Liverpool FC

[MANTIS01]

Terrible.

Woy has to look at what he's doing? Maybe Mantis will tell us different...

Nah, I think he's under serious pressure now. But whatever happens to the manager it wont change the fact the current Liverpool FC side is complete shite. I mean your centre back pairing is a joke. Kyrgiakos is just a donkey and the best coach in the world wont make him anything else. Why is Johnson so fat? What's wrong with Torres? I mean why not play Dalglish up front cos he used to be good once as well. Cole and Jovanovic both overpriced imo. N'Gog is lol. Babel on the bench. The whole squad is devoid of passion and desire.

LOL pretty obvious from your own post that the problem is related to not wanting to play for the manager?

Nah, the problem relates to poor quality players not fully committed to playing for the club. Hodgson like any manager is ultimately responsible for results and deserves to be under serious pressure. But even if some players don't rate the manager why don't they rate playing for the club? We know Roy is inoffensive so it's not like he's pissed anyone off. The owner faces a tough job recruiting the new manager I think. If the Liverpool players don't like the tactics they decide not to play for that choice and you need another new manager again. If Liverpool want to pay me £50k a week to trot out at Anfield I would do anything the manager said, and I'd do it real well too. Benitez bought these players and is as responsible for the current malaise as Hodgson. Too many average players landing at Anfield, no youngsters breaking through the ranks, too much politics, short-termism. Hodgson isn't responsible for any of that. Malaise-busting MON is the clear choice if Henry doesn't stick with his man in January.

[MANTIS01]

Hang on.

Ngog was one of the best players on the pitch tonight, and then he was subbed for that excuse of a player, babel.

Just to clarify. Ngog is lol. The kid's record is 22 goals in 105 apps and zero international caps. He starts up front at Anfield for Liverpool FC in a game they need to win. Look at any of the big teams and the calibre of the strikers that start their home games. I agree he was the best Liverpool player on display and that is just terrible.

Some of that stat work is irrelevant.

25 of those starts were for PSG bringing 3 goals. All of which he was under 20 for.

At Liverpool he's scored 19 in 80 games. Not bad for £1.5m coming from French reserves to an EPL top 4 club (at the time). I have no doubt at all this kid will turn into an excellent player.

He may be a bargain and he might turn into an excellent player in the future but he is one of your starting strikers in important home games right now. Benitez inherited a better squad from Mourinho than he left Hodgson.

[The Baron]

Not really. Benitez worked on a sell to buy and in his last 2 years (the demise) a sell to make money policy.

Hodgson was meant to be better at getting more out of the same players or even worse players as he did at Fulham. Ultimately he's done worse than his predecessor.

[The Baron]

Mouinho had an open cheque book. Benitez was told to make money.

Next you'll tell me Ian Holloway has built a worse squad than Alex Ferguson.

Hang on.

Ngog was one of the best players on the pitch tonight, and then he was subbed for that excuse of a player, babel.

Just to clarify. Ngog is lol. The kid's record is 22 goals in 105 apps and zero international caps. He starts up front at Anfield for Liverpool FC in a game they need to win. Look at any of the big teams and the calibre of the strikers that start their home games. I agree he was the best Liverpool player on display and that is just terrible.

Some of that stat work is irrelevant.

25 of those starts were for PSG bringing 3 goals. All of which he was under 20 for.

At Liverpool he's scored 19 in 80 games. Not bad for £1.5m coming from French reserves to an EPL top 4 club (at the time). I have no doubt at all this kid will turn into an excellent player.

He may be a bargain and he might turn into an excellent player in the future but he is one of your starting strikers in important home games right now. Benitez inherited a better squad from Mourinho than he left Hodgson.

[Josedinho]

Some interesting stats i've just seen on twitter
- 8 of the players involved against Wolves last night, were involved the night the club beat Real 4-
- of the team that played vs blackpool (1-2) all 10 outfield players had playing time at world cup, squad averaged 55 caps p/player

[The Baron]

Unloved and now mocked at Anfield, Roy Hodgson says he is still waiting to hear the famous support of Liverpool's followers. He may be waiting some time - and not just from the fans.

Liverpool's new owner John W. Henry and his Boston-based cohorts must also be pondering the level of backing they can continue to give a manager whose faltering reign is now provoking an almost mutinous response for a fanbase famed for unswerving loyalty.

Hodgson had the silent treatment from The Kop for six months following his arrival from Fulham. When the 63-year-old was finally acknowledged, he received the sort of recognition he could do without.

As Liverpool slipped to a 1-0 home defeat against Wolves, the kind of dismal reverse that has characterised their season, Anfield delivered its most damning verdict yet, serving up ironic chants of "Hodgson For England" and adopting the traditional default position of calling for the return of Kenny Dalglish.

