Liverpool F.c.

[rixalex]

yes he has! his 'vision' is that of a small club like fulham, sitting back to invite teams onto them and then possibly, if we're lucky, maybe nicking something on the break. he signed konchesky and poulsen while loaning out aquilani. that is his 'vision'. not keeping possession of the football and turning arguably the world's best striker into a sunday league target man, that is his 'vision'.

the man is a small club manager, inexperienced at the top level and shown to be massively lacking having been appointed by the dangerous moron purslow.

hodgson would have been given more time by the fans had he not set about offending everyone since his appointment. telling the fans that protesting against hicks and gillett was 'a distraction', slagging off his own players and club legends like dalglish and benitez, publicly having a go at people like rijkaard who have won more in the game than hodgson could ever dream of and then finally slating the notoriously patient liverpool fans for not supporting him? the man is an idiot and contrary to the generally perceived view of him, is not even a likeable man. he's a nasty, vindictive, spiteful old get and when he's finally sacked i will go out and get drunk for a week.

Did i hear that right? Benitez a legend?!

Liverpool fans perceiving Rafa this way explains a lot as to the situation with Roy. Don't get me wrong, Roy has contributed to his own downfall, but he can't of been helped by the attitude around the place, which was almost one of "we will enjoy watching you fail because

a ) your face doesn't fit, you weren't our choice and we don't want you

b ) your failure in our eyes will prove to all those naysayers what a great legendary manager Rafa was"

[carmine]

yes he has! his 'vision' is that of a small club like fulham, sitting back to invite teams onto them and then possibly, if we're lucky, maybe nicking something on the break. he signed konchesky and poulsen while loaning out aquilani. that is his 'vision'. not keeping possession of the football and turning arguably the world's best striker into a sunday league target man, that is his 'vision'.

the man is a small club manager, inexperienced at the top level and shown to be massively lacking having been appointed by the dangerous moron purslow.

hodgson would have been given more time by the fans had he not set about offending everyone since his appointment. telling the fans that protesting against hicks and gillett was 'a distraction', slagging off his own players and club legends like dalglish and benitez, publicly having a go at people like rijkaard who have won more in the game than hodgson could ever dream of and then finally slating the notoriously patient liverpool fans for not supporting him? the man is an idiot and contrary to the generally perceived view of him, is not even a likeable man. he's a nasty, vindictive, spiteful old get and when he's finally sacked i will go out and get drunk for a week.

Did i hear that right? Benitez a legend?!

Liverpool fans perceiving Rafa this way explains a lot as to the situation with Roy. Don't get me wrong, Roy has contributed to his own downfall, but he can't of been helped by the attitude around the place, which was almost one of "we will enjoy watching you fail because

a ) your face doesn't fit, you weren't our choice and we don't want you

b ) your failure in our eyes will prove to all those naysayers what a great legendary manager Rafa was"

Totally right Rix

[MrRed]

How can you be a managerial Legend for a club after never winning the league?

[highchol]

Raffa......legend in his own mind

[StevieH]

Did i hear that right? Benitez a legend?!

Liverpool fans perceiving Rafa this way explains a lot as to the situation with Roy. Don't get me wrong, Roy has contributed to his own downfall, but he can't of been helped by the attitude around the place, which was almost one of "we will enjoy watching you fail because

a ) your face doesn't fit, you weren't our choice and we don't want you

b ) your failure in our eyes will prove to all those naysayers what a great legendary manager Rafa was"

you're spectacularly wrong there rix. hodgson would have been given plenty of time if a) his tactics, attitude and approach hadn't stank the place out from minute one and he hadn't set about trying to blame everything and everyone except himself for the utterly appalling season so far. the man has no humility, no professionalism and no top level credentials, however much he harps on about his 35 years of experience in the game.

How can you be a managerial Legend for a club after never winning the league?

winning the european cup with a squad containing djimi traore, igor biscan, milan baros et al is pretty legendary.

