Liverpool FC Forum

by **Bermenstein** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 2:44 pm

"Kenny Dalglish was never a candidate" says Martin Broughton

WHAT?

?

??

by **RED BEERGOGGLES** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 3:09 pm

Courtesy of The Liverpool Echo
LAST November Roy Hodgson laughed off a newspaper article touting him to manage Britain’s 2012 Olympic footballers. “I’m flavour of the month, that’s all,” he joked. “I can think of a more suitable job.”

He never suggested what job was more suitable.

But Hodgson is now the new Liverpool manager. And the fear amongst some Reds fans is that it’s because those seven-month old words have become a self-fulfilling prophecy, because, to use Hodgson’s own description, he’s “flavour of the month.”

If so, Hodgson has been a particularly enduring flavour.

Fulham were undoubtedly Europe’s surprise package last season.

But Hodgson’s record as a manager is no surprise to people who have followed football outside these shores.

It was way back in 2002 that Hodgson said: “Of course, my track record, if people bothered to study it, would put me in the same category as Sir Alex Ferguson enjoys today, but people don’t talk about what I’ve done outside England.

“Here, they just talk about Blackburn Rovers, but that’s just a very small part of a 26-year career.”

That’s a glittering 26-year career, by the way – which he has only enhanced in the eight years since.

The list of achievements are as impressive as the variety of landscapes in which they were achieved.

He won one championship with Halmstads in Sweden, then five successive titles with Malmo.

He coached Neuchatel Xamas in Switzerland before taking over the Swiss national team, where he enjoyed unparallelled success.

“At our peak, I got a mysterious phone call from FIFA House in Zurich,” he explained.

“It said ‘We’d rather not tell you why, but Sepp Blatter would like you here’. I arrived and met Berti Vogts.

“He didn’t know why he’d been summoned either.

“We found they were announcing the new FIFA world ranking system, and it was Brazil 1, Germany 2, Switzerland 3.

“We were no more third in the world than I was a Chinaman!”

A self deprecating tale, perhaps, but it also underlines that Switzerland had never before enjoyed such a lofty standing in world football, and Hodgson guided them there by cannily selling the Swiss FA on the idea of regular internal training camps where players would play for their clubs at the weekend, then join the national squad for Mondays and Tuesdays. The move developed a club ethos within a country framework.

From there Hodgson took Inter Milan from bottom of Serie A to Europe and a UEFA Cup final.

In Norway he took Viking Stavanger from the relegation zone into the UEFA Cup and he narrowly missed qualification for Euro 2008 with Finland.

Unfortunately our closest point of reference with Roy Hodgson here on Merseyside was an unhappy 18-month stint at Blackburn. But that disappointment aside, the man can clearly manage.

The appointment of the 62-year-old Londoner, however, has not been instantly and universally celebrated amongst the club’s fan-base – largely because he’s not a 59-year-old Scotsman.

There are other negatives, too.

He is an advocate of zonal marking.

He’s a pal of David Moyes.

And even though he’s fluent in Norwegian, Swedish and Italian, and competent in German, Danish, French, Japanese and Finnish – will he still be able to converse in fluent Carragher?
Those last three light-hearted downsides apart, the positives appear to heavily outweigh the negatives.

The fear is that while his managerial qualities appear equipped to steer Liverpool on an upwardly mobile course again, the question remains as to whether he will be given the tools and the backing to do so.

The Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres questions have to be answered quickly.

If one or both do depart, he must find out how much money he will be able to reinvest in his playing squad.

And he will quickly find out whether the Liverpool fans’ long-held and renowned tradition for fiercely supporting their managers remains unimpaired by the total lack of trust those same fans have in the club’s hierarchy. If Roy Hodgson faces the greatest test of his footballing faith as he takes charge of a football club at a historical crossroads, so too, do Liverpool’s fans.

The name Hodgson has figured twice before in Liverpool’s long and illustrious history.

Gordon Hodgson was one of the greatest goalscorers ever to grace the club.

