7 Oct 2013

'No Excuses': Carra warns 'honest' boss that he's 'two games' from the sack. Agree...?

Aaagh. For the second time in two months, Liverpool's forward momentum is derailed by yet another tedious international break. For me, it's absolutely ridiculous that the first two months of the season are disrupted like this, and I'm sure the next twelve days without any real football will be torturous for many fans. Even worse than LFC having no games is the mind-numbing prospect of watching England play, and being a Scot, I'll be hoping for two defeats. Alas, that seems unlikely, but if that happens, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher believes it will be the end of the road for Roy Hodgson.

In his column for the Daily Mail over the weekend, Carra insisted that Hodgson - who he describes as 'blunt and honest' - 'has to deliver' in the next two world cup qualifiers, adding:

"Should things go wrong, I am almost certain these will be his [Hodgson's] last two games.

"He has lost an ally in David Bernstein and the new FA chairman Greg Dyke will be looking to stamp his authority. That is why Hodgson has to finish this job. There can be no excuses".


I don't have the same antipathy towards Hodgson as most, and I maintain that Liverpool fans treated him disgracefully during his short-lived spell at Anfield. However, despite his vast experience, Hodgson is not the progressive, forward-thinking manager England need, and he is the living embodiment of the FA's anachronistic, old-fashioned approach to football.

What else can you expect, though, when the English game is run by out-of-touch Freemasons old men with white hair?

The prevailing view seems to be that Hodgson is a bit of a long-ball merchant, an accusation also levelled at him Liverpool fans, but according to Carra, this is not true, and certainly wasn't part of his football philosophy at Anfield. He explained:

"I played in Liverpool teams that utilised such a tactic at times [Long ball up to a target man]. Gerard Houllier bought Emile Heskey to deploy it, Rafa Benitez signed Peter Crouch for the same reason. You are not going to get tiki-taka football from Hodgson but I don't recall him ever telling us at Liverpool that the emphasis was on going long".

England are currently top of their qualifying group, and with their last two matches being home games, it would take a monumental collapse of epic proportions to see them dumped out of the competition.

There is recent precedent, however. Gerrard et al failed to qualify for Euro 2008, and with the remnants of the laughably-monikered 'golden generation' still propping up the team, the possibility of yet another abject failure cannot be dismissed.

Let's just hope Daniel Sturridge doesn't pick up yet another injury...



NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)


57 comments:

  1. No point in defending Hogson. He fits in perfectly with the useless FA parasites, taking huge wages while not providing anything useful. He will forever be defined by the signing of Konchesky and Paulsen. He started the massive descent into mediocrity from which we have not yet recovered.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You're kidding, right? Hodgson has nothing to do with the mediocrity that set LFC back years. Benitez started it in his final season by failing to get into the CL. Hodgson came in with the club in worst turmoil in its history, and spent comparatively nothing. Dalglish then came in and set the club back years with his horrible transfer policy, and complete waste of over £100m.


    Hodgson is a convenient scapegoat though for fans who refuse to see the truth

    ReplyDelete
  3. Totally disagree when you say RH was treated disgracefully by us - in fact the reverse is true. His approach to managing us was a disgrace and he treated us disgracefully. This is borne out by the facts 9see league position) and the culture and atmosphere he created at the club. He more than anyone alienated Torres and instigated that rift.
    When confronted by Sir Exlax over the "Torres dived" claim he simpy layed down and died. Digraceful management of our club.
    He actually got off lightly.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think the issue a lot of fans had with Rou was his negative attitude. When he said his aim was to avoid relegation I knew he had to go. If that is the height of your ambitions you don't deserve to be Liverpool manager

    ReplyDelete
  5. Please post the a link to the quote where Hodgson said his 'aim was to avoid relegation'. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  6. It was interesting reading that Harry Rednkapp would of asked Rodgers to be his assistant if he got the England job.


    As for the international break in this instance it's not so bad as long as we escape it injury free because every injured player we have except Coates could possibly be back.


    Australia has qualified for the World Cup :) But our 'golden generation' was laid to rest by a Fabio Grosso dive in 2006. I'm sure England will get though and I think it's better for the game if they do.

