Why Hodgson has to go

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The game against Utrecht was another exciting, edge-of-your-seat, performance! Of course I’m being sarcastic.

It was a dull game and I blame Roy Hodgson.

I know! I know! I know! It’s not the norm for Liverpool supporters to turn on one of our own, especially so early on. But these aren’t normal times. What are we supposed to do? Wait until we finish outside the top four, or even fail to qualify for Europe altogether? Until Hodgson has wasted a load of money in the January transfer window? Until more top players like Torres and Reina leave?

We need to make the change. And we need to do it now before matters get worse.

I take no joy from saying this. Indeed I would be happy if Hodgson were to succeed. But I don’t believe he will so I have to take the rose-tinted glasses off and follow my head rather than my heart. I don’t doubt that Roy Hodgson is a nice guy. And I imagine he has some good ideas on the coaching ground. However he is lacking one vital thing.

Charisma.

That might not be the first attribute that springs to mind when you’re assessing the strengths of top managers but they all have it in their own way. Could you imagine Shankly messing about with his handkerchief on the touchline like Roy was doing during the game against Newcastle? Or holding his head in his hands during the Utrecht match? It was a match where the result was irrelevant. We had already qualified and the shackles should have been taken off. The team should have been given the green light to play freely. And Pacheco should have been given the full ninety minutes to try and impress. He’s a genuine talent who will only improve if he’s played regularly like Fowler, Owen and Gerrard were in their early years.

So Hodgson has to go. Who replaces him?

Well of course there’s Kenny. He knows Liverpool inside out. He would inspire the players. And he has a genuine rapport with the fans so there would be calm, even if it took a while for things to improve.

There’s also Mourinho. Undoubtedly one of the best managers in the world, he has charisma in abundance. If he couldn’t bring inspiration and positivity nobody could. But he would only be available at the end of the season if Real Madrid failed to win La Liga or the Champion’s League.

I’m going to throw in a name that few people have thought of. What about Joachim Loew? He’s had Germany playing great attacking football; they were sensational against England and Argentina in the World Cup and he introduced some young German players to the squad so he fits in with the vision the new owners have at Liverpool. He also comes across as a confident manager who has clear ideas and isn’t afraid to get them across to players when he’s standing on the touchline. And unlike Hodgson I doubt Joachim Loew would give boring interviews where he states the obvious.

Hodgson has tried his best. It’s appreciated and he’ll never walk alone. But it is time he walked away from Anfield.

55 Comments

  1. Andre Villas-Boas or Jurgen Klopp would be my ideal suggestions. Both play flowing attacking football, and are young enough to put a stamp on this team for a long time.

  2. Last nite was a missed opportunity as thousands of kids walked into Anfield thinking they were going to see their heroes. I agree with the article. Roy is a good man, no doubt about that… but LFC should be putting these teams away for fun. I like your thinking about Loew – However my opinion Owen Coyle should be considered along with Klinsmann. Particularly the latter because he started the Germany revolution. There is a good interview that BBC did with him this year, its worth a watch.

  3. Yawn. Not even a mention of the poorly performing expereinced players who should also shoulder the blame for the dull display – Babel, Cole, Jova were all shocking.

    I’m not defending Hodgson because he did things wrong yesterday. Playing Cole on the left for most of the game was an error – he became more effective when supporting babel late in the second. 4-4-2 was probably not the best set-up for the team that started – we were weak in the middle and didn’t have much quality possession.

    But more and more there is a certain perspective that is missing from these inane rants that ‘writers’ of Empire of The Kop keep churning out – at least you added some comedy by mentioning the possibility of Mourinho joining the management team – great gag!

  4. if he is to leave,we should sack him at the end of the season.i hope the new owners give him a chance this season and if we finish well keep him,if we finish bad sack him..first of all give him some transfer money for january and buy us 2 players and if he proves bad,sack him.he also needs to realise that this is liverpool football club and players like konchesky and poulsen are good for fulham..no disrespect to fulham who i rate as a team.but liverpool fc should have winners not average players.i expect joe cole to rise and shine actually as the most games he’s played were with our reserves.i want to see a left back and a partner for torres in january.Reina-Johnson-Carragher-Agger-Coentrao-J.Cole-Gerrard-Meireles-Maxi-Suarez-Torres.Bench:Jones,Skrtel,Kyrgiakos,Aurelio,Lucas,Kuyt,Jovanovic,Babel,Ngog.

