Topic: The way Hodgson speaks of Liverpool in the press, a matter for concern?

[Trada]

 Liverpool FC manager Roy Hodgson won’t rise to Alex Ferguson baiting

Sep 20 2010 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post

ROY HODGSON refused to be drawn into a slanging match with Alex Ferguson after the Manchester United manager accused Fernando Torres of cheating.

And Hodgson has dismissed claims from Ferguson that yesterday's 3-2 defeat at Old Trafford was a “catastrophe” for Liverpool.

Ferguson was left fuming at Torres for the incident that gave Steven Gerrard the opportunity to score his second and level the match at 2-2 with 20 minutes remaining.

Torres was felled by John O'Shea as he began to chase down a throughball by Raul Meireles, with referee Howard Webb awarding the free-kick and giving O'Shea a yellow card.

However, as the last defender, O'Shea could easily have been dismissed and Ferguson said: “Definitely, Fernando Torres made a meal of it no doubt. He was trying to get the lad sent off.”

Hodgson responded: “I shouldn't get involved in that. Sir Alex is entitled to any opinion he wants to have.

“Should it have been a red? I have a very ambivalent attitude towards those type of things. I'm not a great lover of red cards for petty offences.

“My first thought is that it was a foul, but I didn't have the thought the player should be sent off. My staff thought so but I had a much calmer approach.”

Ferguson believes United should have secured a much greater margin of victory and that it would have been a “travesty” had Liverpool held on for a point.

“It was a game we absolutely dominated and I was saying to myself, ‘It could’ve been 10',” said the United manager. “So when it looked like ending 2-2, it would have been a travesty of a scoreline, but it was a great result at the end.

“It was always going to be a test. The build-up to these games is such that, if one doesn’t win, it’s a catastrophe. For Liverpool, this is a catastrophe.”

But Hodgson responded: “A cricket score? I think that's a bit harsh. I thought United played very well. But to undermine our performance that much is a little bit harsh, personally.

“And catastrophe is a bit strong. We've had a remarkably hard start to the season. Our performance today was a lot better than our last two Premier League games against West Brom and Birmingham.

“Playing a top team we can take a lot of credit for getting back to 2-2. We can take credit for our second-half performance, I thought the quality of our football was quite good.

“But we need to be more incisive when we get the ball in good areas in midfield.

“We got in some good positions in the first half and we needed to be calmer. I thought it was better in the second half, though.

“I suppose in terms of winning the title you could say it's a catastrophe. Our aim is still to get better and get back into the Champions League and that's the focus for me this season.”

Hodgson added: “We are certainly in a transitional period. I don't think that should be seen as a negative per se, they can be very good for a club. The task has been complicated because I haven't had a lot of time to get to know the players because of the World Cup and with the Europa League qualifiers the competitive football has come quickly.

“We've lost two league games to (Manchester) City and United away. At the moment, realistically, perhaps we need to say that's going to happen and we have to get better to make sure that doesn't happen again in the future.”

http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2010/09/20/liverpool-fc-manager-roy-hodgson-won-t-rise-to-alex-ferguson-baiting-92534-27301666/3/

[xerxes1]

The common denominator in those that criticise  Hodgson is an inability to grasp where we are as a club. We are not here because of Hodgson, he is here as a result of where we are.

Anyone who thinks that the way that Hodgon speaks of Liverpool in the press is a matter of concern needs to take a check on their priorities.

[The G in Gerrard]

It just seems to me he has a "defeatist" attitude or he's happy with a point in the way he comes across hopefully behind closed doors he's different than that.

[reds88]

Sorry but you are looking at this the wrong way round, Mr. Shankly and Matt Busby were the best of friends, of that there can be no doubt but Matt Busby was not an arsehole.

I am a little bit worried with the way Roy talks to the press.

At that time was the rivalry between the clubs are the same level which for some fans is pure hatred?

[Jack Slater]

It just seems to me he has a "defeatist" attitude or he's happy with a point in the way he comes across hopefully behind closed doors he's different than that.

This is what I was saying before.  Paisley had a deliberate policy of building up the opposition in public.  Whether we agree with Hodgson's approach or not, it has a long and respected history. 