[MrRed]

Ok Stevie maybe on the spion Kop

[rixalex]

you're spectacularly wrong there rix. hodgson would have been given plenty of time if a) his tactics, attitude and approach hadn't stank the place out from minute one

The club signs a manager, the club has to put some trust and faith in that man, even if things look ugly and results disappoint, because shaping a team takes time - certainly more than six months. If he's not going to be given time and nobody trusts him, he never should have been signed in the first place.

he hadn't set about trying to blame everything and everyone except himself for the utterly appalling season so far.

Following in the footsteps of his "legendary" predecessor perhaps?

[longstebe]

ouch: http://www.petitiononline.com/hodgson/petition.html

Clear as day mate.

[highchol]

ouch: http://www.petitiono...n/petition.html

Clear as day mate.

aye clear as the lad nah gravy ive just eaten

''recent poll 95% want him out '' but only 6801 could be arsed to sign, or maybe only 6801 could sign, meaning only 16.5% of scousers are litterate!!:jap:

[StevieH]

ouch: http://www.petitiono...n/petition.html

Clear as day mate.

aye clear as the lad nah gravy ive just eaten

''recent poll 95% want him out '' but only 6801 could be arsed to sign, or maybe only 6801 could sign, meaning only 16.5% of scousers are litterate!!:jap:

when taking the piss out of people's ability to read and write it's probably best to be sure you yourself can spell 'literate' correctly. otherwise you look a bit of a helmet. :jap:

[highchol]

ouch: http://www.petitiono...n/petition.html

Clear as day mate.

aye clear as the lad nah gravy ive just eaten

''recent poll 95% want him out '' but only 6801 could be arsed to sign, or maybe only 6801 could sign, meaning only 16.5% of scousers are litterate!!:jap:

when taking the piss out of people's ability to read and write it's probably best to be sure you yourself can spell 'literate' correctly. otherwise you look a bit of a helmet. :jap:

owt wrong with my maths?

[highchol]

well done woy....knockers off your back for the time being i see.

[smokie36]

well done woy....knockers off your back for the time being i see.

temporary reprieve at best......not even that on this thread I bet!

[highchol]

well done woy....knockers off your back for the time being i see.

temporary reprieve at best......not even that on this thread I bet!

i wouldnt bet against ya

[StevieH]

good summary of things. fanning's a decent journalist.

Grumbling on towards an inevitable conclusion

The establishment's choice to be Liverpool boss, Roy Hodgson has failed utterly, writes Dion Fanning

By Dion Fanning

Sunday January 02 2011

Football supporters turning on their club's manager is not new but for a manager to turn on his club's supporters is more unusual.

Roy Hodgson's dismal and utterly predictable time as Liverpool manager effectively came to an end last Wednesday night. Hodgson is just a patsy, one of the last remaining figures from the old regime. The hopes of the Fenway Sports Group that the club could stagger on until the summer vanished with that defeat to Wolves.

Hodgson's contribution after the game, when he criticised the lack of support he has received from the supporters, might have deflected from the defeat but not as he imagined. Once more, he demonstrated why Liverpool is not only too big a club, even in its dysfunction, for him to manage but also a club he doesn't understand.

The chant of 'Hodgson for England' was a hydra-headed beast. It was the first time Liverpool fans had chanted Hodgson's name and they were only doing it to discard him. In the process they were offering him to an entity they care nothing about: England.

Hodgson was the establishment's appointment. It played well among certain opinion-formers, opinion-formers who had been very impressed with Christian Purslow. Last Wednesday night, Liverpool fans demonstrated that these men know nothing about Liverpool Football Club and its otherness.

Those who felt it was significant that Liverpool appoint an English manager failed to grasp the qualities that make the club, in the eyes of its supporters at least, different. Hodgson was coming from middle England. He is a church warden, a desk sergeant, a man whose reasonableness is only matched by a sense of persecution that he has not been given a fair deal. In another life, you could see him complaining if the 7.47 from Clapham Junction was running late.

In this life, he has complained about everything: the players he has had to work with, the number of times Liverpool appear on television and the scrutiny of the media (no manager has had such powerful backing from press and television). His grumbling has confirmed that he cannot do the job. At times, he almost seems to think it himself. "I don't think they [the fans] got behind my appointment," he said on Friday, "and there's no reason why they should."