The fact that Hodgson chose to return fire by effectively criticising the fans for their lack of backing suggests no amount of counselling or consolation will repair this broken relationship.

Defeat to Wolves left Hodgson (left) exposed. Photo: PA

Hodgson was stating facts when he highlighted the dearth of personal support. Liverpool's fans could be equally factual by replying that anyone blinking might have missed any moments of quality from his team at home this season. As high-risk strategies go, complaining about supporters in times of turmoil is right up there.

Hodgson was a logical choice by Liverpool's board to succeed Rafael Benitez. Mature and experienced - not to mention manager of the year after taking Fulham to the Europa League final - he looked the perfect fit to oversee what would inevitably be a transitional period on and off the pitch.

It was an appointment, however, that was greeted with a wave of indifference by supporters who craved a more high-profile figure. Needing a fast start, Hodgson stumbled as events off the field conspired against him and he proved incapable of coaxing any consistency or quality out of the squad Benitez left behind.

The Carling Cup loss at home to Northampton knocked a hole in his credibility, a hole made bigger after being outplayed at Anfield by newly promoted Blackpool. Liverpool's dismal away form has not helped, while The Kop's corrosive reaction to the defeat against Wolves appears to have ensured the last droplets of support from the fans have drained away.

New signings - Raul Meireles apart - have been failures, while Hodgson's reign now carries all the hallmarks of one that will limp to a conclusion at some point between now and the season's end.

Hodgson - and he deserves sympathy here because he cannot pretend to be a personality that he is not - has failed to capture the imagination of Liverpool's supporters. They were angered by his tame reaction to Sir Alex Ferguson's criticism of Fernando Torres after the defeat at Manchester United as well as the cosmetics the former Inter Milan boss applied to Liverpool's display when they were well beaten at Everton.

Conservative tactics have also drawn criticism, while even victory over Chelsea only qualified as brief respite for the increasingly beleaguered Hodgson.

Liverpool owner Henry now faces a huge call. Does he react to such open discontent - not towards him or his NESV colleagues it should be stressed - by sacking his manager or does he continue to map out the long-term strategy and wait until the summer to make a change?

Whatever the American decides, it would take a transformation of almost unfathomable proportions for Hodgson to survive at Anfield any longer than the end of this season. The end may come even sooner if the current decline accelerates.

He was regarded as a safe pair of hands - not so safe as it has transpired - but the new owners have increased ambitions for Liverpool. What they have already been able to decipher on and off the pitch means it is unlikely Hodgson will play a part in their vision for the years ahead.

The Kop has made it clear they want the return of Dalglish but the Scot would probably want to call all the shots himself and Henry has already made it clear Damien Comolli is his man as director of football strategy. So where would Dalglish fit in?

Striker Torres is out of sorts and he continues to toil. Photo: PA

If Hodgson wants sympathy and understanding, then former Liverpool midfielder Jan Molby, a regular observer of his reign this season as an expert BBC summariser and supporter of the club he represented with such distinction, has some to offer.

"I don't think Roy can be blamed totally for what has happened," said the Dane. "There are things you can't defend, like his signings and some of the performances. He knew Paul Konchesky and thought he would do a job but that hasn't worked out, while Christian Poulsen has found the Premier League too much for him.

"Joe Cole has been a major disappointment. Despite the delight from Liverpool's fans when he signed, I was never overexcited about him. I have never been convinced. He was on the bench at Chelsea and he has been on the bench for England. He is what he is - a subsitute who could have an impact coming on."

Molby also mounted a defence for Hodgson as he added: "He inherited an unbalanced squad with no real wide men. Dirk Kuyt and Maxi Rodriguez play there and yet they have no real pace. They can't get behind defences and get crosses in.

"The striker situation was never addressed in terms of back-up to Torres. To go so many transfer windows without getting a striker in was criminal. Liverpool have paid the price.

"Almost the first thing he had to do was sell Javier Mascherano with little time to buy a replacement, although Meireles has shown his quality. To come to Liverpool, a club with high expectations, and know the squad is not what you need makes life very difficult.

"He has been unlucky with some of his big players as well. Steven Gerrard got injured playing for England, Torres just hasn't fired and now Jamie Carragher is out for three months. As I said, there are things you can't defend but there are other things that have been out of Hodgson's control."

How Hodgson turns around his deterioating relationship with Liverpool's fans that is at best stone cold and at worst nakedly hostile is almost impossible to work out, unless he conjures up a string of results his current squad look totally ill-equipped to achieve.

"The relationship with the fans is a problem," said Molby. "The whole atmosphere at Anfield and the relationship between Roy and the fans is most unlike Liverpool. He never even got a welcome at his first game, which is almost unheard of for any new Liverpool manager.