  5. Yes Peter, good man but not good enough for LFC. It is as simple as that.
    Does he like the city or the club? Rafa, Houllier were managers from outside the club but understood the passion and intelligence of those brought up on the teams of Paisley and Shankly. These were not journey men but obsessives of football and could not be knocked

  6. I would like to see Martin O’Neil in charge. I really think he did a good job at Villa, also bringing up some good talents. He knows the EPL and is on a free.

  7. A letter or petition needs to be sent to the owners. We never wanted Roy in the first place but made do whilst dumb and dumber where in charge. Now we need to look to the future if we finish outside the top four which world class talent will come here, who will want to come and play for hodgeson anyway excep the likes of Carlton Cole and Bobby Zamora. Hodgeson OUT NOW!!!

  8. As Roy appears to be staying, perhaps King Kenny could be appointed director of tactics and LFC philosophy (philosophy also includes the study of body language – lol)?

  9. I won’t be into analyze same things again. But one thing is sure, that the club needs a manager with a strong personality
    mostly and Roy doesn’t have that.So the sooner there will be
    a change the better for the club.No more waste time, DO IT
    before winter transfer window opens!

  10. @ Antoine Zammit

    Thank you for your offer and I understand that the writers are from all over the world and will have differing views – that’s what makes football so interesting – one person will see things one way, another individual will perceive the total opposite.

    It’s just disappointing that there aren’t more balanced views on EOTK – in recent weeks it seems the focus is more and more on ‘let’s get Roy sacked/get Roy out of our club’ angle and even the ridicule of ‘face-rubbing’ videos were disappointing to see.

    Like I said, there are things that Roy did wrong last night – but he also did some things right – giving players like Wilson, Ecclestone and Jones a chance to play at Anfield on a European night are things to be applauded – but these are overlooked. Some fans are even angry that he ‘promised’ to play Torres and then changed his mind – I wonder what those same fans would have said if he had played and got injured in a ‘meaningless’ tie?

    1. WhatHappenedToTorres, the fact that there isn’t a balanced view is that around 80% (various polls) of Liverpool supporters want Roy out and you can’t have a balanced approach when they situation is that unfortunately majority wins. The writers are fans too and they reflect this percentage as well.

      The video of Roy doing the face rub wasn’t disrespectful at all, it was not a mockup or something it was Roy being Roy, if it was a doctored video I would say yes but it wasn’t. If he is going to make funny gestures in front of millions then showing a clip on this site is not disrespectful at all.

      In the past I have shown clips of Rafa making funny gestures, it never meant I disrespected Rafa. I have the utmost respect for Rafa.

  11. Sack Him! Sack Him! Sack him! Sack Him!
    Sack him after an irrilevant game in which He rightly decided to give a run of experience to our young guns and save Torres form before December, behind the suggests of the physios.
    Sack him! Sack Him! Sack Him!
    Are You able to talk about football, or your only aim is to write sack Roy !! Sack Roy!! Sack Roy!! ?
    Is it possible to talk about football, formations, tactics, decisions of the manager, or any conversation must be against the Man?
    The priority is to talk aout football or sacking the man in charge after four months of a three years deal?
    From this poins; I won’t never follow conversations which starts slating Roy’s Hodgson person or with stupid & useless phrases like “Please Hodgson leave”, or “Why Hodgson has to go”.
    And I can’t understand Why The manager should be happy to work for Liverpool and build for the future ih He doesn’t receive a bit of faith, support and respect, also in the critics.
    You won’t be happy until Liverpool will not become Newcastle.

  12. Bring back Kenny! Managing is about more than just picking the 1st 11 & setting them up for the game. He does NOTHING DURING a game to change things around that are’nt working, whether that be the players or the tactics.