He was an appointment made in crisis. Hanging over the club in the summer was the ownership of Tom Hicks and George Gillett (Jose Mourinho let it be known that the ownership would have to change before he would consider the job) but while that ruled out top managers, it was not the conflict that led to Hodgson's appointment.

Christian Purslow fancied himself as a football man. He was considered a financial wizard. "He saw himself as the Fernando Torres of finance," said one who worked closely with him. Purslow would be vindicated on the financial front in one respect: he helped get Hicks and Gillett out of Liverpool.

His involvement in anything to do with the football side of Liverpool was another story. In the last unhappy year of Rafael Benitez's time as manager, Purslow was never slow to offer an opinion. He became a sounding board for influential players, who expressed their dissatisfaction. There was rarely a point during Benitez's time when players weren't dissatisfied -- that was part of his managerial style. Yet, on the field, until last season, results would often mask the dissatisfaction. Victory usually does.

In Benitez's last season, decay set it. The reasons for this would be disputed by all those involved but when Benitez was worn down by the endless feuds and his contribution to them, a different appointment had to be made.

Despite talking to other candidates, Purslow was always drawn to Hodgson. He offered reasonableness and an ability to talk intelligently about other subjects, to mention Philip Roth or John Updike, where Benitez would just want more.

After a manager who saw everything in terms of war, Liverpool wanted peace. It was an appalling reading of the situation. Liverpool imagined a more harmonious club with a manager who would offer hugs and kind words where Benitez would just seek endless, tiring improvement.

Well, the hugs don't work. Hodgson has been defensive, not open, and those who felt he would bring an improvement in Liverpool's style of play had really not paid attention during his career. He was always in an impossible position. A significant minority of supporters mourned Benitez and there is something of the post-Saipan atmosphere at Liverpool at the moment.

The fans who have turned on Hodgson are not, as some suggest, falling victim to modern life's impatience. If they were merely impatient, it would not explain why some remain loyal to Benitez. Sky can dismiss the idea of Benitez returning but they would be better asking why some supporters remain loyal to the former manager and never felt close to Hodgson, except to demonstrate some ex officio loyalty.

As in so many things, they misread the club when they say it is unlike Liverpool to turn on a manager. Liverpool has never appointed a manager like Hodgson before.

Before the game against Wolves, Hodgson once again defended himself and insisted he was the right man for the job. "I know that I am capable of doing this job, but maybe the expectations and ambitions of the club were too high and weren't lessened by the fact that I came off the back of such a good season." In other words, he could manage a club like Liverpool if it wasn't a club like Liverpool. If it was, say, Fulham. Other managers have battled with the expectation of Liverpool supporters but none has gone about setting the bar as low as Hodgson.

After a win against Aston Villa, Hodgson was asked by his friends at Sky, Andy Gray and Richard Keys, if this was title-winning form. The friends dissolved in laughter. The Fulham manager was laughing. Liverpool challenging for the title wasn't always as preposterous.

Nobody expected Liverpool to do that this season, but there has been a dismantling of expectation. That night, two friends and bulls***ters met. Hodgson and Houllier. Houllier made his own disastrous misreading of Aston Villa supporters when he waved to the Liverpool fans but not his own at the end of the game. Last week, he backed Hodgson to get it right. It could have been the kiss of death. In fact, he might have kissed himself to death.

A few weeks ago, Hodgson spoke about how he had to overturn decisions made by Purslow about players the then managing director felt should leave the club.

It was another astonishing glimpse into the summer's chaos. Purslow, it turned out, was no judge of a player. He pursued Joe Cole for his signature when other voices who were then at the club described the player as "brainless".

Hodgson explained how he had kept some players Purslow didn't rate. A few pointed out that Purslow had appointed Hodgson too.

Those who defend Hodgson by saying he has not changed as a manager since last summer when he won the Manager of the Year award are getting close to the truth. Hodgson hasn't got any worse, he was never good enough in the first place.

On Wednesday, as he talked about a lack of respect to Wolves if people expect Liverpool to beat them easily and droned about the result not always matching the expectations of the supporters (his expectations were clearly different), he sounded again like a man drained of ambition.

