Part 2 - English Premier League: Why Should Liverpool stick or twist with Hodgson?
At Fulham, Hodgson had a slow start and his first nine games were absolutely awful for the Cottagers. Out of his first nine games, Roy only managed to win a single one, amongst those first nine matches, was an F.A Cup tie against
Bristol Rovers too. Surprisingly, Fulham lost that tie as well. Incredibly, Fulham were battling with relegation in their first season under Hodgson, the men in white and black were saved from the drop to the Championship by Diomansy Kamara’s goal against
Manchester City.
From thereon in, Fulham’s luck to a swing and Roy worked his magic. Therefore, it would be quite pre-mature to give a verdict on Roy’s performance as Liverpool’s manager with just seven games into the season. However, one should
not be surprised as to why fans have been against their own manager.
Liverpool have not been performing well this season but is it fair to appropriate all the blame to the dear old Hodgson, there are others variables in this equation as well. A major portion of those variables is made up of the
players who play for Liverpool. If anyone has to be blamed it should be the athletes who are paid thousands of pounds every week just to represent the prestigious institution i.e. the Liverpool football club.
Let’s take a look at Liverpool’s current squad. The names that immediately catch the eye are Pepe, Reina, Dirt Kuyt, Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Glen Johnson, Joe Cole, Raul Mereiles, Christian Poulsen and
Daniel Agger. These players have featured prominently for Liverpool in most of their league matches. The likes of Agger and Cole have been involved in Liverpool’s Europa league qualification campaign as well. These players mentioned above are by no means slouches.
They are talented individuals that are expected to perform to the best of their abilities. Not only that, they are all recognized international footballers.
For example, Steven Gerrard, Glen Johnson, Joe Cole and Jamie Carragher all featured for the English national team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Raul Mereiles played for Portugal at the same tournament while Daniel
Agger and Christian Poulsen represented their national side, Denmark. Dirk Kuyt played major part in Holland’s progression to the final match of the 2010 World Cup whereas Pepe Reina and Fernando Torres were a part of Spain’s World Cup winning squad.
If anything, one should be of the view that these players are talented enough to defeat Blackpool at Anfield because they are too good to be beaten by the players in the Tangerines squad. It should be remembered that a manager
can only do so much, it is actually the players who go out and perform, and ultimately it is the players who win matches not managers. Another important factor in this decision should be the way Liverpool conduct themselves as a club.
Over the years, Liverpool’s fans have prided themselves on the fact that their club is an honest club. A football club that treats its employees the right way. It behaves in a dignified manner on the field as well as off the field.
So one has to ask the question that whether it will be in accordance with all of these methods to dismiss Hodgson after just seven games into the league season?
Liverpool’s fans have been vocal in supporting Kenny Dalglish’s name for managerial candidacy but is it really suitable for a club like Liverpool who act like Champions, even when they are not witnessing on the field success to
appoint a man who last had a managerial job around ten years ago? Will this go against the very traditions and values that Liverpool is built upon? Let’s not forget that it was Kenny himself, who walked away from the club nineteen years ago when things were
not going Liverpool’s way.
Can such a man be trusted again? Football world is littered with example of what becomes of clubs when they act hastily. Take into account Newcastle United, they changed managers as quickly as the wind changes direction but one
only has to take a long hard look at what has become of the Magpies. If Liverpool are to sustain their history and traditions along with their standards and principles, they should act in a style that has defined the club from its very beginning.
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