Thought I might bump this having regard to the discussion on Hodgson going on in the EPL thread. He seemed to have a lot of supporters before he went to Liverpool - where are they now?
Forget about the performance or entertainment. It's only the result that matters.
I would still rate him as a good manager, I think the Liverpool job at the moment is a very difficult one. When he came in there was loads of uncertanty over the board, ownership etc, they had to sell key players (Mascherano). He hasnt exactly spent big (Poulsen £4.5, Konchesky c.£3m, Wilson £2-5m, Jones £2.3m) indicating he didn't have much financial backing in the last transfer window.
Judging him on half a season at a club in turmoil, when he's played some of the hardest fixtures (Chelsea (h), Man Utd (a), Arsenal (h), City (a)) seems a bit harsh. I agree that results against Blackpool at home was a major dissapointment maybe last weekend too, but have their other results been that bad ? Beating West Brom at home (something Man Utd and Arsenal failed to do), drawing with Birmingham away (something only one team has bettered in the league in the last 12 months), drawing at home to Sunderland (better than Chelsea & Villa, same at Man Utd) beating Bolton away (something Spurs and Man Utd failed to do).
I do think there seems to be a bit of momentum against him on the part of Liverpool fans, and there is paper talk about him not getting on with Agger and Pacheco (some kid in the reserves) but I still think he's a good manager and wouldn't have any issues with him taking over the Irish team when Trap leaves.
If we are talking about his transfer policies, outside of Mascherano, Out went Insua (21) and Aquilani (26) and in came Konchesky (29) and Poulsen (31). A complete joke in every sense of the word. Juventus must be having a good laugh about that one. He had nothing to do with the Wilson transfer, though no surprise there as he's 18 and a highly rated player or the Shelvey signing.
I've covered my many issues with him elsewhere, but overall, small time, small attitude dinosaur about covers it. The very fact he tried to retort to criticism by bringing up his LMA award last year just shows how out of touch the man is.
Well the Hodge for England. Not sure how this one will pan out but I think a two year contract would have been more sensible. Surely there should be a minimum requirement of qualifying for the WC or something. I think England's main strengths over the years have been that they have been hard to beat, which is probably the stand-out trait that Hodgson's teams have possessed. It might just work but I wouldn't be expecting an expansive style of play, not that England have ever been particularly good to watch, Euro 96 aside.
On a lighter note...
Roy Hodgson has been asked if he's every tweeted? He replied with "yes, I tweeted my wife to a womantic meal last week"
Last edited by DeLorean; 02/05/2012 at 10:17 AM.
I like Hodgson and would have liked him to have got the Ireland gig a few years ago. Apparently Don Givens met him but he got offered Fulham soon afterwards.
Still, I don't like Hodgson enough to hope he's successful!
It will only end in tears.....press don't want him and they will make his life a misery.
"If God had meant football to be played in the air, he'd have put grass in the sky." Brian Clough.
You'll NEVER beat the Irish.......you'll just draw with us instead!!!
Likewise - A gentleman but will he be able to cope the with laddish style dynamics of an England dressing room, and the press hostility.
Did anyone see the joke on C4 news last night already trying to attack him over playing in South Africa during the apartheid years. FFS it was 40 years ago!!
I like Hodgson but Sweeney in the Sindo read out the script of this story some weeks ago. All that's changed is the cast ...or their order of appearance. England gets the English manager that England "needs" to, I dunno what, understand the squads temperament or some similar balls. It doesn't work and they give it to Dick Advocaat. THAT doesn't work and they decide it has to be an Englishman again... and onward it goes, onward, onward and forever twirling.
" I wish to God that someone would be able to block out the voices in my head for five minutes, the voices that scream, over and over again: "Why do they come to me to die?"
I wish Hodgson all the best. If the fans and media are patient and get behind him, he could do well. He may play negative football but that may be England's best hope of success at present. When they beat Spain 1-0 I thought it was a great defensive effort, there is no way they would have won that game if they had tried to out-play the Spaniards. Unfortunately the England fans have always had wildly unrealistic expectations and I think a couple of average results will see Hodgson cast as a cautious, conservative ditherer by the media machine, he'll be publicly questioned by pundits like Alan Shearer (how did your crack at management go, Alan?) and will eventually leave the job two and a half years into his contract.
"Life is like a hair on a toilet seat. Sooner or later you are bound to get pi$$ed off."
"In this league, a draw is sometimes as good as a win" - Steve Morison
This is all the a sideshow. The real fun will start when Ashley Cole finds out he's been dropped from the Euro squad in favour of Paul Konchesky.
Can't see it going well. Think England will struggle this summer, think the media will become very harsh, very fast. He got torn to shreds at Liverpool after all, and the scrutiny at the England job will be far worse.
Author of Never Felt Better (History, Film Reviews).
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