    He has ZERO charisma, and someone like Kenny would make the team better just by his charisma on the sidelines, much less the dressing room or Melwood.

  13. Antoine, Peter

    You are both like the blind leading the blind!! So we sack ROY get a new manager and he doesnt do well next season? are yolu going to start your bitching againts him or are you going to afford him the time to get things right?

    Get a life and stop your school boy blogging because your out of order and are not true LFC fans.

    ROY is picking up the pieces of Rafas reign, so give the guy a break will you? be thankfull H&G have gone

    1. Max I have been supporting Liverpool for 30 years I have never lost my patience (not even with Souness) however I am starting to lose it with Roy.

      I am not one who wants managers out, unfortunately Roy should have never been made gaffer in the first place.

  14. i think there is a point we are all missing here. Hodgson claims he left Nando out on medical advice are we to summarise that Torres is not actually 100% fit from that statement. Had he been fit he should have played. So does Roy really know whats going on around him…….judging by his latest media clanger the answer is no!

  15. It is wiser to surrender when your weak and re-energise in order to take on the next challenge than continue to fight for honours sake – this quote rings very true for Roy Hodgson!

    I have no doubt that he will gain empoyment with an immediate suiter unfortunately as things stand that does not appear to be liverpool!! (if he leaves soon West Ham is very near Croydon!!) Please take the hint

  16. Online polls may (or may not) reflect the general consensus, but if 80% want Roy out, 20% want him to stay – so what about reflecting the opinions of that 20% – 1 in 5 of the articles posted should be in support of Roy or at least have some positives for him, but I don’t actually see that in reality.

    I’m not going to say that I want to see Roy stay at our club in the long-term if things don’t improve and I actually feel that there are better managers out there who may/should be considered at the end of the season, but at the moment, with the board appearing to back Hodgson, this discussion is purely academical. We were in decline last season and that has continued into this – why the huge surprise? There’s no quick fix that can solve all our problems – and thankfully our owners seem to recognise this, although many fans appear not to.

    I didn’t suggest the video of the ‘face-rub’ was a mock UP, but was posted to mock HIM in the wake of defeat – he was clearly frustrated with the performance and rubbed his face. Hilarious? I guess I’m just missing something.

    1. WHTOT: Articles reflect the opinions of the authors, I can’t get myself to write something positive about Roy because I can’t lie to myself. If I had an author who was willing to do so I would not stop him or her from doing so.

      I would have posted the video even if we won so it was no way mocking him in the wake of the defeat.
      Please stop quoting Kanwar (Unless you are Kanwar), he was the one who first came up with the whole disrespect for Roy.

  17. I’m not quoting Kanwar, am not Kanwar and I have no idea what or who Kanwar is, so the accusation of quoting him is laughable. Even though I have not quoted him, please refrain from teling me what to do or what to post – it is very condescending.

    He may have ‘first come up with the whole disrespect for Roy’ but others have probably recognised it as a growing trend on this site.

    I am more than happy to read articles of differing opinions and have found this article a particularly good read:

    http://www.koptalk.co.uk/201012163121/Liverpool-FC-News/duncan-oldham-henry-and-werner-are-ill-advised-and-clueless.html

    The points made there are more thought out, well reasoned and not just simple reactionary articles to poor performances. Something to think about.

  18. WhatHappenedToTorres, the answer to your nickname is found on paultomkins.com. Great article written yesterday descriping exactly what is wrong with Torres this year. It also descripes what is wrong with Liverpool being unable to score in general.

    I liked what you wrote about jovanovich being bad last night, but I would like to disagree. The one moment that Jovanovich was offered space on the pitch at the right spot he gave us his best chance. Usually I saw him to have to come back to collect which is where the problem with Roy tactics stand. Also he played the best passes to the byline on the field with swirling balls behind the defence and that was when joe cole and him moved to support ryan babel more in the middle allowing to spread play to kelly and aurelio.

    In terms of the balance views, I believe and I am happy that the same way we raised our concerns to the Hicks & Gilett regime, we continue to fight the war. I believe the war to bring LFC where it should be needs to continue in loud voice. One great fight was won in ousting H&G but as Antoine said the majority of fans see Hodgson as a person, who although nice, is unable to win our war.