If we're 5th from bottom in February, then let's be very worried then.  But so far we have the same number of points as we did from the corresponding fixtures last season.  So it's a bit simplistic  to claim that different press interviews by Roy would have seen us higher up the table by  now.

Get behind the team.  Get behind the manager.  End of.

[bordeauxred]

 I agree that whilst Roy is here he should make more of an effort to stand up for the club partic when Taggart is having a go at one of our players?! I dont care if Roy is a peace loving guy, I want someone with a bit of fire in thier belly to manage our club. Yep its early days and all that with the new regime but not liking this so far........

[red_til_i_die]

The team is playing worse under Hodgson than they did under Rafa in the league.

The mentality of the team and Hodgson at the moment is wander aimlessly through the first half and then play better in the second.

Every single game this season bar the Arsenal game has been exactly the same. We've been pretty crap in the first half defending deep and then playing on the counter. No plan B or imagination or even the desire to set the pace of the game and dominate possession like we have done for the last five years.

Then the second half we try and put some authority onto the game but were already trying to play catch up then because the opposition are already in their stride then and were fighting against a team that have been up for it since kick off, where as were only starting up in the second half.

Then after the games Hodgson is just coming out saying how we were better in the second half as if that's acceptable. Well guess what it isn't.

"To use words like catastrophe is a bit strong unless you are talking about winning the league.
"Our aim is to get better, to get to the Champions League, and maybe that is where I have got to have my focus."

Were five games in and Roy is saying were out of the title race? What the Fuck!!!!!
Sorry but for me that is quite simply not good enough from a liverpool manager. He's got no fight in him and if he is saying shit like that then the players know that they can lower their performances because hey ho it doesn't matter if we don't win the league.

Then when were in the bottom half/middle of the table after xmas and it's going to be a ridiculously hard battle to get into a champions league spot so the expectations of Roy will get lowered again.

I just don't have any confidence in him at all. When that third goal went in yesterday Rafa or pretty much any other manager would have been on the touchline screaming at the team to pull the finger out of there arse because the defence was absolutely awful yesterday. everytime i saw him he was sat in his fucking seat moaning or looking like a deer in the headlights not knowing what to do.

He is a nice guy and hard to dislike because it feels like slagging off your grandad or something but then i think that's what the board wanted.  A manager who is very likeable who people won't be critising and who they can start bringing out the stock quotes of "team in transition", "New manager", "team needs time to gel" etc, etc, etc.

Yes you can say he's not been here very long but I just don't have any belief in him and the team doesn't seem the have any back bone at all, no fight and just seem to wander through a game not really knowing what to do.

I know it sounds like a monday knee jerk reaction but I've been feeling this more and more and the weeks have been going by.

This season
- The defence looks like they've forgotten how to defend because Berbatoss' third yesterday was just embarrassing defending. He shouldn't have had time to do his second and what the fuck Torres was doing marking their most inform forward on a corner i'll never know (I use the term marking very loosely)
- The midfield is sat in front of the defence and isn't protecting it and isn't producing anythign up front.
- The Attack, Torres is isolated every game and just given bad service all game and he needs someone to play up front with him to give him help because teams know how to isolate him at home. There's no coincidence that things started happening yesterday when Ngog came on because the united defence had to mark two strikers then giving Torres a 1 on 1 with O'Shea and Evans and both times we got the decision because they can't contain him when there's only one of them on him.

[nocturnalvin]

Roy was interviewed prior to the game, and clearly used the word "contain". Make of it what you will, but imho, thats pretty disappointing. Its one thing being realistic, but its another admitting it in public.

[Mad Men]

The common denominator in those that criticise  Hodgson is an inability to grasp where we are as a club. We are not here because of Hodgson, he is here as a result of where we are.

Anyone who thinks that the way that Hodgon speaks of Liverpool in the press is a matter of concern needs to take a check on their priorities.

There is an old saying. "Apa yang kau dambakan dalam dunia yang sungguh palsu. Terpikirkah olehmu.Untuk dapatkan cinta sejati."

[Mad Men]

Roy was interviewed prior to the game, and clearly used the word "contain". Make of it what you will, but imho, thats pretty disappointing. Its one thing being realistic, but its another admitting it in public.

Yeap. I said it several times in the commentary before the match and found it bizzare we were coming to contain instead of trying to win.

And contain we really did. Not.