David Hodgson was a journeyman striker who managed barely 10 goals in 49 games.

Both enjoyed the passionate backing of the fans.

Roy Hodgson deserves that backing, too, because he is clearly more than just a “flavour of the month.”

The 2010/11 campaign could be a pivotal one in Liverpool’s fortunes.

But Roy Hodgson is a safe pair of hands to guide them through it.

Good well balanced piece from David Prentice .......

by **Big Niall** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 3:30 pm

Good choice.

He knows the league, our players, he has experience - Great choice.

:buttrock

by **Reg** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 3:41 pm

Bermenstein wrote:"Kenny Dalglish was never a candidate" says Martin Broughton

WHAT? ? ? ??

Well theres a slap in the face if ever there was one..... plus the fact Kenny wasn´t even invited to the press conference and spent the day at the Academy...... yes, I can see ManUre doing the same with Bobby Charlton.... NOT.

The owners, Broughton, Purslow... they´re c*nts. :angry:

by **lakes10** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 4:21 pm

maguskwt wrote:
Reg wrote:That pic must make you feel good all over eh Lakes?

Here he is trying to string a few words together at the press conference: http://qik.com/video/8457619

We have to do better than "just do better than last season" roy... any decent manager can do better than last season...

I take it thats his target, do better than Rafa did last year.
stop the rot.

not much more you can ask of the guy when he has got to work with the players that he has been left with.

by **Kharhaz** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 4:22 pm

The Raven wrote:Still a tough one, he wont say boo to the fat yank scum bags as they stiff him over transfer moneyand continue to rape the club. However he is our manager and therfore i find myself having to support him until such time as he proves that he no longer can do the job.

I just dont know how to feel anymore.

"And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted - nevermore!"

by **parchpea** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 4:26 pm

Not sure why Dalglish would be there to be honest. Look I know hes a legend and all that but he has his place at the club and it wasnt to be there today. Hodgson said he will be speaking to everyone including Dagger to find out whats been going on and start to make plans. The managers job is to put a squad together, look after and coach the team and not to get involved in stuff at boardroom level. Quite frankly this is where Benitez crossed the line and Hodgsons approach is quite correct. Think of it conspiracies and make up stories all you want but what Hodgson said today is perfectly normal and understandable. He put on a professional perforamnce and it was nice to hear a clear and concise interview without the aid of interprators for a change. Onward and upwards.

by **jacdaniel** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 4:37 pm

lakes10 wrote:
maguskwt wrote:
Reg wrote:That pic must make you feel good all over eh Lakes?

Here he is trying to string a few words together at the press conference: http://qik.com/video/8457619

We have to do better than "just do better than last season" roy... any decent manager can do better than last season...

I take it thats his target, do better than Rafa did last year.
stop the rot.

not much more you can ask of the guy when he has got to work with the players that he has been left with.

They're better than what Rafa was left with. (and won the CL with)
We had something like 12 players at the World Cup.

When Rafa arrived, there was no great players like Pepe, Torres, Alonso, Mascherano.

he had to work with Biscan, Smicer, Baros, Dudek, traore, kewell.

We underachieved last season, over achieved the year before. (which worked out very badly for Rafa).

realistically, we should still be challenging for top 4 and a trophy. (challenging - not neccecarily achieving).

by **Ben Patrick** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 5:00 pm

jacdaniel wrote:
lakes10 wrote:
maguskwt wrote:
Reg wrote:That pic must make you feel good all over eh Lakes?

Here he is trying to string a few words together at the press conference: http://qik.com/video/8457619

We have to do better than "just do better than last season" roy... any decent manager can do better than last season...

I take it thats his target, do better than Rafa did last year.
stop the rot.

not much more you can ask of the guy when he has got to work with the players that he has been left with.

They're better than what Rafa was left with. (and won the CL with)
We had something like 12 players at the World Cup.

When Rafa arrived, there was no great players like Pepe, Torres, Alonso, Mascherano.

he had to work with Biscan, Smicer, Baros, Dudek, traore, kewell.