He believed his achievements in the past year entitled him to the Liverpool job. He has the bureaucrat's mindset: he works slowly and methodically and eventually becomes an assistant secretary. "To some extent 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."

Hodgson used to compare his record to Alex Ferguson's if only people would take the Scandinavian leagues into account. "Those of us who work in the game and have been working in the game a long time know that the magic wand doesn't exist," he said last week.

Again it is a reasonable position but the managers who make a difference at Liverpool, Manchester United or Arsenal believe they can change everything. They believe in their own magic. Hodgson's strength is making mediocre teams slightly less mediocre and of never expecting too much.

The chants for Kenny Dalglish that were heard again on Wednesday do not necessarily mean that the fans see him as the saviour. This is not Newcastle, longing for the return of Kevin Keegan. Simply, Dalglish represents everything Hodgson is not and, in fairness, everything Hodgson could or would not hope to be.

Dalglish watched people die supporting his football club and then felt it was his duty to allow this tragedy to consume him. If he could be a temporary appointment, it would at least have the benefit of unifying the club. Dalglish, however, may no longer be interested in a caretaker position.

Liverpool will need to look for a man of ambition after that. Those who suggest the senior players at the club should be consulted are in danger of making the same mistakes again.

Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher felt they could work with Hodgson when their relationship with Benitez had broken down. One of the new manager's biggest tasks will be to confront the problem of Gerrard, who has lost his explosiveness, and gently ease Carragher, who is past it, out the door. Carragher signed a new contract on the last day of the old regime which was another curious decision in a summer when many were made.

Hodgson's appointment was the most calamitous of all. In six months, he has dragged Liverpool into a relegation battle and, in his own way, remodelled the club in his image.

If part of his job specification was to shatter the expectations at Liverpool Football Club, then he can walk away with his head held high.

- Dion Fanning

http://www.independe...on-2480857.html

[smokie36]

Good article. Except for the 'relegation battle' nonsense. Overdramatising things a tad.

[Englander]

Couldnt let this one go unnoticed 35,400 against rivals Bolton, for a holiday game this fair-weather support is truly shocking.

[Englander]

The chants for Kenny Dalglish that were heard again on Wednesday do not necessarily mean that the fans see him as the saviour. This is not Newcastle, longing for the return of Kevin Keegan. Simply, Dalglish represents everything Hodgson is not and, in fairness, everything Hodgson could or would not hope to be.

Newcastle never chanted for the return of Keegan (well except for the days after he was sacked).

But Liverpool fans chanting for the sacking of a manager who isnt getting the results theyd hoped for is exactly the same as when any other clubs supporters do it, what makes them above being in this category? Their divine right to success!

[smokie36]

The chants for Kenny Dalglish that were heard again on Wednesday do not necessarily mean that the fans see him as the saviour. This is not Newcastle, longing for the return of Kevin Keegan. Simply, Dalglish represents everything Hodgson is not and, in fairness, everything Hodgson could or would not hope to be.

Newcastle never chanted for the return of Keegan (well except for the days after he was sacked).

But Liverpool fans chanting for the sacking of a manager who isnt getting the results theyd hoped for is exactly the same as when any other clubs supporters do it, what makes them above being in this category? Their divine right to success!

And with every year Gerrard gets older.....oh well.

[carmine]

The chants for Kenny Dalglish that were heard again on Wednesday do not necessarily mean that the fans see him as the saviour. This is not Newcastle, longing for the return of Kevin Keegan. Simply, Dalglish represents everything Hodgson is not and, in fairness, everything Hodgson could or would not hope to be.

Newcastle never chanted for the return of Keegan (well except for the days after he was sacked).

But Liverpool fans chanting for the sacking of a manager who isnt getting the results theyd hoped for is exactly the same as when any other clubs supporters do it, what makes them above being in this category? Their divine right to success!

Ofcourse they have a divine right to success. i'm suprised you did'nt know that.

[StevieH]

Couldnt let this one go unnoticed 35,400 against rivals Bolton, for a holiday game this fair-weather support is truly shocking.

supporters making their feelings known about hodgson by voting with their feet. NESV will not have been able to ignore that, it's over half a million quid off the gate receipts.