[Liverbird 2010]

Hodgson would not be here if we had another owner, he was not brought here to win the league or CL he was brought here to steady the ship like Broughton said the problem is everyone is sea sick now as we enter these waters http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3ZoZ6kNG8Y&feature=player_embedded and Roys not the captain to guide us all to safety.

[Gnurglan]

This is what I was saying before.  Paisley had a deliberate policy of building up the opposition in public.  Whether we agree with Hodgson's approach or not, it has a long and respected history. 

If we're 5th from bottom in February, then let's be very worried then.  But so far we have the same number of points as we did from the corresponding fixtures last season.  So it's a bit simplistic  to claim that different press interviews by Roy would have seen us higher up the table by  now.

Get behind the team.  Get behind the manager.  End of.

One difference. When Paisley was in charge, we were the best team around. Paisley respected the opposition. Today, when we are not the best, it's as if we fear them.

[zero zero]

Hodgson responded: “I shouldn't get involved in that. Mr Ferguson is entitled to any opinion he wants to have.

A good thing too. You should either get stuck (but in the aftermath of defeat probably isn't the time), or leave well alone. Roy is 100% right, it's only an opinion and just because it came from Sir Alex doesn't make his statement right.

Besides, Sir Alex only brought up Torres so no one would ask why he didn't play Rooney

[Mad Men]

A good thing too. You should either get stuck (but in the aftermath of defeat probably isn't the time), or leave well alone. Roy is 100% right, it's only an opinion and just because it came from Mr Ferguson doesn't make his statement right.

Besides, Mr Ferguson only brought up Torres so no one would ask why he didn't play Rooney

Rooney played.

[Jack Slater]

Hodgson would not be here if we had another owner, he was not brought here to win the league or CL he was brought here to steady the ship like Broughton said the problem is everyone is sea sick now as we enter these waters http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3ZoZ6kNG8Y&feature=player_embedded and Roys not the captain to guide us all to safety.

Assuming that's all true, it's still no reason not to back him.

Regardless of why he was appointed, the fact remains that he is the manager of Liverpool Football Club.  The owners are our enemies.  The players and managers are not.

Do we want the current players to believe in him?  Do we want him to be able to attract new players?

If not, then let's continue picking on him in the same way the tabloids undermined Rafa.  Every time Roy opens his mouth, let's see if we can find an angle to slag him off.  It shouldnt be difficult.  If he seems confident, let's call him deluded or arrogant.  If he stresses the difficulty of the task, then lets call him defeatist, or an excuse-maker.

In short, let's become Newcastle fans.

[Jack Slater]

Rooney played.

Think you've been whooshed there, mate.

[Mad Men]

Assuming that's all true, it's still no reason not to back him.

Regardless of why he was appointed, the fact remains that he is the manager of Liverpool Football Club.  The owners are our enemies.  The players and managers are not.

Do we want the current players to believe in him?  Do we want him to be able to attract new players?

If not, then let's continue picking on him in the same way the tabloids undermined Rafa.  Every time Roy opens his mouth, let's see if we can find an angle to slag him off.  It shouldnt be difficult.  If he seems confident, let's call him deluded or arrogant.  If he stresses the difficulty of the task, then lets call him defeatist, or an excuse-maker.

In short, let's become Newcastle fans.

Oh, I don't think there is a need to start making comparisons with the geordies. I know a fair number of geordies and they are a decent lot. They love their club and footie as much as we do.

The problem lies in the fact we are dishing out shite performances and the manager doesn't appear to have a clue.

We became a mid-table club the day we sold Crouch, didn't replace him with a quality of the same caliber, sold Alonso and bought a player who was crocked for the longest time and didn't help the team the way we expected him to and sacked the manager who won us the CL, almost won us the league, got us to a second final and won us an FA Cup.

I, of course, could very well be in the minority with that opinion. Just call me ack-ack Murphy.

[Liverbird 2010]

In short, let's become Newcastle fans.

We became Newcastle when we are sacked our European Cup winning manager for a manager that hasnt won anything of note at 63 years of age.

[Mad Men]

Think you've been whooshed there, mate.

I know!

[Jack Slater]

One difference. When Paisley was in charge, we were the best team around. Paisley respected the opposition. Today, when we are not the best, it's as if we fear them.