    Over to you guys

  19. How awful was that match?! Boring, Boring, Boring.
    For the first time in 20+ years im concidering not watching the odd Liverpool match. What does this say about our team? I cant be the only one who used to watch matches anywhere he could and now doesnt mind if he misses a half?
    Please please get rid of Roy, at least when we were awful under Rafa it was still watchable, there was still spirit. Torres looks dead inside, Joe cole looks like he hasnt played footy in years and dont get me started on babel.

    Zzzzzzz

  20. I’ve since learned that the author of the article I linked to is a rather unsavoury reputation and certain facts in it may be incorrect – I’ve really shot myself in the foot there. Apologies for linking to it – but I stand by the fact that I am happy to read/discuss opinions different to mine.

  21. Joachim would finish the Puzzle, he would know he is in a foreign country in a club full of ambitions and high expectations,that is why Roy did the best in Italy and Sweden, but in England he (Roy) is too poor for Liverpool. a team that needs to restore its lost glory. Kop want results not boring Roy.

  22. The issue for me is not whether Hodgson did well or badly last night, the issue is that he’s played relatively dull defensive football that spans his whole career, not just the short time he’s been at Liverpool. He had around £10m to spend in the summer and bought Konchesky and Poulsen, the latter is probably the worst player I’ve seen in a Liverpool shirt since the Souness era.

    Is there anyone in their right mind that can honestly say Hodgson is a better manager than Ferguson, Ancelotti, Wenger or Mancini? We are not going to spend our way out of this situation so we need a strong forward thinking manager to give us an edge that we don’t have in the transfer market, Hodgson isn’t that man. For some fans saying sack him is a knee jerk reaction, others didn’t want him in the first place and still want him fired, whichever school of thought you adhere to with regard to wanting him out doesn’t necessarily make it wrong.

    We will win nothing of note under Hodgson and that is the bottom line, if as fans you’re happy with mediocrity, then by all means support him to the hilt, but in my honest opinion, mediocrity is the best we can hope for under Hodgson.

  23. It’s rather reminiscent of RB last campaign.
    I feel stuck in the middle of both sides. The upshot is that most of you lot probably arent either doctors, nurses or physio’s so if he was advised to leave torres out then you should all respect their professional opinions. Vast amounts of the crowd were lost last season when we were dreadful too. Last night I’m going to be honest- I’ve only gone to the home PL games this year so I watched it on TV and fell asleep the second half because it was awful but I defend his decision to play the youngsters last night. Torres hasnt deserved to be starting games recently, as much as I’m a fan of his.
    I also think that we need to stay grounded re- choices for a potential replacement. We could get Mourinho if we download him off a football manager pc game. O’Neill- what’s he done?
    Kenny- would he be crucified too if thinks went sour?
    Most of this is down to the players, not all but most of it. I wont bat an eyelid if he goes but I think there’s a much bigger picture here than what a lot of you see. WE lost Alonso, Mascherano, Crouch, Hypia and havent been able to replace them so far. Cole has been hugely disappointing but will come good. Other than that I feel that the answers reast in shrewd transfer dealings. The LFC coaching [post is a poisoned chalice at the moment and not many managers would want to take it on.
    My choice would be Aldridge if I had to choose anyone.

  24. Antoine Zammit: Yeah, someone just sent me back some more info on the author – it’s pretty shocking actually. My mistake and apologies

  25. – When will finally the new owners realize that with the current manager (Roy Hodgson) this team cannot progress nomatter if new players will come in or not?
    – When will finally the new owners realize that this manager is not a high caliber manager; the manager who can guide this historic club back to where it deserves to be?
    – When will finally the new owners realize that there are different levels of managers and that Roy Hodgson is not up to that high level?
    – When will finally the new owners the voice of agony and concern of LFC fans all over then world?

  26. Keeping Roy in charge will save the owners $100s of millions in investment into the business. We make profit now, the owners will be happy with that for the time being.