We underachieved last season, over achieved the year before. (which worked out very badly for Rafa).

realistically, we should still be challenging for top 4 and a trophy. (challenging - not neccecarily achieving).

There is no Alonso for Roy

And Rafa did have Hyypia and Hamann who were very steady players.
Murphy who i would replace for Lucas in a heartbeat.
Riise who is miles better than Insua.

Yes there was a load of sh!te, but there were also some very decent players.
Rafa also had Gerrard.
Roy might not.

by **Thommo's perm** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 5:05 pm

woof woof ! wrote:
NANNY RED wrote:
Thommo's perm wrote:Brand new dawn

OH TIE A YELLOW RIBBON ROUND THE OLD OAK TREE

And knock three times.

You arl barstewards
:;):

by **Emerald Red** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 5:14 pm

DAV wrote:Emerald Red you are a disgrace
go support Everton

What's up with you today, ya old whopper?

Something I said? Tell us what's up?

by **JC_81** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 5:16 pm

Ben Patrick wrote:There is no Alonso for Roy

And Rafa did have Hyypia and Hamann who were very steady players.
Murphy who i would replace for Lucas in a heartbeat.
Riise who is miles better than Insua.

Yes there was a load of sh!te, but there were also some very decent players.
Rafa also had Gerrard.
Roy might not.

Do you really think Houllier left behind a superior squad to Benitez mate? Not so sure myself.

Our best XI right now would be (for the sake of argument)...

Reina, Johnson, Carra, Agger, Insua, Kuyt, Masch, Aquilani, Benayoun, Gerrard, Torres. With Babel, Riera, Skrtel, Kyriakos, Lucas, ?Jovanovic and a few others. A small squad, but a quality 1st XI.

Benitez inherited (something like)...

Dudek, Finnan, Carra, Hyypia, Riise, Murphy, Gerrard, Hamann, Kewell, Cisse, Owen. With Baros, Pongolle, Traore, Biscan, Diao, Diouf, Cheyrou.

There doesn't look to be too much in it on paper, but when you consider Carra was an average fullback before Rafa switched him to the middle and Finnan was predominantly played right mid under Houllier before he found form under Rafa, I think we looked more of a mess back then than we do now. Especially after Owen left. That might change depending on who Hodgson is able to keep of course. Rafa also managed to sign two gems that summer in Alonso and Garcia that helped massively. Hodgson's early signings could be crucial too given our finances.

by **Ola Mr Benitez** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 5:17 pm

I am actually starting to look forward to what is going to happen.

We have a manager, as long as Stevie and Nando stay we have pretty much the same squad theat got to 2nd a couple of seasons ago.

I do beleive that Roy can instill some confidence in the team and if we have a bit of money to spend hopefully we can get a new left back and a new forward I think we will be in good shape.

YNWA

by **Emerald Red** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 5:23 pm

bavlondon wrote:
Ciggy wrote:
bavlondon wrote:"but they've also made clear that if we were unfortunate to lose somebody then that money would be made available. "

Dont believe them Roy. Batern down the hatches guys this is going to be a nightmare summer for us.

What's gonna happen is. Stevie will stay, hes Liverpool through and through. But Mascherano and Torres will go.

Can't see Torres going IMO. Not this summer. He won't go to Chelsea, and City are dreaming and so are the press if they think he's going there. There's only a couple of clubs that could afford Torres at the minute and two of those are Spanish, and of those two he'd only go to one, and Barca has already splashed the cash on a striker so a bit of deduction says that he's going nowhere yet. If Inter somehow find the funds from somewhere, and put a bid in, then I'd be worried.

Steve's a bit of an enigma at the moment. I'd say it's about 50/50 whether he goes or stays, but if I was a betting man, out of all our players that are said to be going, I'd say that Mascherano is as good as gone. We'll see.

by **Benny The Noon** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 5:39 pm

It seems part of Hodgson's severance pay from Fulham is he is allowed to purchase any players from Fulham for 12 months

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