Topic: Roy Hodgson tells Glen Johnson to get his act together

[llcooljoel]

The reason for that was we had the ball for extended periods of time. Arbeloa's lack of attack skills wouldn't be an issue with Roy, as the opportunity to go forward would never come. One can only imagine what we could've done with Johnson's attacking abilities and Xabi setting him on endless runs with Mascherano covering for him

Hey, it's not all doom and gloom. Poulsen is apparently "not bad on the ball"....

[Aristotle]

Hey, it's not all doom and gloom. Poulsen is apparently "not bad on the ball"....

Correct you are, sir. I bow down and accept defeat to the fountain of wisdom that is Roy Hodgson, LMA manager of the year

[subroc]

So the crux of your argument is, is that it's all down to Hodgson?

I think the crux is not that Johnson is playing on top of his game, but that he is no worse than many other sin the squad and there is no cause to suddenly cast blame publicly like that on him. The crux is simply that Hodgson has failed to take heed to a basic principle which Benitez actually mentioned in an interview a few days ago - he said that when he first came into Inter, he kept everything the way it was under mourinho, and waited until things were settled and then he began to introduce his own ideas a little at a time. That makes a heap of sense because it maintains stability and gets the team playing the way they have always played, while you observe them and see the strengths and weaknesses of the present system and staff. Only after that period of study, does the new manager start to tinker with the system and the staff, and introduce his own innovations.

Hodgson should have had the humility to study the machinery of Liverpool FC first and understand it before shifting the shock absorber and putting into the dashboard, and the windscreen where the fender used to be, and then introducing a new fuel injection system when the existing one was better than the new one, figuratively speaking.

[P45]

Glenn has been playing shit, and his defending has been poor pretty much since he came.

Roy is dead right to criticise him, he needs a rocket, Roys the manager he sees them day in day out, he knows whats going on.

I love the way people say play him on the right wing, hes a wing back etc. So we paid 18m for a right back that should be playing on the wing, why didnt we just pay 18m for a winger?

Weve played 7 games since the new owners came in and lost just one.

I just want Liverpool to keep winning, if that keeps Roy in a job so be it, Ill take that, Liverpool winning is the oweriding factor.

I hope we batter Stoke today, I love coming on here and enjoying the silence.

[Fitzy.]

Out of interest, what would th reaction on here have been if Roy would've said that Johnson is playing great?

Now, it could be argued that you should say nothing, but he is currently in a position where his every word is being slaughtered.

[llcooljoel]

Correct you are, sir. I bow down and accept defeat to the fountain of wisdom that is Roy Hodgson, LMA manager of the year

Amongst such fellow luminaries of the game as Steve Coppell, Peter Reid, Alan Curbishley, George Burley, Joe Kinnear, and Dave Jones no less! Oh....

[subroc]

Has PP345 and Fitzy read the last 5 pages of the thread before repeating the same revisionism about Johnson being a horrible defender since he first came etc etc.?

[Mad Men]

Out of interest, what would th reaction on here have been if Roy would've said that Johnson is playing great?

Now, it could be argued that you should say nothing, but he is currently in a position where his every word is being slaughtered.

Nope. We would have probably criticized him.

The timing of the comment stinks. More so with the player out injured and having helped turn a 1-1 draw in the second half against Napoli into a 3-1 win.

He hasn't been awful but he hasn't been setting the world on fire.

But let's be honest, nobody in the team has been on fire since the start of the season till only recently. Poulsen and Konchesky included. You don't see them getting the same media coverage Roy is giving Johnson.

Why I wonder.

[HarryLabrador]

Out of interest, what would th reaction on here have been if Roy would've said that Johnson is playing great?

Now, it could be argued that you should say nothing, but he is currently in a position where his every word is being slaughtered.

He couldn't rightly say that as Johnson has not been playing due to injury. Hence just one of the numerous reasons why he should not be stating publicly that Johnson is not playing well. The emphasis is on PLAYING, which he has not been doing, physically that is.

[Monkey Red]

A bad person could be forgiven for thinking that Hodgson wants to drive all the good players out of the club and replace them with mediocre, PFK type players, the type who question nothing and perform to his expectations, ie sit deep, let the opposition do all the work (and reap the rewards afterwards), don't attack etc. Everything he has uttered since becoming manager of our club has been bullshit, criticising players while they're injured to distract from his own, massive inability. He's had sod all good to say about anything or anyone concerning Liverpool Football Club, he seems totally and completely disinterested with the whole thing. I for one am sick of the man and want him gone asap!

[llcooljoel]

Out of interest, what would th reaction on here have been if Roy would've said that Johnson is playing great?

Now, it could be argued that you should say nothing, but he is currently in a position where his every word is being slaughtered.

