Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has been branded as incompetent in a latest burst of criticism levelled against him as Liverpool prepare for another UEFA Europa League match.
The results he has produced have been termed as unacceptable. Hodgson himself has been quite humble amidst these reports but his patience has been tested time and again by the severely testing questions by certain journalists in Liverpool’s previous press
conferences.
Liverpool lost their latest league match by an embarrassing 3-1 score line to the newly promoted team, Newcastle United. Not only that, Liverpool are now ninth in the English Premier League table, a position that would not allow them to compete in the next
year’s Europa League competition. Before the seasons started, Liverpool were targeting a top four finish under Hodgson, who took over in the summer of 2010 after Rafael Benitez parted ways with the club to join the European champions, Inter Milan.
In his latest press conference for Liverpool, the Englishman said, "I don't have any fears, worries or concerns. But if you put it to me 'you feel there is no chance whatsoever of you getting sacked' then I would be in a minority of one in that respect.
It happened to Chris Hughton, it happened to Sam Allardyce, Martin O'Neill resigned - we are all in that situation.”
Ever since Roy has taken over at Liverpool, despite the fact that they brought in a considerable amount of players into the club, the ex-English champions have failed to hit the heights that they experienced in some periods of the Rafael Benitez era. Hodgson
has been under pressure from the new owners at the club as well as the fans to take the team into the right direction but the ex-Fulham manager has found it hard to live up to the expectations that have been associated with him and the Merseyside giants.
Roy defended his position as he said, “Basically speaking unless there is a major inflow 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. The
owners have made it perfectly clear they are in it for the long term and they are going to be patient; they realize it is going to take time.”
Liverpool next face Utrecht in their final match of the UEFA Europa League group stages. The Reds have been performing quite decently in the Europa League and their clash at home to Utrecht will be a nice opportunity for Hodgson to test some of the fringe
players in his squad. In the press conference before the match, rather than being quizzed about his team and the match itself, Liverpool’s manager was asked question concerning the future of Liverpool and his possible dismissal as the club’s manager.
This line of questioning obviously infuriated Hodgson, who lashed out at the media as he said, "Once again I come here to do a European press conference, playing Utrecht when we are top of the table, and I find myself answering questions about owners and
whether I am safe - it is a sad situation. I came here to do a European press conference, which I am forced to do for UEFA, when really and truly I am doing a phone-in with you.”
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