My point is just that building up the oppo in public does not mean that the manager is defeatist.

So rather than use our own manager's interviews against him  (something which the media will be happy to do), let's give him our bacing, and help him get the best performances out of the players.

[zero zero]

Rooney played.

Did he? I didn't notice. ***WINK***

[Mad Men]

My point is just that building up the oppo in public does not mean that the manager is defeatist.

So rather than use our own manager's interviews against him  (something which the media will be happy to do), let's give him our bacing, and help him get the best performances out of the players.

The world out there is a strange, strange place. As you will no doubt discover, things don't work out like that in this world...laaa...

[Mad Men]

Did he? I didn't notice. ***WINK***

Wink! Wink! )

[hide5seek]

He's an average manger brought into not rock the boat, fair enough under present we're going down pan circumstances. But he should have more bottle about himself.

[Kopite7]

I miss Rafa 

[silver 5 star]

We became Newcastle when we are sacked our European Cup winning manager for a manager that hasnt won anything of note at 63 years of age.

Spot. On.

[Kopite7]

We became Newcastle when we are sacked our European Cup winning manager for a manager that hasnt won anything of note at 63 years of age.

fuck thats a good one.

[El Genio]

Roy isnt the problem, he is just a symptom.

Given what the real problem is, people should have better things to do with their time than pick over every word he says. In any case, its not as if what he says to the media necessarily mirrors what he says in the dressing room.

[rafabenihill]

He's an average manger brought into not rock the boat, fair enough under present we're going down pan circumstances. But he should have more bottle about himself.

MON has been linked with us again.
we should appreciate RH as much as we can

[xerxes1]

He's an average manger brought into not rock the boat, fair enough under present we're going down pan circumstances. But he should have more bottle about himself.

Roy inherited a disillusioned, demoralised team that could not even muster a goal against a doomed hapless Hull side in the last game of last season.He has had  to let go Masch and Yosser, and trade down. The absence of any candidate clearly superior to Roy when Rafa left tells its own story.

[Liverbird 2010]

He's a shithouse, brought in by shithouses.

The second part of your statement is true Roy is a lovely fella not a shithouse or c*nt or anything else hes been called on here, but Liverpool manager no he is not.

[sfeirinho!!]

In Roy's defense, the same thing happened during Rafa's first year, good in Europe, bad in the league and especially away from home.

[hide5seek]

Roy inherited a disillusioned, demoralised team that could not even muster a goal against a doomed hapless Hull side in the last game of last season.He has had  to let go Masch and Yosser, and trade down. The absence of any candidate clearly superior to Roy when Rafa left tells its own story.

Pelligrino? And Rafa disn't leave he was sacked and shouldn't have been.

[Hazell]

Roy inherited a disillusioned, demoralised team that could not even muster a goal against a doomed hapless Hull side in the last game of last season.He has had  to let go Masch and Yosser, and trade down. The absence of any candidate clearly superior to Roy when Rafa left tells its own story.

I know you have a tendency to protect Roy when there's no need, but I agree with you on this one (though I do think that looking at one game last season isn't the best way of looking at our situation last season and I understand that the likes of Pellegrini were interviewed for the role and I would have preferred him to Roy).

Our situation is such that there's no way to judge Rafa over the last few years fully because of the situation of the club and it's the same with Roy. We've had a positive net spend over the last couple of years, replacing players with inferior one because of that, an unstable board which undermined the last manager and is likely to undermine this should they stay in charge, fans and players not knowing what's happening and much more besides that. So what Roy says to the press is of little concern in relation to all of that and what he actually says to the players, his tactics and the performances of the team is minute.

[sfeirinho!!]

Pelligrino? And Rafa disn't leave he was sacked and shouldn't have been.

I don't think he was sacked, I think it's by mutual agreement that he left.

[Gnurglan]

My point is just that building up the oppo in public does not mean that the manager is defeatist.

So rather than use our own manager's interviews against him  (something which the media will be happy to do), let's give him our bacing, and help him get the best performances out of the players.

Understand, but I think we should start with ourselves instead. Built up our own confidence. It's not something I'm saying for the first time now. IMO it's been perhaps our biggest problem in recent years. We're all too prepared to surrender once we're a few points off the leaders. It went so far that even our captain stated that he didn't think we'd win the CL the year we did it. I'd say that our mentality is the one big difference between us and for instance the Mancs.