    ReplyDelete
  7. International breaks...ugh
    At least all you England fans have competitive matches to watch, I'm Irish!
    Thank god the final of the Womens International Crocheting Championship is on Friday night or I'd have nothing to watch.
    On the brighter side for all you Lions, if Hodgsen does get the bullet, Trappatoni has his CV all polished up with a stamped addressed envelope on his beside locker.... best of luck....

    ReplyDelete
  8. Roy Hodgson was never the right man for LFC and nor was LFC right for Roy and he's not right for England either. His footballing philosophy is so negative and dated this was the issue with most fans, I have never seen a Liverpool team set out to approach games so negatively than when we played under Roy, granted we were in a mess to say the least when he took the reigns but his style was doomed from the start it was like watching paint dry and now it's the same with England but I would never blame him as his tenure was short lived 'thankfully' but the biggest damage done to the club was done when Hicks and Gillet took over.

    ReplyDelete
  9. “If you are in the relegation zone, then you are in a relegation battle,” the Liverpool manager said after Charlie Adam’s penalty and Luke Varney’s clipped finish left his side in the bottom three for the first time in 46 years, despite Sotirios Kyrgiakos’s consolation goal.

    “I am not going to think too much about relegation with 31 games left to play and I am absolutely convinced Liverpool will not be in the bottom three at the end of the season. Whether we can fulfil our ambition of finishing towards the top is another matter, but when you saw the way we played in the second half I am incredulous anyone can suggest we will finish in the bottom three.”

    ReplyDelete
  10. You stated that Hodgson said it was his 'aim' to avoid relegation, i.e. hinting that was his goal for the season. It wasn't. He made it clear that relegation talk was nonsense, and expressed absolute confidence that LFC would not be in the bottom three for long.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Maybe aim wasn't the right word. But saying we were in a relegation battle 7 games in sends out the wrong message in my opinion. Can you imagine arsene wenger or ferguson making such a statement?i like the guy but the job was too big for him in my opinion which is why a lot of fans seemed to have a problem with him. That mentality ultimately breeds complacency and affects confidence.

    ReplyDelete
  12. The entire footballing hierarchy needs a restructure, its all so old fashioned and out of touch. Why goal line tech has only just been introduced is beyond me, and why they still have the stupid rule that if a ref sees something, and doesn't take action, then retrospective action cannot be taken is ludicrous.
    Hodgson has done a decent job for England, and I think people are being a bit harsh on him. We just have to remember that as a nation England don't have a brilliant team, and we aren't going to be winning any major trophies any time soon. But its the same old thing, people think we can win, and if we don't, it MUST be the managers fault, so sack him and try again, lo and behold the same thing happens again.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Totally agree with you on how Hodgson was treated at Anfield. Unworthy of Liverpool supporters imo. Also good to hear Carra finally wake people up and saying what's what when it comes to Benitez and Houllier's boring tactics. As for Hodgson, I don't care too much about the England team and I think qualifying for a major tournament is not as logical for them as most England supporters seem to believe but I do hope he manages to do so. It must be the worst job in the world to have. Having to work with a hyped up squad and expectations being so high when realistically getting out of the group stages should be considered a formidable achievement.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Results define the success of the manager. RH was never the favored choice from the start. When he was appointed, he wasn't given the time. And then he turned against the fans (and I think the fans started turning against him first), it was never going to happen for him in LFC. Not sure if it was disgraceful or not but by any standards, this was the first time fans turn against the LFC manager with such hostility. I guess the fans were against the management like Purslow, the G and H, etc.

    When Dalglish took over, everybody thought he was the messiah and then the results turned bad with Carroll, Downing, etc and then fans turned against him (but less than what RH suffered).

    ReplyDelete
  15. You are only highlighting the parts of the statement that agree with your argument. What about "if you are in the relegation zone, then you are in a relegation battle".....7 games in? Really? I know he expressed confidence that we wouldn't stay there but even using the words relegation battle at that stage of the season sends out the wrong message no matter what club you are managing. Let alone a massive club like Liverpool..does that statement give players and fans confidence that we will be winning things and challenging under his stewardship? Of course not. As I said this was my problem with him the job was way too big for him

    ReplyDelete
  16. Debatable really I can understand your view of injuries etc and commoli overpaying but for a moment let's consider if Rodgers gave him as much chances as sturridge and built the team around him..... injuries apart Carroll was excellent for us and at the end of the season he was playing like cavani for us

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hey at least we'd get to see Manuela again :P I don't exactly rate O'Neill but he's probably the best we can get...