"I was at that game at Arsenal and watched specifically for the reaction he got. Apart from a few people around the technical area, there was no reaction. The Wolves game was the first time Liverpool fans have chanted Hodgson's name - and it was only to be sarcastic, which is not a great sign.

"Maybe the fans were hoping for better. Over the last three years, when there was speculation about Benitez's future, there was talk of Guus Hiddink and Jose Mourinho. They were never going to come to Liverpool at the time Roy got the job.

"That is not to say Liverpool could not attract a top manager from abroad. I think Louis van Gaal would walk to Anfield to take the Liverpool job."

As the storm clouds gather around Hodgson, Molby believes Liverpool's new hierarchy is more likely to favour taking its time mapping out a long-term strategy rather than take the option of sacking the manager unless the situation deteriorates even more dramatically. It is a policy he agrees with.

"I think he should get more time," said Molby. "This is a bad, bad time to change managers unless the one you specifically want is out there walking around without a job. Who are they? They are Martin O'Neill, Frank Rijkaard, Sam Allardyce and Martin Jol, who wouldn't want to come and work with Comolli again after their time together at Spurs.

"This is a really important period for the new owners. They are assessing everything and I think there will be upheaval in the summer.

"I don't know whether this will include a change of manager but it might mean losing one or two players Liverpool might not want to lose, such as Torres and Pepe Reina, to bring some money in and to start rebuilding and overhauling things."

Hodgson faces the disaffected fans again when Bolton visit Anfield on New Year's Day. Another defeat will push him even closer to what seems to be an inevitable fate.

You can follow me at twitter.com/philmcnulty and join me on Facebook.
Bookmark with: del.icio.us | Digg | Newsvine | NowPublic | Reddit - What's this?

A balanced piece IMO.

[cambridgealex]

It's unfortunate to always point the finger at the manger when things go wrong, but in this case I think entirely necessary. Yes we have some pretty awful players, but a good manager can get the most out of them and that is the short term solution. Long term we're going to need a massive overhaul at some point, but we need some results over the next few weeks. RH is not the man for either job. He has to go.

[boldie]

Van Gaal for the job is actually a good shout by Molby. He'd get you playing good footie (as he has done for Ajax, Barca and the Dutch National side). He is a proven manager who would love to manage in the EPL and he isn't enjoying life at Bayern very much.

Shame the man is such a cock otherwise I might like him as a manager.

BTW, can we now all agree that Joe Cole is horrendously overpaid at 120k a week?

[77dave]

Former Liverpool FC Chairman Martin Broughton has received a knighthood in the New Year Honours.

 Sir Martin has been awarded the honour for services to business.

The 63-year-old was appointed as the Reds Chairman in April and tasked with finding new owners for the club.

After helping New England Sports Ventures secure the purchase of LFC in October following a week of drama played out in courts in London and Texas, Broughton stood down from the position on November 30.

[boldie]

Former Liverpool FC Chairman Martin Broughton has received a knighthood in the New Year Honours.

 Sir Martin has been awarded the honour for services to business.

The 63-year-old was appointed as the Reds Chairman in April and tasked with finding new owners for the club.

After helping New England Sports Ventures secure the purchase of LFC in October following a week of drama played out in courts in London and Texas, Broughton stood down from the position on November 30.

So even the Queen thought Hicks and Gillet were scum? Excellent judge of character, so She (Yes a capital S for She is the Queen after all) is.

[kinboshi]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/jen_chang/12/30/hodgson.liverpool/index.html#ixzz19h5lfD00

More of the same...

[George2Loose]

Roy's apologies are embarassing. Have some balls man. The lolpool fans have been expecting too much for years. Deserved to be called out imo as did ROFL BeniTEZ

[The Baron]

Roy's apologies are embarassing. Have some balls man. The lolpool fans have been expecting too much for years. Deserved to be called out imo as did ROFL BeniTEZ

Only we dont expect much. Just competence.

[The Baron]

Roy Hodgson has apologised to Liverpool fans for questioning their support, but his contrition has come too late to safeguard his future as manager after the club’s owner, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), determined that he is not the man to take the club forward.


Though Hodgson is only six months into the three-year contract he signed last summer, he will be ousted as soon as a high-calibre replacement can be identified and recruited.


The 63-year-old has made it clear that he will not tender his resignation despite presiding over Liverpool’s worst start to a season for 57 years and his relationship with the club’s supporters breaking down, so FSG will effectively take the decision out of his hands by actively targeting his successor.


Should the right man become available Hodgson’s departure will be confirmed before the end of the season, although FSG will continue to bide its time in a bid to ensure that the problems facing the club are not exacerbated by any short-term decisions, as was the case last summer after the removal of Rafael Benítez.