[mrbojangles]

Couldnt let this one go unnoticed 35,400 against rivals Bolton, for a holiday game this fair-weather support is truly shocking.

supporters making their feelings known about hodgson by voting with their feet. NESV will not have been able to ignore that, it's over half a million quid off the gate receipts.

Wasn't it the away section that was mainly empty? Bolton supporters are truly <deleted> at travelling and they are disgraceful at pumping up tickets for away fans at their place. One year, City fans boycotted going to Bolton cos they hiked up the prices so much.

[StevieH]

Couldnt let this one go unnoticed 35,400 against rivals Bolton, for a holiday game this fair-weather support is truly shocking.

supporters making their feelings known about hodgson by voting with their feet. NESV will not have been able to ignore that, it's over half a million quid off the gate receipts.

Wasn't it the away section that was mainly empty? Bolton supporters are truly <deleted> at travelling and they are disgraceful at pumping up tickets for away fans at their place. One year, City fans boycotted going to Bolton cos they hiked up the prices so much.

bolton's section was pretty sparse bj yes, but that attendance is 10,000 down on usual and on a holiday match too. that means that even if bolton had given back a couple of thousand of their allocation there were still 8,000 liverpool fans who couldn't be arsed going.

[MrRed]

YNWA....accept when we are not happy...or hungover or no money or down the pub watching it on Sky sports.

Stevie you know as well as i do Liverpool could sell the game out twice over with glory hunters or day tripping FANS,there is more to it i think than just Hodgson.Maybe they miss the spaniard that much!! but the bottom line is the hard core Liverpool supporters wil always follow the team and the rest of the seats will get touted about,maybe it is simply that the club has no money and niether do the fans?

[smokie36]

YNWA....accept when we are not happy...or hungover or no money or down the pub watching it on Sky sports.

Stevie you know as well as i do Liverpool could sell the game out twice over with glory hunters or day tripping FANS,there is more to it i think than just Hodgson.Maybe they miss the spaniard that much!! but the bottom line is the hard core Liverpool supporters wil always follow the team and the rest of the seats will get touted about,maybe it is simply that the club has no money and niether do the fans?

ey ey ey thats enuff of tha' lad!

I dunno why but I find myself waving a handful of £20 notes at the screen.....

[JacknDanny]

I want to know from the Liverpool fans on here..

1) What are the chances that Benitez will come back as manager , with Gillette and Hicks gone.

2) Would you want Benitez back?

Personally I think Benitez is overrated, but I know that you guys hold him in high regard.

[StevieH]

I want to know from the Liverpool fans on here..

1) What are the chances that Benitez will come back as manager , with Gillette and Hicks gone.

2) Would you want Benitez back?

Personally I think Benitez is overrated, but I know that you guys hold him in high regard.

1. i think almost zero JnD. in fact i'd be absolutely gobsmacked.

2. it's a difficult one this. he gave me the best night of my life as a liverpool fan and he genuinely 'gets' the club and its fans, but i'm not 100% certain that i want him back at the club, so that would have to equate to a 'no'. benitez ended up fighting battles with too many people in the club really for him to be a viable option now and i think it's best all-round if we move on to a new, young, ambitious manager who can work with the new owners and the talent scout commoli to hopefully take us forward.

[PattayaParent]

ouch: http://www.petitiono...n/petition.html

Clear as day mate.

aye clear as the lad nah gravy ive just eaten

''recent poll 95% want him out '' but only 6801 could be arsed to sign, or maybe only 6801 could sign, meaning only 16.5% of scousers are litterate!!:jap:

Or only 16.5% of them support Liverpool and the literate 83.5% support Everton?

[Jimjim]

he's (Hodgson) a nasty, vindictive, spiteful old get and when he's finally sacked i will go out and get drunk for a week.

Things have become really sad, Stevie, if this is a good enough reason to go get drunk for a week.

[StevieH]

he's (Hodgson) a nasty, vindictive, spiteful old get and when he's finally sacked i will go out and get drunk for a week.

Things have become really sad, Stevie, if this is a good enough reason to go get drunk for a week.

hehe. wait till thatcher finally fuc_ks off and dies jim, it's a fortnight then.