Ray Houghton knows all about entertaining football; as a member of Kenny Dalglish's late-1980s Liverpool team, he was an integral part of one of the most skilful and entertaining Liverpool sides in history. To be a success at Anfield, the manager has to deliver attractive football, and according to Houghton, Roy Hodgson's inability to produce that meant he was always destined to fail.
Houghton told TalkSport:
"One thing you need when go into a football club is to get the fans behind you. There's a lot of managers who have gone into clubs and they've found it very difficult to change the fans around.
"You have to get amongst the players; you have to play a brand of football that's going to be easy on the eye for the fans, and unfortunately Roy Hodgson didn't do that, and I think that was one of his big problems at Liverpool.
"I don't think he realised how big a club it was, and the pressure was on him to produce good football".
"Roy's an organiser; his teams are based very much on a defensive ethic; they will score occasionally, but more important they won't concede too many goals. It'll be fascinating to see how this game [West Brom vs. Liverpool today] pans out.
I agree with a lot of Houghton's points but the idea that Hodgson didn't realise how big a club Liverpool was is, IMO, nonsense.
How could a manager of Hodgson's experience and intelligence not know how big Liverpool were? It's just inconceivable. Hodgson knew exactly what was required at Anfield, he just came in at the wrong time, and probably didn't appreciate how difficult it would be to operate during such a tumultuous time.
Even Steven Gerrard admits that it was the players to blame, not just Hodgson:
"The results weren't good enough and unfortunately in football, managers get the blame. But I was one of the players who came out after he left and made sure people knew it wasn't just Roy Hodgson's fault. It was the players underperforming and not delivering. That was the sad part."
I have a bad feeling about today's game; I think Hodgson may come back to haunt Liverpool. Again.
Jaimie Kanwar
Houghton told TalkSport:
"One thing you need when go into a football club is to get the fans behind you. There's a lot of managers who have gone into clubs and they've found it very difficult to change the fans around.
"You have to get amongst the players; you have to play a brand of football that's going to be easy on the eye for the fans, and unfortunately Roy Hodgson didn't do that, and I think that was one of his big problems at Liverpool.
"I don't think he realised how big a club it was, and the pressure was on him to produce good football".
"Roy's an organiser; his teams are based very much on a defensive ethic; they will score occasionally, but more important they won't concede too many goals. It'll be fascinating to see how this game [West Brom vs. Liverpool today] pans out.
I agree with a lot of Houghton's points but the idea that Hodgson didn't realise how big a club Liverpool was is, IMO, nonsense.
How could a manager of Hodgson's experience and intelligence not know how big Liverpool were? It's just inconceivable. Hodgson knew exactly what was required at Anfield, he just came in at the wrong time, and probably didn't appreciate how difficult it would be to operate during such a tumultuous time.
Even Steven Gerrard admits that it was the players to blame, not just Hodgson:
"The results weren't good enough and unfortunately in football, managers get the blame. But I was one of the players who came out after he left and made sure people knew it wasn't just Roy Hodgson's fault. It was the players underperforming and not delivering. That was the sad part."
I have a bad feeling about today's game; I think Hodgson may come back to haunt Liverpool. Again.
Jaimie Kanwar
Yea we should all hang ourselves , there is no future worth living for .
ReplyDeletePersonally I think it will be a draw , we could sneak it but I think it will be a draw & considerin the form they are in a draw down there wouldnt be a bad result today .
3 or 4 NIL The team to start taking the chances.
ReplyDeleteJamie, if we show the same 'fight', 'workrate' & 'skill' as we did against Stoke City midweek, then there is 'NOTHING' Roy Hodgson & his team can do. Liverpool will win!
ReplyDeleteAh Jaimie. Where to start man!
ReplyDeleteObviously, I want Liverpool to win but I just have this feeling that it will be a tougher game than everyone expects; just like last season. Hopefully, I'm proved wrong :-)
ReplyDeleteLet's hope you're right.
ReplyDeletecarroll to bag a brace and gerrard to finish them off,the reds starting to gel the only way is up from here on in FACT
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you there my friend but I think the Stevie quote rightly gives a 50% portion of blame to both the players and to Hodgson, as opposed to just blaming the players as you imply.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think Houghtan was trying to say that Hodgson hadn't quite anticipated the size of the task that lay ahead of him when he took over - by saying LFC is a 'big club', I think Houghtan is referring to the behind-the-scenes factors, such as revenue, media exposure, and most vitally supporter-expectations.
Personally, i'd like to put the Hodgson thing to bed now. He was a misfit in a long-term capacity and as he admitted himself, he knew he'd be out as soon as the new owners took over. He was never going to bring us success regardless of how the fans reacted to him because he was out of his depth, and when u consider his outdated training methods, he clearly would have remained overwhelmed even if he'd been given a similar budget to Dalglish.
Good luck to him at WBA. I personally don't look at it as an encounter with any more spice purely because he used to manage us. Regardless of who's in charge, we should always be up for it and looking to win. And I'm sure he feels the same way.
So fuck Roy Hodgson - can we move on now please?
You say Hodgson 'operate during such a tumultuous time'?, so let's see, didn't Benitez have the same problem?, with the two cowboys?, and for much a longer period?. So, it is fine to defend (Clueless) Roy, and not Rafa?, come on jaimie!!
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you there my friend but I think the Stevie quote rightly gives a 50% portion of blame to both the players and to Hodgson, as opposed to just blaming the players as you imply.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think Houghtan was trying to say that Hodgson hadn't quite anticipated the size of the task that lay ahead of him when he took over - by saying LFC is a 'big club', I think Houghtan is referring to the behind-the-scenes factors, such as revenue, media exposure, and most vitally supporter-expectations.
