Kop needed a sage to restore spirit – now they have one in Roy Hodgson

[Rosco]

A legacy of the Bill Shankly era is that a Liverpool manager is expected to double up as priest, community leader and father figure at an institution that retained its family feel until two American speculators took it for a ride. The bonds are still there, under crushing corporate debt, but Roy Hodgson ought to be spared the cult of the leader.

The Kop could grumble at Hodgson's arrival on Merseyside only if they think Liverpool needed a Hollywood gesture to end a 20-year wait for their 19th league title and restore them to the Champions League. What they need is 34 years of experience at club and international level and a restoration of the side's forthright spirit. By the end of the Rafael Benítez reign one of the game's great clubs had adopted a kind of mechanical pragmatism designed to destroy the opposition's plans rather than impose their own.

Anfield's regulars were suffering but were too loyal to complain. They filed out through the Shankly Gates bored. It was inimical to Liverpool's followers to see their heroes win games by calculation alone. They revered Benítez for the 2005 Champions League win in Istanbul but could recognise the creeping joylessness of his football and his apparent inability to derive any pleasure from a goal.

Assuming the deal goes through, Hodgson's Liverpool will get back on the front foot. They will assert their pedigree. Nullifying the opposition will not be their religion. This is the first step out of the darkness for a side who finished seventh in the Premier League and now face a second Europa League campaign. Some will shout that keeping Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Javier Mascherano and Pepe Reina is the real first step to a renaissance and they would be right, except that those stars may be persuaded to stay only if they think Liverpool will recover their old identity and stop playing chess.

High on Hodgson's to-do list will be a purge of all the obscure shadow men brought in by Benítez during a carnival of talent speculation. Clearing out the no-names and nearly men is a vital task which Hodgson has performed already at Fulham. This will lighten the wage bill, provide money for acquisitions and offer chinks of light to a marginalised academy, the finishing school for Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman, Jamie Carragher and Gerrard.

A widely expressed doubt is that Hodgson's main skill is reviving the careers of discards and journeymen rather than dealing with household names, which would be news to Internazionale, who hired him to coach a team sporting Roberto Carlos and Paul Ince.

At Fulham he turned capable players into good ones by vigorous pattern-of-play work on the training ground. "Width in attack, depth in defence" was one of the first lessons he was taught. Liverpool will advance with pace and ingenuity but defend resolutely. His Fulham back five were a marvel of consistency achieved through familiarity. Mark Schwarzer, John Pantsil (a figure of fun at West Ham, but now a World Cup quarter-finalist with Ghana), Aaron Hughes, Brede Hangeland and Paul Konchesky were serial over-achievers. Hangeland's arrival from Norway displayed Hodgson's eye for an undiscovered talent: a virtue to be appreciated at a club £350m in debt.

So Liverpool have taken the sensible course of not chasing Marcello Lippi or Frank Rijkaard but hiring a sage who understands every nuance of the English game and will perform expert surgery on a bloated squad. Nor was a punt on a young manager advisable at this point. "There's no question in my mind that an experienced manager who retains the passion and enthusiasm of his youth is going to be arguably a better manager than the energetic youthful one who doesn't have the experience," Hodgson said before Fulham's Europa League final.

From boardroom chaos, miraculously, comes an appointment straight out of the old Liverpool school of wisdom.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/jul/01/roy-hodgson-liverpool

 

[Cerberus]

Well that cheered me up. I'm warming more and more to this appointment each day.

 

[Vlads Quiff]

My thoughts entirely.
The closer this appointment gets the more confident I feel in it's wisdom


regards

 

[spider-Neil]

Anfield's regulars were suffering but were too loyal to complain. They filed out through the Shankly Gates bored. It was inimical to Liverpool's followers to see their heroes win games by calculation alone.

because hodgson's teams are renowned for being attacking and flowing...

 

[mark1975]

[quote author=spider-neil link=topic=40805.msg1129100#msg1129100 date=1277969098]

Anfield's regulars were suffering but were too loyal to complain. They filed out through the Shankly Gates bored. It was inimical to Liverpool's followers to see their heroes win games by calculation alone.

because hodgson's teams are renowned for being attacking and flowing...
[/quote]

His teams stick to the basics, built on a solid defense and attacking in numbers, I know you want us to be Brazil, but we can't just throw away everything by going the other way and being too attacking and leaving gaping holes, to satisfy the football purists. We need to win. His teams are set up well, if people want to use Fulham as a comparison, I think they need to remember that the main target with Fulham was to avoid relegation.