Hodgson was in damage-limitation mode yesterday, apologising to supporters for his assertion that they had failed to back him. But his remorse appeared to cut little ice, with an online petition calling for his immediate dismissal attracting more than 11,000 signatories and demanding “a manager of greater quality”.


Liverpool’s 1-0 defeat at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday was a setback too far for both fans and owners in a season in which embarrassing results have become a regular occurrence.


Hodgson attempted to build bridges before today’s home match against Bolton Wanderers. “It is a cliché but we do need time, patience and support, and the support from our fans at this club is of vital importance because that is what has made the club great through the years,” he said yesterday.


“We need that support and we need them [the supporters] to get behind us because things aren’t going well.”

---


Rory Smith - The Telegraph

Liverpool’s owners are convinced Roy Hodgson is not the man to lead the club forward in the long-term and are actively considering replacing him midway through the season, should the right candidate become available.


Fenway Sports Group, who bought Liverpool in October, had hoped to allow Hodgson to continue until the end of the season before reviewing his position, but their concerns over his relationship with the club’s fans and the team’s seemingly endless on-pitch troubles are now so great they are reconsidering their plans.

The group’s principal backers, Tom Werner and John W Henry, would prefer to make their first appointment a permanent one – seemingly ruling out a return for Kenny Dalglish, the fans’ clear choice, as caretaker – and they are believed to be examaining the credentials of a number of candidates.

They will not sack Hodgson, though, without knowing their preferred replacement is available and willing to move, raising the possibility that the 63-year-old will continue in control for the foreseeable future despite failing to win over either the club’s owners or the Anfield crowd.

FSG – who appointed Theo Epstein as General Manager of the Boston Red Sox at the age of 28 – hope to attract a young, ambitious coach to revitalise the club after two years of regression under Hodgson and his predecessor, Rafael Benitez.

In charge of a club where risky appointments have, for more than half a century, been frowned upon – Jose Mourinho was disregarded in 2004 because of his penchant for self-publicity – FSG are certain that only breaking with that tradition will jolt Liverpool back to life.

The likes of Frank Rijkaard, the former Barcelona manager, Andre Villas Boas, of Porto, Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp and Didier Deschamps, of Marseille, would all fit those criteria, though only Rijkaard – at 48, the oldest of the contenders – is currently available. Owen Coyle, too, would be both difficult and expensive to entice away from Bolton mid-season.

Though Hodgson moved to stem the growing tide of anger among Liverpool’s supporters for his perceived criticism of the Anfield crowd during Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat to Wolves – more than 9,000 people have signed an online petition calling for his dismissal – his contrition is unlikely to quell FSG’s fears that his relationship with the fans is beyond repair.

“I certainly regret if I have offended them in any way,” said the Liverpool manager. “It was in no way meant to be an offensive comment on my part. I went on to say that, while describing my situation as not being able to win the fans over with performances, I was taking responsibility and fully understood and empathised with them.

“There is no way I would want to do that and there is no way that would be justified because everyone knows the support from Liverpool’s fans is the best in the country. I am also fully aware that to get the best out of that support, you have to give them something to look forward to supporting.”

It is that problem which is at the root of his employers’ growing discontent with Hodgson’s reign. Henry and Werner are thought to feel that the former Fulham manager is unlikely to elicit the best from Liverpool squad, while his failure to address the team’s myriad problems in his six months in charge has frustrated the owners.

They cannot doubt, though, that Hodgson himself is suffering, describing the aftermath of the Wolves game as one of the loneliest periods of his long career.

“Lonely is not the wrong word to use because to be quite honest, you do not want company any way,” he said. “You want to be left alone with your thoughts – which are not pleasant thoughts – but you do not have the desire to do anything but sit around with those thoughts.

“It is a lonely job being a manager of a top club. You cannot expect people to help you too much. The staff are very good and supportive, and the players, too, but your family is very important at times like these. They try to encourage you that life isn’t all doom and gloom. That is what you have to cling on to.”

Such problems, Hodgson admits, seem a world away from the triumphalism of his final season at Fulham, the achievements of which earned him the Liverpool job, as well as the LMA Manager of the Year award.

He said: “It seems a long time ago, doesn’t it? It has been an uphill struggle for me here. I have had a lot of situations to deal with. There have been these very big setbacks which have thrown me into the firing line. I accept it as being part of a big club and taking a job of this stature.

“Coming to Liverpool for me was a pinnacle. It was a reward for the work I had put in not just at Fulham but in the years before. It was a recognition of my competence and you hope you can keep flying forward. [But] I saw a quote from Benjamin Disraeli when he became Prime Minister saying he had climbed to the top of the greasy pole. That is what we do as managers.”

[boldie]

what would Liverpool supporters think of Rijkaard? He'd get you playing footie, that's for sure.