Personally, i'd like to put the Hodgson thing to bed now. He was a misfit in a long-term capacity and as he admitted himself, he knew he'd be out as soon as the new owners took over. He was never going to bring us success regardless of how the fans reacted to him because he was out of his depth, and when u consider his outdated training methods, he clearly would have remained overwhelmed even if he'd been given a similar budget to Dalglish.
Good luck to him at WBA. I personally don't look at it as an encounter with any more spice purely because he used to manage us. Regardless of who's in charge, we should always be up for it and looking to win. And I'm sure he feels the same way.
So forget Roy Hodgson - can we move on now please?
No. It's totally and utterly different. I can't be bothered to outline yet again the reasons why; if you can't see how it's different, then I can't help you.
ReplyDeleteWill you tell ME Jaimie? Please?
ReplyDeleteWell Jaimie you dissapoint me, when you haven't an answer, you always choose the easy way out!.
ReplyDeleteIt is not my intention to keep proving you wrong, far from it, it just that you're so quick to crucify Benitez, which is unfair and lacks respect, for the man.
ReplyDeleteWith Lucas paying against West Brom, it's a recepe for disaster .
ReplyDeleteProve me wrong about what? Benitez was at Liverpool for 6 years; Hodgson had 6 months. There is a world of difference there.
ReplyDeleteYes, mainly that Rafa earned 6 years at the club by getting us good results, whereas Hodgson earned 6 months at the club by getting us poor results.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure where you're going with this mate - there was no conspiracy theory with Roy - he was just shite.
Keep the faith Jaimie. No one ever said it was going to be a quick fix (despite what some fans think). On the way, we are going to experience a lot of good days & some bad also. But rest assured, under Kenny, we are now firmly on the path that leads to greatness once more.
ReplyDeleteIn fairness to Hodgson ...
ReplyDeleteKnowing its a big job before ya arrive & then experiencing it are two complete different things .
For example I kno its a real tough test to run a marathon but that does not make it any easier to complete the course especially if ya pick up a leg strain in the 1'st few miles .
The job was too big for him at that time , theres no shame in that & in the end the man parted company with us in a dignified manner .
I think wee Ray has this one pretty much spot on .
Thanks for yer eforts Roy , too bad they werent good enough at the time but I wish ya all tha best in the future ... just so long as ya arent competing against us !
Well said Cpt Kirk !
ReplyDeleteIts the 1'st time I have genuinely agree'd with JK .
ReplyDeleteHe is absolutely 100% correct on this , Benetiz & Hodgsons work environments were 100 % different & both Hodgson & Kenny took over in absolutely horrible conditions for different reasons also .
Tut Tut Ashfah !
ReplyDeleteBehave yerself !
There isnt a bad player in our squad !
Some are better than others , yes ... but none are bad .
Sorry but you cannot blame the players for lining up in a 9-0-1 formation, even at home against lesser teams. Absolutely unforgiveable. This was an absolutely alien approach to the players after being used to the pressing game of the previous manager.
ReplyDeleteI think what Ray Houghton was trying to say was that Roy set out with exactly the same plan as he would do with a relegation threatened side. He didn't adapt at all. We played not to lose rather than trying to win, and the long ball game was again, unforgiveable.
I think there was also some influence from Purslow and Broughton who kept telling us the ship needed steadying and Roy was the man to do it. Maybe he took it too literally and thought avoiding relegation was the way to go.
Agree 100% with Felderkirk. By the way JK you were wrong again, Hodgson did NOT (as you say) come back to haunt us ( he is totally incapable of doing that ), we haunted HIM, we scored 2 and we should have had 6!
ReplyDelete@Ashfah, what is it, with you and your Lucas.......get a life, or go back to watching CRICKET!
ReplyDeleteJaime, I realise that you are schooled in searching for controversy, for looking for the bad news story but your melancholy really is all too prevading mate. Your seratonin -inhibitors need fixing - I suggest a pro-longed course of prozac!
ReplyDeleteAye the world of difference is Hodgson talked down the club and the players (the "left overs" or the "B team"), Benitez, a proven winner, understood the ethos of the fans and went down the pub with them!! Whatever way you look at it - Roy was a shambolic verbose disaster and failed to impart his philosophy onto the players or the fans.
ReplyDeleteHit and hope is not a credible philosophy. I'm amazed he wasn't sacked after the Northampton debacle. Our month in the relegation zone, lest we forget just one year ago effectively cost us a Champions League spot. Well done Purslow and the malcontent agitators in the dressing room who stabbed Benitez in the front.
Benitez knows football. Hodgson doesn't. Therein lies the difference.
ReplyDeleteThe reason why Hodgson was not good at liverpool is; he is not a good manager, its as simple as that. if he was any good he would have had a pedigree and would have had success at other clubs. All he has is a history of making clubs perform worse in the league at the highest levels, and a very poor away record to boot. This was his history and this is the reason he failed. If someone had a gun to your head and said ' do you think roy hodgson will make liverpool into the force they once was', would you say yes or no?
ReplyDeleteYOU, JK, have been proved wrong (AGAIN!).
ReplyDeleteWell said. Only those who are already in a comotose state would answer, with a 'YES', :-)
ReplyDeleteCrap article written by a crap journo on a crap website with crap posters. You are all crap. Signed, Mr I. A. Crap.
ReplyDeleteCrap article written by a crap journo on a crap website with crap posters. You are all crap. Signed, Mr I. A. Crap.
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ReplyDeleteJaimie Kanwar is crap.
ReplyDeleteJaimie Kanwar is crap.
ReplyDeleteJaimie Kanwar is crap.
ReplyDeleteJaimie Kanwar is crap.
ReplyDeleteJaimie Kanwar is crap.
ReplyDeleteJaimie Kanwar is crap.
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