    ReplyDelete
  18. If lamela would go for 30 million Carroll's 35 is not bad especially give the fact he actually scores goals in pl

    ReplyDelete
  19. You're comparing Lamela to Carroll.... are you alright mate? Alright add Charlie Adams fee onto Carrolls and you've got Ozil. Hmmm decisions decisions Ozil or Carroll and Adam. Tough choice that.

    ReplyDelete
  20. what makes lamela so great ? borini was more profilic than him at roma ? i think my comparisions are pretty fine thank you very much

    ReplyDelete
  21. Rubbish man. Rubbish. Hodgson had no money what so ever to work with as G&H looked to get as much of their money back as they could. They knew what was coming.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Must have been his defeatist attitude that got his team to the Europa League final the year before.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I can picture Moyes making a statement like this.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Roy Hodgson is a buffoon. I even remember one interview where he said "here at Fulham..." when he was manager of Liverpool.

    I'm embarrassed about him managing our club.

    Anyone who rates him has an agenda, supports a club in the lower divisions or just hates humans. Konchesky and Poulsen are two players whose purchase demonstrates what he had planned for us, it truly was going to be one long, living nightmare.

    I notice in the Daily Mail article Carra respects Hodgson's bluntness, nothing more.

    I'm not a devoted international fan by any stretch... but I can't imagine any England supporter punched the air with delight at Hodgson's appointment. I truly fear for his next club and its supporters.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Real football?? Rediculous to have an international break? I think if you talk to French, Italian, German, or South American fans, you'll find they welcome the break, and thoroughly enjoy watching their national teams play - where else do you see Aguero, Messi, Higuain on the same team, or Suarez and Cavani, Michu,Xavi, Iniesta??? If England isn't very entertaining, try watching some of the other games. It appears as though the British countries don't care about these games, because they don't think they have a chance, not because these games are meaningless. Uruguay has the population of Wales, and never gives up. Belgium isn't a giant, but they're doing well. Watch some of the South American qualifers if you want "Real Football" - it beats the hell out of watching Sunderland or Crystal Palace.
    Agreee with the rest on Hodgson, dinosaur, etc. not helping the cause - but Kudos for brining Lambert on the team.

    ReplyDelete
  26. He was definitely a step down from Capello.

    ReplyDelete
  27. A positive to take out of the international break is that it means Johnson, Cissokho and Allen will be fresh and ready for action come next game. We'll have a full squad, provided Sturridge, Suarez and Gerrard are not injured...but Suarez is never injured, touch wood.

    ReplyDelete
  28. LFC were in turmoil due to mismanagement by the hierarchy it had little to do with benitez. Hodgson was appointed as he was a yes man - otherwise what was the need to sack benitez? that one decision put us back 5 years. imagine if benitez had stayed we can all be sure that 100 million would have been better spent.instead we were lumbered with charlie adam who cant even get into the stoke side, downing and carrol - these were the killer blows. FSG could have made amends by bringing benitez back in but chose to ignore him totally.



    The years in the wilderness for benitez are remarkable considering his acheivements - and though chelsea fans wont admit it he did a remarkable job for them and played a brand of football that they wont see for a fairly long time if mourinho see's out his contract.



    In BR we have an excellent young "english" manager but he has had to start from scratch - and naturally he will make mistakes. But he does look like a future england manager simply because he plays a no fear brand of football.

    ReplyDelete
  29. No offense my friend, but I can't believe people with this sort of reasoning can support a great club like Liverpool.

    ReplyDelete
  30. What does my reasoning have to do with my support????? Am I running Liverpool??? No right then chill out....... unlike you I defend both current and ex players of Liverpool provided they warrant a defense So in terms of a true supporter I'm miles ahead of people like you

    ReplyDelete
  31. What I mean is rating Carroll at that point is simply ridiculous and is the sort of reasoning "small club" supporters have. At West Ham, the system suited him perfectly and what exactly did he do? 7 goals in 26 games is your answer. Yet you dare comparing him to Sturridge.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Yes I dare look at the number of chances and shots he had at goal and I don't care what he does at west Ham he was was good for Liverpool and gave his best and I like how you compare a west Ham service to that of Liverpool.......