As always, it's not about us being silly, claiming we're the best in public at every given opportunity. I reckon the start is to show belief and avoid talking up the opposition. In public. Behind closed doors, I'm sure Roy tries to install belief in the players. No doubt in my mind.

[6BigCups]

Simply not the man who should be managing our club. To think we paid £6M odd plus Rafa to get him in boggles the mind and shows that he's here for a while.

Madness.

[Gnurglan]

Roy inherited a disillusioned, demoralised team that could not even muster a goal against a doomed hapless Hull side in the last game of last season.He has had  to let go Masch and Yosser, and trade down. The absence of any candidate clearly superior to Roy when Rafa left tells its own story.

Perhaps we didn't try very hard?

I'm convinced we could have signed more or less any manager we wanted. LFC is a massive job. It's the chance of a lifetime. We could have signed any manager from the French league and everyone but van Gaal from Bundesliga, pretty much anyone from Serie A (bar Mourinho) and La Liga (bar Guardiola). to be honest, I don't think we looked or tried very hard. This is not a go at Roy btw, it's a critisism aimed at our board.

[Kennys from heaven]

people are just looking for any excuse to have a go at him.
shankly and busby were best mates, shankly called busby the best manager that ever lived.
when the liverpool chairman tom williams first approached the then huddersfield manager bill shankly about him taking over at anfield he said to shankly `how would you like to manage the best club in the country?` to which shankly replied `is matt leaving united?`
imagine roy would have said that.

Some of what is being said on here about Roy is worse than the abuse that Souness (rightly) got. How the fuck can this be justified?!

Sky and the media in general have fucked this game over so much that it is a generally accepted and embraced that managers slating each other is an accepted and required part of the game. If you manage Liverpool, you must attack Ferguson. If you're the manager of Arsenal, you have to hate everyone, etc. And most of you accept it and believe now that it adds a spicy extra dimension to the game. If you're not whingeing like Taggart, Wenger, Mourinho, Allardyce, then you're fucking useless. It makes me cringe what some of these come out with.

Shanks would not have lasted 10 secs here, neither would Ron Saunders, Bob Paisley, Bobby Robson or anyone of that ilk. Even Cloughie had the utmost respect for other managers. They were honest, pragmatic and above all else, respected. They had their own characters and gave us all legendary quotes, but they all understood one thing: They were not bigger than the club itself - they were just the focal point for the football team.

I'm sick to fucking death of managers from ALL clubs gobbing off and whingeing. Now we see a manager that is not into all that shit, I'm quite happy. He's not towing the company line regarding the ownership situation (long may that continue) but similarly he's not getting embroiled in shit slinging. I mean come on: Alistair fucking Campbell could not dress up the state the clubs in at the moment, so why should we expect Roy to tell us the shit sandwich we have on our plate tastes good?!

Rafa was a fantastic manager and yes, I am a supporter of his, but my one criticism of him was that he got wrapped up in all the mud slinging. I said at the time he should have stayed out and concentrated on getting the results, but I felt he got caught up too often. Rafa has gone, but will never be forgotten. Yes, he should have been given the chance to right the wrongs, but he wasn't and we got Roy as the manager of Liverpool Football Club.

In some of your's opinion he may be limited in ability. That's the beauty of supporting a team - you have the right to debate the pros and cons and some of the posts here are pretty bloody well constructed arguments against him, but there is a worrying amount of posts on here that are just plain and simply out of order - it's pure vitriol and as such is totally uncalled for. Reasoned debate - yes. Abuse - no.

He's only getting it because he was appointed manager by a corrupt regime and presides over a wobbling club who had just hounded out a legend of a manger. Given who else was out there, I'm glad we got him as the thought of Hughes, O'Neill, Maureenio made my blood run cold. Give him your support and above all else don;t lose sight of the fact that he is not the issue with the club - those cancerous leeches are.

Hicks and Gillett out.

[sisterbliss]

I don't think he was sacked, I think it's by mutual agreement that he left.

Yes while he was sat on a beach with his family in Corsica, personally think he was hounded out of the club and lets face it under the present circumstances who could blame the fella.