That's a misleading point. What he should have said is something along the lines of "Johnson hasn't got going this season but everyone knows he a great player and I have complete faith in him to come good". Pretty much word for word what he said about Christian "Shithouse" Poulsen. I think that's his nickname in Denmark anyway, not sure it translates exactly but.

[P45]

Exactly. Short memories. The bottom line is always Hodgson. Since he arrived here his insecurities are splashed every where, everyday. He plays the Blame game. It's everyone's fault, especially Rafa's. He has not criticised a single player brought in by him. Who's next?

I dont remember Rafa ever blaming himself, we always showed charachter, No?

[Aristotle]

Out of interest, what would th reaction on here have been if Roy would've said that Johnson is playing great?

Now, it could be argued that you should say nothing, but he is currently in a position where his every word is being slaughtered.

I would've been perfectly fine with him telling Carra, Joe Cole and Konchesky to step it up a notch. Even Gerrard had been less then stellar up until the Napoli game. Yet Roy chooses to single out for criticism, in a team full of underperfomers a man who hasn't played in what 7-8 games?

[llcooljoel]

I dont remember Rafa ever blaming himself, we always showed charachter, No?

Kwality.

[LiverpoolForever]

Don't see him slating Poulsen, who frankly has played far, far worse than what Glen has.Also says a lot about timing. Why criticise someone while he's injured? What good does that do?

Here is Roy ''slating'' Poulsen in the same way he ''slated'' Johnson.


When I took him off at half-time in one game he was devastated - not just because I'd made the decision (to bring him off) but because he knows he was nowhere near the level he can play. He's not that bad on the ball, but let's not beat about the bush and try to disguise the fact, he's had a bad start.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11669_6501548,00.html

[Wiggles]

Out of interest, what would th reaction on here have been if Roy would've said that Johnson is playing great?

Now, it could be argued that you should say nothing, but he is currently in a position where his every word is being slaughtered.

I agree with you about every word Roy saying getting ripped to shreads - it winds me up because some things Roy says are taken so far out of context its ridiculous. 

However, I don't see the point of him:
A. criticising a player who has been out injured for a fairly long period of time, which probably affected his form
B. still isn't fit, so can't let his 'feet do the talking'
C. hasn't played that badly, especially when you compare him to virtually every other defender bar Kyrgiakos
D. Johnson has had to cope with Roy's tactical constraints at their worst, having lost any form of protection in front of him as neither Meirelles or Shelvey are wingers.

[Heighwayondawing]

Johnson is not a winger ... He is a quality attacking full-back, currently off form ...

Point taken. However, what's the problem with trying a player in another position? Especially a player with pace and a good shot who, in all honesty, is just not a quality defender. Who are you to say that this wouldn't serve to "shake him up" a bit? Perhaps he'd even find a new motivation or enjoyment. Don't be so close minded.

[shockwave_dave]

Probably poor going public with criticism. But i'd be a hypocrite slating Roy for his criticism of Johnson, when i think Johnson has been shit for some time now

[Rouge]

Glenn has been playing shit, and his defending has been poor pretty much since he came.

Roy is dead right to criticise him, he needs a rocket, Roys the manager he sees them day in day out, he knows whats going on.

I love the way people say play him on the right wing, hes a wing back etc. So we paid 18m for a right back that should be playing on the wing, why didnt we just pay 18m for a winger?

Weve played 7 games since the new owners came in and lost just one.

I just want Liverpool to keep winning, if that keeps Roy in a job so be it, Ill take that, Liverpool winning is the oweriding factor.

I hope we batter Stoke today, I love coming on here and enjoying the silence.

So win at all cost....we can turn into cheating thugs lik Blackburn and the Mancs - ypu'll be happy wih that will you....as long a we win!  I for one want to start playing football, you know the game where we pass the ball to feet, try flowing passing football and enjoy and promote skill - all opposite to Roy's POV

[El Diablos]

I think that Glen has played rather poo togger this season, when he hasn't been injured that is. But,

under Redknapp Johnson plays like a top class attacking full back
under Hart Johnson plays like a top class attacking full back
under Benitez Johnson plays like a top class attacking full back
under Capello Johnson plays like a top class attacking full back

under Hodgson he plays like a donkey, what gives?

[Wiggles]

Probably poor going public with criticism. But i'd be a hypocrite slating Roy for his criticism of Johnson, when i think Johnson has been shit for some time now

Do you think the period of time Johnson has 'been shit' might have been the same period of time since Hodgson became manager?

[subroc]

I would've been perfectly fine with him telling Carra, Joe Cole and Konchesky to step it up a notch. Even Gerrard had been less then stellar up until the Napoli game. Yet Roy chooses to single out for criticism, in a team full of underperfomers a man who hasn't played in what 7-8 games?