 

[Rafiagra]

[quote author=mark1975 link=topic=40805.msg1129102#msg1129102 date=1277969282]
[quote author=spider-neil link=topic=40805.msg1129100#msg1129100 date=1277969098]

Anfield's regulars were suffering but were too loyal to complain. They filed out through the Shankly Gates bored. It was inimical to Liverpool's followers to see their heroes win games by calculation alone.

because hodgson's teams are renowned for being attacking and flowing...
[/quote]

His teams stick to the basics, built on a solid defense and attacking in numbers, I know you want us to be Brazil, but we can't just throw away everything by going the other way and being too attacking and leaving gaping holes, to satisfy the football purists. We need to win. His teams are set up well, if people want to use Fulham as a comparison, I think they need to remember that the main target with Fulham was to avoid relegation.
[/quote]

Whilst not forgetting they managed to comprehensively outplay us and Man U last season in matches

 

[Jürgen4PM]

[quote author=Vlads Quiff link=topic=40805.msg1129099#msg1129099 date=1277969066]
My thoughts entirely.
The closer this appointment gets the more confident I feel in it's wisdom


regards
[/quote]

I must admit I feel a lot more comfortable with this appointment than i thought i would.

 

[Squiggles]

It makes sense because he's always been the realistic candidate who ticks most of the boxes.

That said, this journalist is every anti-Benitez, and labelling our squad as "bloated" is pretty laughable, so watch what he says.

 

[KopKing]

Great spin, it almost has me convinced.

 

[Judge Jules]

There's another article on the same page saying much the same thing. The Grauniad's well and truly made its mind up.

I just hope they're right.

 

[localny]

Tempting as it is to fall for a nice article, he needs a few wins from the start and we'll all be beaming.

Until then, he deserves a fresh start, and our silence if not our backing. there's no time for a learning curve here

*Crosses fingers*

 

[bobtkelpie]

[quote author=localny link=topic=40805.msg1129268#msg1129268 date=1277988397]
Tempting as it is to fall for a nice article, he needs a few wins from the start and we'll all be beaming.

Until then, he deserves a fresh start, and our silence if not our backing. there's no time for a learning curve here

*Crosses fingers*
[/quote]

This is my thought exactly... I'm underwhelmed at the appointment, but if he starts off on a winning streak, I'll warm to the idea...

 

[mark1975]

Well to be fair, we've got as tough a start as you could probably get!

 

[FoxForceFive]

So if he doesn't beat both arsenal & Citeh he doesn't get our support?

Get to fuck. He gets the same support any manager would get, if we start slow we shout our support for the team louder, that's all.

I swear some people have no fucking clue what the Liverpool way means anymore.

 

[mark1975]

[quote author=FoxForceFive link=topic=40805.msg1129372#msg1129372 date=1277995686]
So if he doesn't beat both arsenal & Citeh he doesn't get our support?

Get to fuck. He gets the same support any manager would get, if we start slow we shout our support for the team louder, that's all.

I swear some people have no fucking clue what the Liverpool way means anymore.
[/quote]

Exactly.

Like I said, it's a tough start and one where you can imagine (some of) the forum will be ready to rip into him from the off.

 

[RolandG]

Very good article. I like what they're saying. I hope that we play the kind of football that's long overdue. Attacking football has been absent from the club for too long.

Let's give the opposition something to think about!

 

[Rosco]

[quote author=FoxForceFive link=topic=40805.msg1129372#msg1129372 date=1277995686]
So if he doesn't beat both arsenal & Citeh he doesn't get our support?

Get to fuck. He gets the same support any manager would get, if we start slow we shout our support for the team louder, that's all.

I swear some people have no fucking clue what the Liverpool way means anymore.
[/quote]

While I generally agree, if I see Fernando Torres in our box to defend corners then Roy can fuck off.

 

[RolandG]

I want to see just how good Roy is in wheeling and dealing? Our squad needs some work!

 

[Judge Jules]

[quote author=mark1975 link=topic=40805.msg1129374#msg1129374 date=1277995805]
[quote author=FoxForceFive link=topic=40805.msg1129372#msg1129372 date=1277995686]
So if he doesn't beat both arsenal & Citeh he doesn't get our support?

Get to fuck. He gets the same support any manager would get, if we start slow we shout our support for the team louder, that's all.

I swear some people have no fucking clue what the Liverpool way means anymore.
[/quote]

Exactly.

Like I said, it's a tough start and one where you can imagine (some of) the forum will be ready to rip into him from the off.
[/quote]

Doing so from the off would be ridiculous and will deservedly discredit those who indulge in it.

That said, part of the Liverpool Way is winning, and even in a bad season for us last time out we managed to finish seventh, so I think we're entitled to expect Roy to provide evidence in pretty short order that he CAN bring us back to winning ways.

 

[RolandG]

I expect Roy to do well with us simply because we have better players. If he could perform miracles with Fulham, imagine what he could do with us after bringing in a few players to strengthen the team.