    We are done as a great club, Rafa and Roy have put the last nails into the coffin. We don’t need a new ground, or need to upgrade Anfield, we’ll be lucky to get 35k for all but the big games next season.

    Our players are playing the most boring style of football in living memory, even worse than Souness’s time with 13 first teamers out. Anfield is appropriately like a funeral wake most of the time, no noise, no atmosphere.

    RIP Liverpool FC.

  27. WhatHappenedToTorres is not Jaimie, Jaimie is nothing like him…He won’t hid behind some names…

    Anyway was it only me and Jaimie that watch the game last night??? It was so EXCITING!!! Now I know why the owners gave out FREE TICKETS…ROY tactics were SPOT ON again, but as usual it was the PLAYERS that got to be BLAMED, the whole reserve team should be sold together with the 1st TEAM players.

    HOWEVER I WISH TO POINT OUT THAT POULSEN was GREAT last night! His passing is very very ACCURATE and PRECISE…I hope ROY can play POULSEN more in the PREMIER LEAGUE, so far ROY only played POULSEN TWICE in the LEAGUE, I wonder WHY would he want to put a GREAT PLAYER like POULSEN in the reserve team or the bench, he should START POULSEN when playing against FULHAM…

    ROY was RIGHT, this is RAFA’s team and ROY should get rid of all the players RAFA bought, built a LIVERPOOL TEAM around POULSEN and KONCHESKY, owner should give him money to buy more POULSEN and KONCHESKY…

  28. Why are we so surprised about how badly this season is going? Some would say we are actually punching above our weight bearing in mind the off the pitch goings on.

    NOT ME!!!

    Roy Hodgson has been bleating on about our away record in the second half of last season and that this is not his squad (Konchesky? Poulsen?).

    Roy Hodgson’s EPL away record is Pld 105 (Blackburn, Fulham and Liverpool), Won 13!!!

    When digesting that shocking fact don’t forget that the Blackburn Rovers side with which he managed to win only 5 away games in the 97/98 season had WON the Premier League only a season earlier and that he didn’t win any away games with the same side the following season before he was sacked.

    He won last season’s LMA manager of the year award when managing Fulham, a side with which he won only 7 out of 47 away games over 2 and a half seasons. The award was no doubt owing to Fulham’s run in last season’s Europa league. Very commendable but this competition is the European equivalent of the milk cup! The fact that Liverpool’s reserve side (no disrespect) has qualified at the top of their group speaks volumes about the standard of football being played in that competition.

    I think it is fair to say that Roy is one of the more gentlemanly EPL managers who has proved to be success in the lesser leagues he has been involved with and indeed an adequate manager with a lesser EPL side. However his record with Blackburn (who had recently won the EPL) and so far this season with Liverpool should be sufficient to show he is simply out of his depth in the rarefied atmosphere of the upper echelons of the EPL and for that matter European football.

    Roy, please, for the sake of this great club and for your own reputation walk away before you do any further or lasting damage.

  29. I’ve commented on this before. I don’t believe it’s a case of the fans wanting him out or to stay. The really big picture is WHAT IS THE BETTER OPTION FOR THE CLUB? As our last owners can showcase the fact that it is definitely better to nip it at the bud than at full bloom. Even as a simple fan of 40 odd years, I can tell that Roy does not possess the aptitude or attitude to bring Liverpool to the next level. Regardless of whether he’s picking up the pieces or building his own team, it’s just too clear for all that there is absolutely no plan conceived for improvement. Like I said before. The players are not performing maybe because the manager isn’t. I’ve always wanted Kenny as the first choice. And believe me when I say that he would never have been crucified if the results weren’t right. Why? Because he would make it a Liverpool team that we can be proud and not bored of. We know what a Liverpool team is. Most of us have witnessed the magic before. So for those that feel it just seems a ‘let’s get him out’ drive, sit back and try to think ahead and imagine where we will be at the end of the season with this management strategy and style. Players won’t sign just to a club but to play under an influential manager who can make them better players. Do you see any player coming over to join us and improving or being improved upon? If they do is more from learning and playing with Stevie G and Torres. Managers make players great or break them. He can’t buy top players not because we can’t spend but would you if you were a top young player want to play under Roy or Wenger or Guardiola? Where is this debate originating from. When you find the source you’ll realise why it’s 80%. I actually believe it’s more like 90%. If you’re a RED, you’ll love the team more than anything. Even more than saying that it’s not the Liverpool way.

