From the Guardian :-
Roy Hodgson vows to buy quality not quantity for Liverpool in January
• Manager keen to avoid past mistakes in transfer window
• This will be first test of new owner's spending powers
Roy Hodgson says he will put Liverpool's long-term health before his need for immediate results in next month's transfer window as he admitted the club must learn from their wasteful strategy of recent years.
Next month will provide the first test of New England Sports Ventures' largesse in the transfer market since buying Liverpool for £300m in October. The manager is adamant that top-class additions are needed for the club to regain a place in the Champions League and is under pressure to prove to NESV that he can deliver a top-four finish.
Hodgson, however, believes Liverpool's predicament owes much to a short-term, expensive transfer strategy that existed before his arrival and is anxious to avoid repeating those mistakes, even if a lack of spending invites further criticism of his tenure. "When you get a job like this, should you be working for the long-term good of Liverpool or trying to get an extra result or two for Roy Hodgson?" he asked. "I'd like to think I am big enough and confident enough to take the long-term view, even though it might work against me.
"I might even prefer that in some ways because I would be very disappointed if I went out in January and spent a lot of money on the wrong players and then, come the summer, we are no better off. All we would be doing is adding a few more players who we don't think are good enough to the roster. I would be disappointed if I did that. I can't guarantee it won't happen but it is not my intention."
Hodgson admits NESV has not provided unlimited resources for next month and that he and Damien Comolli, the club's director of football strategy, must convince John W Henry and Tom Werner, Liverpool's owner and chairman respectively, that their targets are sound investments. But he says the calibre of player Liverpool need – such as Aston Villa's Ashley Young – may not be available and he will not flood the squad with average talents. That was a criticism often levelled at Hodgson's predecessor, Rafael BenÃtez, whom NESV has no intention of inviting back to Anfield should a managerial vacancy arise.
"There's no doubt that I and Damien are pushing the owners to back us if we come up with the right people," Hodgson said. "I think they probably will. The big question is will those players become available? Quite frankly we are targeting players that other clubs don't want to lose. We are not targeting players who are on the market and everyone is trying to find a club for.
"I think our supporters need to understand that and they will understand that. I think they've seen enough players brought into this club over the last couple of years. Around 20 have left since I've been here and haven't been replaced. We've gone down the route of 40, 50 professionals before, of saying: 'This one will do it or, if not, this one will do.' It's very important we don't do that again and just bring in the players we really need."
Despite the admission that new faces are required to obtain regular Champions League football, Hodgson believes Liverpool can deliver a stronger second half to the season even if he is ultimately frustrated in next month's transfer window. "We need to show a bit of faith in the players who are here," he said. "I'll give you two examples: Lucas Leiva and even Martin Skrtel. When I came to the club they were not players everyone was saying will win things for you and are top-class players. Many were saying Liverpool needed better than that. But by working with them and getting behind them and showing you believe in them, they become the players you want them to be.
"It is that delicate balance between having the courage to put your arm around someone and believing in them, and rejecting them and saying 'next please'. At the moment I am enjoying trying to get performances out of them. I realise we need better players to become a top-four team again and to become a constant top four team again, but those players are not easy to find and it would be a mistake to buy just because we have had a bad start to this season."
....At least he's enjoying himself..... unlike the rest of us.
Roy Hodgson vows to buy quality not quantity for Liverpool in January
• Manager keen to avoid past mistakes in transfer window
• This will be first test of new owner's spending powers
Roy Hodgson says he will put Liverpool's long-term health before his need for immediate results in next month's transfer window as he admitted the club must learn from their wasteful strategy of recent years.
Next month will provide the first test of New England Sports Ventures' largesse in the transfer market since buying Liverpool for £300m in October. The manager is adamant that top-class additions are needed for the club to regain a place in the Champions League and is under pressure to prove to NESV that he can deliver a top-four finish.
Hodgson, however, believes Liverpool's predicament owes much to a short-term, expensive transfer strategy that existed before his arrival and is anxious to avoid repeating those mistakes, even if a lack of spending invites further criticism of his tenure. "When you get a job like this, should you be working for the long-term good of Liverpool or trying to get an extra result or two for Roy Hodgson?" he asked. "I'd like to think I am big enough and confident enough to take the long-term view, even though it might work against me.
"I might even prefer that in some ways because I would be very disappointed if I went out in January and spent a lot of money on the wrong players and then, come the summer, we are no better off. All we would be doing is adding a few more players who we don't think are good enough to the roster. I would be disappointed if I did that. I can't guarantee it won't happen but it is not my intention."
Hodgson admits NESV has not provided unlimited resources for next month and that he and Damien Comolli, the club's director of football strategy, must convince John W Henry and Tom Werner, Liverpool's owner and chairman respectively, that their targets are sound investments. But he says the calibre of player Liverpool need – such as Aston Villa's Ashley Young – may not be available and he will not flood the squad with average talents. That was a criticism often levelled at Hodgson's predecessor, Rafael BenÃtez, whom NESV has no intention of inviting back to Anfield should a managerial vacancy arise.
"There's no doubt that I and Damien are pushing the owners to back us if we come up with the right people," Hodgson said. "I think they probably will. The big question is will those players become available? Quite frankly we are targeting players that other clubs don't want to lose. We are not targeting players who are on the market and everyone is trying to find a club for.
"I think our supporters need to understand that and they will understand that. I think they've seen enough players brought into this club over the last couple of years. Around 20 have left since I've been here and haven't been replaced. We've gone down the route of 40, 50 professionals before, of saying: 'This one will do it or, if not, this one will do.' It's very important we don't do that again and just bring in the players we really need."
Despite the admission that new faces are required to obtain regular Champions League football, Hodgson believes Liverpool can deliver a stronger second half to the season even if he is ultimately frustrated in next month's transfer window. "We need to show a bit of faith in the players who are here," he said. "I'll give you two examples: Lucas Leiva and even Martin Skrtel. When I came to the club they were not players everyone was saying will win things for you and are top-class players. Many were saying Liverpool needed better than that. But by working with them and getting behind them and showing you believe in them, they become the players you want them to be.
"It is that delicate balance between having the courage to put your arm around someone and believing in them, and rejecting them and saying 'next please'. At the moment I am enjoying trying to get performances out of them. I realise we need better players to become a top-four team again and to become a constant top four team again, but those players are not easy to find and it would be a mistake to buy just because we have had a bad start to this season."
....At least he's enjoying himself..... unlike the rest of us.