Johnson is a soft target - not the kind of player to raise a stink and defend himself. Who else could he have targeted safely other than him?

Gerrard and Carragher - perfect and never to blame to Hodgson
Konchesky, Poulsen, Cole - his own signings and therefore untouchable
Meireles - his own signing and the only one who is playing decently

Reina - his performance has been too good to criticise on that front and his support among the fans is too strong
Torres - he is too important and valuable to the club and fans to confront and attack directly
Kuyt - he works too hard to safely criticise and he is too popular with the fans
Lucas - has played too well for the last 4 games to attack

Babel - he is already on the out anyway
Maxi - maybe after this?
Ngog - already publicly dismissed as a credible replacement for Torres


Agger - already frozen out and "injured"
Pacheco - ditto

[llcooljoel]

I agree with you about every word Roy saying getting ripped to shreads - it winds me up because some things Roy says are taken so far out of context its ridiculous. 

However, I don't see the point of him:
A. criticising a player who has been out injured for a fairly long period of time, which probably affected his form
B. still isn't fit, so can't let his 'feet do the talking'
C. hasn't played that badly, especially when you compare him to virtually every other defender bar Kyrgiakos
D. Johnson has had to cope with Roy's tactical constraints at their worst, having lost any form of protection in front of him as neither Meirelles or Shelvey are not familiar with the right wing role.

I also agree with that but you have to concede that he's made a rod for his own back there. His bizarre, finger-pointing-everywhere-but-himself press conferences have made a bad situation much worse because he's lost what little good feeling was there amongst the fans (admittedly not much!).

[VamosLiverpool]

This should have been kept in house. Roy is the one that needs to get his act together. Embarrassment to the club.

[the good half]

I disagree. AC are my second team since the early nineties and Cafu was anything but a solid defender hence why Desailly/Albertini etc. were needed to cover/support him. Neither Cafu nor Carlos were primarily defenders first, they just had certain attributes which meant that to get the best out of them, you had to give them a large area to run down hence why neither were played on the wing and hence why Johnson shouldn't be either. Look at how Dani Alves plays.

I disagree. AC are my second team since the early nineties and Cafu was anything but a solid defender hence why Desailly/Albertini etc. were needed to cover/support him. Neither Cafu nor Carlos were primarily defenders first, they just had certain attributes which meant that to get the best out of them, you had to give them a large area to run down hence why neither were played on the wing and hence why Johnson shouldn't be either. Look at how Dani Alves plays.

Fair enough.
But on Johnsons CV - the one which was read by LFC before purchase, Johnson was a RB with attacking capabilites.
Now, as we have seen he can be very effective in the midst of an attack, but is way less capable when the ball finds Liverpool on the defence.
My question is then, is he a defender or not?
If he aint, play the child on the wing. Make the leap.
If he is - he's crap.

Re: Cafu. Cafu was more than a capable defender. Especially with Roma. The fact that he was utilized more often that not as an overlapping full back should in no way dismiss his ability to defend. Carlos the same.
What Pool need IMO is a Cole (I know, not many of his calibre) i.e. someone who knows how to play alonside an organized defensive line as well as having the nous to bomb forward.

Its really Alan Kennedy who Im after in truth.

[shockwave_dave]

I think that Glen has played rather poo togger this season, when he hasn't been injured that is. But,

under Redknapp Johnson plays like a top class attacking full back
under Hart Johnson plays like a top class attacking full back
under Benitez Johnson plays like a top class attacking full back
under Capello Johnson plays like a top class attacking full back

under Hodgson he plays like a donkey, what gives?

I doubt you watched enough of Portsmouth to give a good judge on Johnson there. Under Capello he's certainly been very hit and miss

[Heighwayondawing]

Agger - already frozen out and "injured"

Mate, he is injured. There are conspiracy sites all over the internet, this ain't one of them.

[shockwave_dave]

Do you think the period of time Johnson has 'been shit' might have been the same period of time since Hodgson became manager?

Probably. But i see him making basic defending mistakes that have cost us goals. I am not really sure if you can attribute the manager much blame for that

[Heighwayondawing]

I doubt you watched enough of Portsmouth to give a good judge on Johnson there. Under Capello he's certainly been very hit and miss

Exactly. Watched the England match where they wore the new shirts and he was terrible. Blaming a players form on the manager is ridiculous. If anything, it brings the players' integrity into question as you're insinuating that he is not applying himself because of personal reasons and therefore placing himself above his teammates.

[redtel]

I agree with you about every word Roy saying getting ripped to shreads - it winds me up because some things Roy says are taken so far out of context its ridiculous. 

