ROY Hodgson may be liked and loved by some – Fulham fans definitely, Crystal Palace supporters maybe. But to Anfield die-hards he remains a figurehead of what were desperate times to be a Red.
As the Champions of Europe prepare to face the 12th-placed Eagles at Selhurst Park on Saturday, the contrast between the Liverpool side Hodgson managed then, and the club he was a part of, and the organisation Jurgen Klopp now heads up couldn’t be starker.
Appointed in July 2010 despite a clear lack of enthusiasm for his credentials on Merseyside, Hodgson was up against it from the off. He walked into a club that was a mess – saddled by debt, battle-weary from in-fighting, and with top stars considering their futures. Liverpool had finished seventh the previous season – and had sacked Rafa Benitez.
I remember being so disinterested in Liverpool playing away to Napoli in the Europa League under Hodgson.
Now, the Reds bounce into Stadio San Paolo as European champions, with every match a joy at the moment.
It's a special time, isn't it?
— Henry Jackson (@HenryJackson87) September 17, 2019
Meanwhile, an interim chairman, Martin Broughton, was searching for a buyer for the club, while managing director, Christian Purslow, despite describing himself as “the Fernando Torres of finance”, seemed very keen on getting involved in football matters.
Purslow was central to the huge sums of cash splurged on Joe Cole’s contract, a man who spent more time bent over blowing out of his cheeks at Anfield than he did celebrating goals. As a culture, as a club, as a working environment, it was all wrong. Hodgson, though, undoubtedly made things worse. From uninspiring rhetoric, to negative tactics, and from terrible transfers to cosying up to a club rival in the shape of Alex Ferguson, he never walked the walk of a Liverpool manager.
Throw in steering The Reds to 19th in the Premier League, a Carling Cup exit to League Two side Northampton Town, Anfield defeats to newly-promoted Blackpool and then serial away-day bottlers Wolves, and trying to talk up a DEFEAT at Goodison, and it was clear why he lasted only six months of a three-year contract.
Hodgson criticised supporters’ protests against the owners and even aimed his ire at a local journalist once, criticising the reporter for being “too Scouse”. All around, people were as puzzled by him as Steven Gerrard was in an infamous viral clip that showed him baffled by a pirouetting and finger-pointing Hodgson in training.
The man didn’t get it. He didn’t fit. And ultimately fans turned. There were the calls for Kenny Dalglish. There were the non-ironic “Hodgson for England” chants. An online petition was trotted out demanding his departure. And then came the ultimate two fingers. Supporters stayed away.
Just 35,400 supporters turned up at Anfield for a 2-1 victory over Bolton – Liverpool’s lowest home crowd on New Year’s Day since 1983. A week later, he was gone with a record of only seven wins from 20 Premier League games.
Two Champions League finals in the space of just over 12 months. Who would have thought that we’d have been here back when Roy Hodgson, Kenny Dalglish or Brendan Rodgers were in charge?
Jürgen Klopp has revived our wonderful football club.
— Matt (@FalseFMatt) June 1, 2019
Hodgson’s tried and tested methods of drilling and discipline, of defending deep, of structure and shape and risk-averse football has worked elsewhere. He can be an unsuitable manager of Liverpool and a suitable manager elsewhere. He was praised to the rafters for his work at Fulham. And someone, somewhere, was impressed enough by his body of work to give him the England job.
At Anfield though some still talk of when they heard Hodgson encouraging players to “just f***ing launch it”. It’s not what was once known as “The Liverpool Way”. Klopp, by contrast, has brought fight and finesse to the club. His transfer record, unlike Hodgson’s, makes for pleasant reading.
And while Hodgson’s pitch for the Liverpool job was said to be around improving players, Klopp has actually done just that. Take your pick from those now regarded as top-class footballers: Andy Robertson, Trent Alexander Arnold, Gini Wijnaldum, Mo Salah, Sadio Mane.
All once had questions marks of some sort against their names. No longer. Hodgson’s haul of recruits while at Anfield included Christian Poulsen, Paul Konchesky and Brad Jones. Say no more. Whereas Klopp has united fans, players and suits, Hodgson alienated people all around in his short spell.
And while Klopp now knows he wields so much power, and his stock is so high, that he can even criticise the support at times, Hodgson never came close. While a mind cast back to Klopp’s first day brings a smile at the messages he began to post, that he was “The Normal One”, that he would turn “doubters into believers”, some of Hodgson’s public speaking has not aged well.
As the walls began to close on his reign at Anfield, he told the media: "A lot of the negativity has been somewhat unfounded and I said very early in the season, probably after seven games when we were in the bottom three, that if we can get to 19 games and find ourselves in the top half of the table that would be the best we could hope for.”
How times have thankfully changed at Liverpool FC.
