Patience in Roy Hodsgon has run out at alienated Anfield
Tony Evans Football Editor
Last updated December 30 2010 12:10AM
Last night the dissatisfaction that has bubbled beneath the surface at Anfield was given public voice. As Wolverhampton Wanderers added a new level of humiliation to an embarrassing campaign, the Kop sang: “Hodgson for Englandâ€.
That is shocking enough in itself. Nowhere in football has the relationship between manager and fans been turned into such a fetish as at Liverpool.
Bill Shankly created an emotional link between the Boot Room and the terraces that has sometimes been strained — by Graeme Souness and most recently in the fading days of the Rafael BenÃtez regime — but never broken. Last night it was.
Hodgson inherited a dysfunctional club but was bequeathed a core of talent in Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina that Mick McCarthy would kill for. The former Fulham manager was presented as the man who would get the best out of the squad. Instead it got worse.
John W. Henry and New England Sports Ventures, the new owners, have been beyond reproach since arriving at Anfield. Henry admits he knows little about football and is learning the game. His has been a patient and sensible approach aimed at bringing stability.
However, patience is not always rewarded. Hodgson is alienating players, staff members talk disparagingly about his methods and attitude and now the supporters have crossed a line that not long ago would have been unimaginable. Kenny Dalglish, who advised against employing Hodgson, must be seething with frustration.
A manager with four English titles to his credit, he has the charisma and knowledge to bring stability and purpose to a club that lack both. At least in the short term.
Anfield has just emerged from a period of civil war and cannot afford another. Henry needs to listen and act now. Otherwise things will spiral out of control on and off the pitch.
