece, well said. I have to say I was one of those that wanted to give Roy time and felt ashamed of the behaviour of some of our “so called” fan/supporters. Whoever it was that painted that sign on the wall outside Melwood, needs a good slapping! Have you forgotten “You’ll never walk alone”? I don’t care how bad the manager or players are performing, our job as supporters is to support them. The type of people that walk out at half time, or shout abuse at the team, can go and “support” some other club, as far as I am concerned. These are the same people who would have shouted loudest had Roy been in charge againt the Mancs and played exactly the same game/tactics as King Kenny did on Sunday.
I agree with most of what has been said in the above comments (with the expectption of Kenneth). Roy did his best, but was dealt a duff hand from the start. There is now renewed hope with Kenny in charge, but lets not for one minute forget the difficulty of the task ahead. I can’t put it better that the man himself
“You need to state your beliefs in football, you pick up the faults of your team and you try to rectify it. You just have to get on with it.”
Concerning Hodgson’s departure; “No one is happy he has departed, not least because he is a man of integrity.
“But now I am here to help in any way I can, and the best way to help and put a smile on the faces is by winning.”
The future is bright, the future is RED! YNWA.
i’ve never heard so much sycophanic unwarrented false praise spouted by so many so called football people and fans.
hodgson was a very well paid and thankfully short term disaster for our club. none liverpool supporters mind your own business, all the phoney toadies and media rent a quote “football people” get lost.
yes i know it should be tic