However, I don't see the point of him:
A. criticising a player who has been out injured for a fairly long period of time, which probably affected his form
B. still isn't fit, so can't let his 'feet do the talking'
C. hasn't played that badly, especially when you compare him to virtually every other defender bar Kyrgiakos
D. Johnson has had to cope with Roy's tactical constraints at their worst, having lost any form of protection in front of him as neither Meirelles or Shelvey are wingers.

4 good reasons why he gets ripped to shreds as you put it.

The man just cannot keep his mouth shut. The press love his long droning statements which give them plenty of copy, and in return they give him no criticism. That is what winds me up.

[subroc]

Here is Roy ''slating'' Poulsen in the same way he ''slated'' Johnson.


When I took him off at half-time in one game he was devastated - not just because I'd made the decision (to bring him off) but because he knows he was nowhere near the level he can play. He's not that bad on the ball, but let's not beat about the bush and try to disguise the fact, he's had a bad start.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11669_6501548,00.html

Big difference. Hodgson could of course not deny Poulsen's bad play because that is as clear to everyone as the clouds in the sky. For him to say that Poulsen was great, would have been a misrepresentation too ludicrous to even try.

However, while conceding Poulsen has not played well, he :-

1. blamed it on a bad start - which implies that Poulsen was just having problems adapting to the Premiership, and not that his legs are gone for a league as fast as the Premiership and that it was time to think about places like Dubai, etc
2. affirmed publicly his belief in Poulsen's true quality being better than what he has displayed
3. He praised Poulsen's skill on the ball
4. He tried to create sympathy for Poulsen by mentioning how devastated he was.

Did he do similarly nice things for Johnson?

[subroc]

Exactly. Watched the England match where they wore the new shirts and he was terrible. Blaming a players form on the manager is ridiculous. If anything, it brings the players' integrity into question as you're insinuating that he is not applying himself because of personal reasons and therefore placing himself above his teammates.

Err...no, I think the blame is rather more on Hodgson's poor and inflexible use of his favourite tactics instead of adapting them to the players whom he actually has, rather than to the players whom he used to have in Fulham...

[RedinExile]

Same people on here whinging again, it's tiresome. These are outrageously highly paid professionals. I get the head bollocked off me at work when I'm not performing
Get a grip.

If your boss lambasts you in the national media (I'm astonished that happens, you should think about going to a tribunal) and it wipes off millions of pounds in the value of a company asset, you will find it is they who get the bollocking my friend.

[subroc]

Mate, he is injured. There are conspiracy sites all over the internet, this ain't one of them.

Who knows. The truth will no doubt emerge one day.

[Wiggles]

Probably. But i see him making basic defending mistakes that have cost us goals. I am not really sure if you can attribute the manager much blame for that

But when were these mistakes this season?  My argument is that I do not remember Johnson being individually responsible for us conceding a goal this season.  Instead, Johnson has looked a bit shit because Roy has had our defence drop in our own box every time we have a lead or tire and play backs-to-the-wall football - when is any ball playing defender going to look on-form with such safety-first tactics?

[subroc]

Probably. But i see him making basic defending mistakes that have cost us goals. I am not really sure if you can attribute the manager much blame for that

i am not so sure about that. After a great deal was made of his allegedly shambolic defensive performance int the blackpool game, I went back and had a look at the clips of the goals. See the previous couple of pages back. I don't think that Johnson can be made the scapegoat for those two goals from the clips.

[Promised to never post on RAWK again]

Point taken. However, what's the problem with trying a player in another position? Especially a player with pace and a good shot who, in all honesty, is just not a quality defender. Who are you to say that this wouldn't serve to "shake him up" a bit? Perhaps he'd even find a new motivation or enjoyment. Don't be so close minded.

As an attacking full-back, he has above average technique, pace and shot ... As a wide attacking player (winger), he would be pretty average, because the physical, technical and tactical standards for that position are higher ... I am not saying that he would not fit as right winger, but he would be as good as Riise was, when he was played at left wing ... For the wide attacking positions, we need different type of players ... Joe Cole (on form) would be a much better option at the right-sided attacking position ... I would even try Babel and Pacheco there before Johnson ...

[aerorossi29]

Without going on about it, as has alrady been said, this should have been done behind closed doors and in private. If he is going to slate his own player in public then why stop at Johnson? Why not bring Carragher into it or his "superb" signings Poulsen and Konchesky? Cant be selective like that in my opinion. He should have mentioned all the players who have not been good enough or none of them. Stupid Roy again imo.

[Aristotle]

Mate, he is injured. There are conspiracy sites all over the internet, this ain't one of them.

He is injured, but the "he ruled himself out sick" came long before that

[Chakan]

the sooner he is gone from the club and footnote in our history the better