 

[Fallon]

[quote author=FoxForceFive link=topic=40805.msg1129372#msg1129372 date=1277995686]
So if he doesn't beat both arsenal & Citeh he doesn't get our support?

Get to fuck. He gets the same support any manager would get, if we start slow we shout our support for the team louder, that's all.

I swear some people have no fucking clue what the Liverpool way means anymore.
[/quote]

Fuckin A!

 

[localny]

[quote author=FoxForceFive link=topic=40805.msg1129372#msg1129372 date=1277995686]
So if he doesn't beat both arsenal & Citeh he doesn't get our support?

Get to fuck. He gets the same support any manager would get, if we start slow we shout our support for the team louder, that's all.

I swear some people have no fucking clue what the Liverpool way means anymore.
[/quote]

Nah, that's not what we said. You know what it is meant - please stop posting like you're the only beating heart of Liverpool here. Everyone has there own way. The Liverpool way isn't holding on to a fella who is out of his depth.

What was meant was a few wins from the start - maybe one or two against good teams, as well as beating the lower clubs and we'll start to believe. is that clear enough for ya boss?

 

[jexykrodic]

[quote author=Judge Jules link=topic=40805.msg1129533#msg1129533 date=1278008670]
[quote author=mark1975 link=topic=40805.msg1129374#msg1129374 date=1277995805]
[quote author=FoxForceFive link=topic=40805.msg1129372#msg1129372 date=1277995686]
So if he doesn't beat both arsenal & Citeh he doesn't get our support?

Get to fuck. He gets the same support any manager would get, if we start slow we shout our support for the team louder, that's all.

I swear some people have no fucking clue what the Liverpool way means anymore.
[/quote]

Exactly.

Like I said, it's a tough start and one where you can imagine (some of) the forum will be ready to rip into him from the off.
[/quote]

Doing so from the off would be ridiculous and will deservedly discredit those who indulge in it.

That said, part of the Liverpool Way is winning, and even in a bad season for us last time out we managed to finish seventh, so I think we're entitled to expect Roy to provide evidence in pretty short order that he CAN bring us back to winning ways.
[/quote]

Absolutely, I don't think it's expecting too much to see us win our home games at the very least and improve our League position if our players stay fit.

Unfortunately patience is not something I think Hodgson will get and that's a shame. It's the way things are now, two or three bad results and all the doubts will resurface.

 

[localny]

[quote author=jexykrodic link=topic=40805.msg1129547#msg1129547 date=1278010794]

It's the way things are now, two or three bad results and all the doubts will resurface.
[/quote]

That's part and parcel of being a modern manager. The pressure is high, the results have to be good, and that's not a bad thing.

 

[Judge Jules]

Re: Kop needed a sage to restore spirit – now they have one in Roy Hodgson

One Red in the media has already started with the doom-mongering. Tony Barrett of "The Times" was just on TalkSport giving an extremely downbeat assessment of the situation. He reckons his sources have told him all the big players are looking to get out from under, that Roy will take the blame for their departure, and that we're basically stuffed unless and until the current owners sell up.

 

[SummerOnions]

[quote author=FoxForceFive link=topic=40805.msg1129372#msg1129372 date=1277995686]
So if he doesn't beat both arsenal & Citeh he doesn't get our support?

Get to fuck. He gets the same support any manager would get, if we start slow we shout our support for the team louder, that's all.

I swear some people have no fucking clue what the Liverpool way means anymore.
[/quote]

I think a lot of people, me included, have wondered just how a great an idea it is to be so vocal on certain matters on the club, lest we end up associated as part of the SoS. it's difficult to criticise normal fans on the Liverpool way when we have cunts like over on RAWK who paint themselves as the true fan who may support the exact same way as you or i do for the team, but start burning american flags. Where do you draw the line?

 

[robinhood]

Hodgson has my support, it's Broughton I don't really trust, but hopefully that's just paranoia.

If the best players stay, he makes a couple of shrewd signings and he gets them playing football they can enjoy, then we're on to a winner

 

[KopPoNok]

He'll have the fans' blessing and support, but the title is a bit over the top. Roy Hodgson, sage?

 

[Dirkus_Circus]

[quote author=FoxForceFive link=topic=40805.msg1129372#msg1129372 date=1277995686]
So if he doesn't beat both arsenal & Citeh he doesn't get our support?

Get to fuck. He gets the same support any manager would get, if we start slow we shout our support for the team louder, that's all.

I swear some people have no fucking clue what the Liverpool way means anymore.
[/quote]

Agreed.

Roy has my 100% support not only because I think he is a very good manager and a top bloke but because he is now the manager of my beloved Liverpool FC and therefore gets my full backing.

C'mon you Reds!

 

[keniget]

So, I'm the only one that thought that was a shit article?

Purging the "obscure shadow men brought in by Benitez"?

I mean, come on!