Will Roy Hodgson leave Liverpool?
One could argue that the news of Chelsea’s unceremonious sacking of assistant manager Ray Wilkins during the previous week is a harsh reminder of the cold and impersonal way, clubs in the English Premier League, may decide to part ways with former employees.
Perhaps the above piece of news concerning Wilkins’ departure made the weight on the shoulders of certain under-fire managers, suddenly seem heavier.
Liverpool’s Roy Hodgson has been kept under a skeptical eye by many Reds’ fans, after replacing current Inter-Milan manager Rafael Benitez, who himself was given the boot by Liverpool after the club finished the 2009-2010 season at 7th position
in the League. Clearly, it is Hodgson’s duty to improve Liverpool’s league standing and so far, he has failed in the task with the Reds sitting on the 11th spot, between Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion, all three clubs possessing 16 points and
having played 13 games to date.
A club who in the 2008-2009 Premier League campaign finished in 2nd place, above current leaders and title defenders Chelsea, fell to a bleak 7th position in the 2009-2010 League table. This season, Liverpool have been exceptionally
poor, a shadow of their former ‘top four’ selves. Their latest form has been anything but stable with a commendable 2-0 victory over Chelsea, a 1-1 dismal draw at Wigan and a 2-0 loss at the hands of Stoke City. In a poll conducted by website
http://www.goal.com/, on November the 14th, 68.61 per cent of the participants felt that Roy Hodgson is not the man to lead Liverpool to greener pastures. A tiny 12.91 per cent of readers believe his approach could benefit
the Reds and the 18.47 per cent of remaining contributors to the poll, are unsure if his methods will prove to be fruitful or detrimental.
Critics of Roy’s methods argue that the former Fulham manager should concentrate less on stopping teams and more on how to break them down. Many argue against his defensive mindset, and believe that Hodgson should have used his side’s 2-0 victory against
Chelsea earlier this month as inspiration and built up on that spectacular result instead of taking a ‘backward step’. Sceptics deem the Reds victory over the Blues as a one-time upset, saying ‘one swallow does not make a summer.’ In a post match analysis
show, football pundit Shebby Singh openly asked the question of what was Roy trying to do tactically, in his game against Stoke. He asked fellow pundits McMahon and Andrew Leci if the manager’s mindset was soulless or gutless, or both.
Many neutrals feel sorry for the manager and say his constant criticism in the press is uncalled for. One may pity the manager, who had to endure his club’s fans’ singing former Liverpool legend Kenny Dalgish’s name around the Britannia Stadium. Hodgson
and Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini have both been grilled about their defensive rather than offensive tactics. Hodgson is a manager who since the 1980s has had only 13 away wins with the clubs he has managed since that time. That statistic indeed gives
you an idea about the current Reds’ boss’s frame of mind and his mannerisms. His pre-match and post-match comments do not show confidence and with his lackluster game-plans, he is certainly not winning over fans.
The Reds manager is well aware of his uncertain position and issued a statement when confronted with rumors of his possible sacking, saying that he would accept the decision if and when the club’s board members find a more able man for the job. The new owners
of the club, the New England Sports Ventures have supported Hodgson since acquiring ownership from Hicks and Gillett, but could the Anfield faithfull’s constant clamouring cause the company to reconsider their appointment of the ex-Fulham manager? Liverpool’s
game against West-Ham on Saturday could and answer that question and prove to be a crucial one in terms of Hodgson’s current managerial position.
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