  30. WhatHappenedToTorres You clearly ARE missing something. If you’re so concerned, why not go and find as many as 20% of Liverpool supporters who claim to support Roy and ask them to contribute? Even if that throw-away figure of 20% was right, then it would appear that a much lower percentage are willing to stand up and write in defence of him.

    I don’t represent or have any connection/association with any of the fan website/blogsite polls listed below (and I include only a selection – I could have gone on), but the FACTS are that the common denominator (rather than your anecdotal “Pareto Principle” – a.k.a. the 80/20 rule) shows the percentages are consistently over 90%.

    Sorry, Mrs. Hodgson – a.k.a. “WhatHappenedToTorres”.

    93.50% – http://www.anfieldroad.co.uk/liverpoolfc-manager-poll-17112010.html
    90.00% – http://anfieldred.co.uk/poll-should-roy-hodgson-be-sacked-now
    95.32% – http://forums.thisisanfield.com/showthread.php?24290-VOTE-Should-Roy-Hodgson-be-replaced-as-Liverpool-manager

  31. In the essence of full-disclosure, two of the web/blogsites with the poll figures I quoted requested that I vote before they showed the figures. I voted “Yes”. I am assured, however, that my vote did not affect the poll by a full 10%!!

    King Kenny back in ASAP, “to knock Taggart right off his f#¢&!^g perch; and you can print that.”

  32. Thanks for the supportive replies. (Most of you).

    The fact is, when I mentioned Mourinho and Kenny I was thinking who the fans might want, not who were realistic targets.

    I wasn’t moaning because Torres didn’t play in a so-called meaningless game due to a mysterious lack of fitness. And I wasn’t reacting to a bad result. Not even several. (Think Blackpool at home, Newcastle away and Utrecht at home to name a few).

    I was reacting to the vibe that Hodgson is giving out with his tactics, body language and interviews. I don’t think the fans respect him. Like him yeah but respect him… no way. And I think the players are the same. If anyone is in any doubt about whether Hodgson can inspire our players or not just remember this. When Gerrard was injured playing in a meaningless friendly for England, despite there being an agreement that he would be subbed earlier in the match, Hodgson finally showed some courage and spoke out. Gerrard’s response? “Stop banging on boss.” Could anyone defending Roy Hodgson imagine Peter Thompson saying that to Shankly and getting away with it? Or Scholes saying it to Ferguson and getting away with it? How about Alonso saying it to Mourinho and getting away with it? Christ Charlie Adams wouldn’t even get away with saying it to Ian Holloway. I’M DEFINITELY NOT HAVING A GO AT GERRARD. He has been a loyal servant to the club and in my opinion pips Kenny as our greatest ever player because he has played in a weaker team and lead us to victory consistently. What I am doing is using his quote as an example of the CHARISMA and CONTROL that Hodson has over our players.

  33. We can definitely talk about the manager and its change. But lets face it,we do not see that happening sometime soon. We are left with the option to improve the squad ,inevitably, in january. I say bring in at least 4 quality players not a gamble. Bring in someone as confident to score in front of the KOP like Suarez who has an excellent track record. He would be a hit. Also, we need someone to play wide on both flanks. We need a player like that, specially on the left. Defense, once again has to be improved. A Power of Tower is needed back there. DO Anything and everything to bring them in ….

  34. Why is everyone so arrogant as to think that Hodgson is beneath Liverpool Football Club? Forget what the club USED to be 20 years ago and reflect on what it has become. A middle of the table manager is exactly the right man for a middle of the table club. FACT

  35. Mark, you’re clearly not a red, but every club aspires to be better, we have got worse under Hodgson. It’s not arrogance it’s desire

  36. See, I told you ROY should sell all RAFA’s players and build a team around POULSEN and KONCHESKY…EVEN KONCHESKY’S MOTHER THINKS SO…

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