Hodgson Hits Back At Critics

By EddieC, Sun 03/10/10 at 02:01

A defiant Roy Hodgson has described himself as 'one of the most respected coaches in Europe' and said it is 'insulting' to suggest he cannot handle Liverpool's big-name stars.

And in a strong message to the Anfield players, he indicated they must share the blame for Liverpool's indifferent start, claiming some of them are not living up to their reputations and have not played any better than his Fulham team did last season.
Hodgson's decision to go on the attack ahead of today's crucial game against Blackpool is at odds with his nice-guy image but supporters will say it leaves no doubt he has the steel for football's toughest job.

But his comments represent a gamble with Liverpool currently near the bottom of the Premier League table, having picked up only six points from six games and fell into the bottom three after Everton's first league win yesterday. They were also embarrassingly knocked out of the Carling Cup by League Two Northampton Town.

Off-field problems will see fans demonstrate again today against American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett while the club could be taken over by the Royal Bank of Scotland this month if the owners default on a £280 million debt.

Hodgson, 63, was widely seen as a safe pair of hands when he succeeded Rafa Benitez in the summer but the pressure has been building, with Fernando Torres struggling in front of goal and new signing Joe Cole failing to shine.

Nonetheless, the former Blackburn and Fulham boss is angered by suggestions he will have to change his management style to succeed at Liverpool. His previous biggest job came at Inter Milan in the mid-1990s.

'It is insulting to suggest that because you move to a new club, your methods suddenly don't work when they've held you in good stead for 35 years and made you one of the most respected coaches in Europe. It's unbelievable,' he said.

'I've had two-and-a-half wonderful years (at Fulham) where nothing ever negative was said about me and my team. Now maybe people are saying negative things. It doesn't change anything. I work the same way as I did last year.

'My methods have translated from Halmstads to Malmo to Orebro to Neuchatel Xamax to the Swiss national team and many other jobs as well. I am doing the same things and the most important things to me are the players.

'We are six games into a 38-game season. I couldn't give a monkey's whether we're 16th or 18th at the moment. Be realistic, don't insult my intelligence with that. What bothers me is that we have only got six points and I would have liked a few more. But then I knew Manchester United and Manchester City were going to be tough games. I knew Arsenal with 10 men was going to be a tough game, so maybe six points isn't so bad at all. We are averaging two points from the other three.'

Significantly, Hodgson also called on Liverpool players to take more responsibility to go along with their reputations.

Although 15 of the Anfield squad were picked by their countries for the World Cup, Hodgson does not seem to be over-impressed by some of them.

He said: 'I don't understand questions about Liverpool and Fulham players being different types. At the moment arguably one or two of the players that are suggested as being very different to the Fulham players maybe aren't playing any better than the Fulham players played. So maybe people should be having a look at that. If I can be accusatory of some journalists, I think they work on names and not on performances. A judgment is based on their name and not necessarily what they have actually done on the day.'

Hodgson's strong comments come only three months after he replaced Benitez, who left for Inter Milan with the club in chaos on and off the field.

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About time Roy showed a bit of backbone if you ask me

Olivavu
Mon 05/03/12 at 13:36

West Brom manager Roy Hodgson believes he was never allowed to become a success during his time at Liverpool, because the local press did not want him in charge.

GettyImages
Roy Hodgson did not last long at Anfield
Hodgson master-minded a superb 1-0 win for West Brom over Chelsea on Saturday, adding to his already excellent reputation established in jobs across Europe. With the England job currently vacant, his name remains in the mix to lead the country to Euro 2012.

Operating in the opposite dugout at the Hawthorns was Andre Villas-Boas, the under-fire Chelsea manager who may not get to complete the season before being shown the Stamford Bridge exit door.

Hodgson suffered a similar fate at Liverpool, axed by the Merseysiders after a horror start to his reign that saw the Reds - for a period of time - hover close to the relegation zone. Asked to compare his situation to that of Villas-Boas, Hodgson confessed he never stood a chance at Liverpool because the locals wanted Kenny Dalglish.

"I don't think you can compare my time at Liverpool to Andre at Chelsea," Hodgson said. "But you can make comparisons if you want about the fact I was constantly vilified, in particular by the Liverpool press, because they wanted someone different in the job."

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/1030816/roy-hodgson:-i-was-vilified-by-liverpool-press?cc=5739

I think taking us into the relegation zone may have had something to do with it actually...

theanfieldpaddy
Mon 09/04/12 at 18:06

when it comes to making yourself look like an idiot Roy is the best by far

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