In the summer of 2010, Martin Broughton, Christian Purslow and the Liverpool board made the decision to sack Rafael Benitez and replace him with Roy Hodgson.
Martin Broughton was asked what impressed him most about Roy Hodgson during interview. He replied:
“He wanted to focus on how he could get more out of the existing players. His focus wasn’t on ‘how much money can I have?’ or ‘I want to bring this person or that person in’. He was really focused on ‘I believe I’ve got a track record that demonstrates it, that I can take the existing players, get much better performances out of them and buy constructively to build for a better future”.
Here follows a few snippets from Hodgson since his appointment:
9th September 2010:
“We were unbelievably over-staffed when I came to the club and, if the truth be known, we are still over-staffed. It was just as big a job making sure some players who never feature for the first team move on and that we limit our squad to players who are either in the frame to play first team football, or who have a bright future who are still anxious to play academy and reserve team football”.
26th November 2010 (after beating West Ham):
“We don’t need to do too much in the January transfer window. I have a very clear picture now of what we should and need to be doing and the squad is stronger and getting stronger. It was probably stronger than I realised at certain stages in the early part of the season when we were losing games. Hopefully that will mean we won’t need to do too much in the January transfer window”.
14th December 2010 (after defeat to Newcastle):
“Unless there is a major influx of cash into the club, and the team is going to be changed from one moment to the next, then whoever takes my place will be doing a similar job with similar players. I can’t do more than I am doing. I can’t work any harder and I can’t work any better”.
So in short, he claimed at interview that he could achieve better results than the previous manager with the existing players. We’re currently sat 9th in the league, level on points with Blackpool who have a game in hand, have a negative goal difference at the end of December and have produced some of the worst performances in living memory.
After the defeat to Newcastle (see quote above), he claims he can’t do any better and nobody could without massive investment. You seem to have changed your tune Roy? You’re also admitting you’re not up to the job.
Transfers Before his departure, Rafael Benitez had sealed the transfers of Danny Wilson, Milan Jovanovic and Jonjo Shelvey in free transfers and cut price deals. Christian Purslow also secured the signing of Joe Cole before the appointment of Roy Hodgson was made. So who exactly has Hodgson signed to constructively build for a better future?
Raul Meireles to replace Aquilani who had been loaned out to Juventus.
Christian Poulson to replace Javier Mascherano (30 yrs old, 3 yr deal)
Brad Jones as back up for Pepe Reina
Paul Konchesky to replace the loaned out Emiliano Insua. (29 yrs old, 4 yr deal)
Fabio Aurelio re-signed after being released (offered 2yr contract, released as wouldn’t agree pay-as-you-play deal)
It can also be argued that Raul Meireles wasn’t his signing either, judging by the comments he made a few weeks after his arrival:
“He has had two training sessions, played on Thursday night and played again on Sunday, so it is very early for me to make very strong judgements about where his best position is. The work we do on the training field will show me how best to use him. He actually went out wide right late in the United game and did ok there also. All I can say is he has a lot of qualities and I’m sure we’ll get a lot of use out of him”.
Does that sound like a manager that signed the player, or a manager that inherited a player? I find it hard to believe he wouldn’t know the best position of a player he’d signed himself.
So that leaves Brad Jones, Christian Poulson and Paul Konchesky as the players Roy Hodgson has brought to the club at a cost of just short of £15m. That record hardly inspires confidence in letting him spend any more money in January does it?
“Judge me after 10 games” 10th September (after taking 4 points from the first 3 games):
“I think tables are of no interest until at least 10 games have been played. I don’t think you worry about that after 3 games. After 10 games I will start worrying about the table, but until then, I’ll worry more about the performances and results”.
After 10 games the situation was:
12. Liverpool P10, GD -4, Pts 12 We’d also witnessed some of the worst performances in living memory, with not a slight glimpse of promise to latch onto. The 10 games had passed and things looked worse than they did when he spoke on the 10th December. Then in true Hodgson style, he moved the goalposts once again:
15th November (after defeat to Stoke):
“I don’t expect this result to dent confidence any more than any bad result does, or any end to a good run dents your confidence. We are talking about two or three games a season. I find it hard to have to explain that every time you win a game things are flying forward, and when you get a bad result they are flying backwards.
“I’m a 38-55 game a season man and I make my judgement over that period. I don’t get euphoric when we play well against Chelsea and I certainly won’t become anything other than realistic and determined to move onto the next step when we lose a game”.
Will we be asked to judge him over 3 years if we’re still sitting mid-table at best when this 38-55 game period elapses?
Add your own as and when the useless, lying, fraudulent twat comes out with them.
FOR!