    ReplyDelete
  33. Well, with a Liverpool service he scored 4 in 35. Speaks for itself really

    ReplyDelete
  34. Again I don't think moyes is good enough for a big club I'm glad he's at united.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Punching above his weight at teams like Fulham is about his level. He can't handle the pressure of working at a big club. I remember listening to some of his post match interviews thinking wow does he realise he's managing Liverpool? Just google a selection of his quotes from his time in charge...the guy was completely out of his depth that's the bottom line

    ReplyDelete
  36. Christ Jamie. Just Christ.

    ReplyDelete
  37. No England fan did. I think I speak on the behalf of most England fans here when I say we wanted REDKNAPP and he wanted the England job!

    ReplyDelete
  38. He actuelly seems to do well with smaller clubs who have low aspirations to be fair to him. He's never hd the CV to qualify him for the liverpool or indeed the England job though.

    ReplyDelete
  39. My problem with internationals is the meaningless friendliest and hoping the whole time there are no injuries to Liverpool players! Plus it's annoying when you get a bit of momentum to have a break for a few weeks. I understand qualifiers just hate friendliest scheduled mid season

    ReplyDelete
  40. You should really know where our Manager is from, it makes your comments seem less believable.

    ReplyDelete
  41. No need to worried about Suarez - he's a mutant with regenerative powers, and adamantium fused to his bones - only thing is his rage, but that seems to be in check lately.


    Hopefully all three get a boost by qualifying for the cup - maybe scoring in the process.

    ReplyDelete
  42. i have said he is english - i know he is northern irish but do you know that northern ireland have their own team! hence the speech marks.

    ReplyDelete
  43. I think the inverted comma's suggest just a little sarcasm on magic2ouch's comment...a bit like saying Andy Murray is "British" if he wins or "Scottish " if he loses.
    Rafa's downfall was selling Alonso, Carroll was over-priced, Rogers knew Sturridge since he was 12 years old, managed Suarez' situation better than King Kenny and brought in 'The Coutinho'...
    The future is bright, forget about the past, the future is Rogers.
    Take out Wenger's vast experience and we will be top. YNWA

    ReplyDelete
  44. Having read the headline, something deep inside me wanted this post to be about DM of Sumchester Utd, ahh well. We all know that if England fail to make it to the world cup he is out, but i honestly think we will qualify, thus saving his job!

    ReplyDelete
  45. Arsenal lead the way but Liverpool fans have all the reason to be as excited. They always debate about whether their side has progressed or not. Surely sitting joint top of the league tells you a lot, but it is the consistency that matters.

    Reds have been scoring for fun since the turn of the year and have been brilliant in defense as well.

    The table given below clearly indicates that Reds have progressed under the management of Brendan Rodgers.

    If there are any doubts in the supporters or rivals mind that they have not, then the mentioned stats can change that.

    Liverpool are the first team to score over 50 league goals in 2013 and have conceded fewest goals as well. The stats show that Reds have come a long way.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Arsenal lead the way but Liverpool fans have all the reason to be as excited. They always debate about whether their side has progressed or not. Surely sitting joint top of the league tells you a lot, but it is the consistency that matters.

    Reds have been scoring for fun since the turn of the year and have been brilliant in defense as well.

    The table given below clearly indicates that Reds have progressed under the management of Brendan Rodgers.

    If there are any doubts in the supporters or rivals mind that they have not, then the mentioned stats can change that.

    Liverpool are the first team to score over 50 league goals in 2013 and have conceded fewest goals as well. The stats show that Reds have come a long way.

    ReplyDelete
  47. total waste ? we got 17.5m back suarez will go for 45m and you soil dalglish's name but never bring comolli in to it the man who done the numbers

    ReplyDelete
  48. because your a scot you want england to lose. typcal jock twat. get over it, we in england dont care about the moaning jocks.
    so we are better at everything than your nation and you can't take it boo hoo

    ReplyDelete
  49. didnt hodgson buy robbie keane? bigger waste of money than carrol

    ReplyDelete
  50. No, Keane was bought by Rafa.

    ReplyDelete
  51. The problem with Roy Hodgson when he was Liverpool manager was the style of football he played. No i'm not talking about long ball, im talking about the static positions he had people play, his reluctance to let players roam from a small set area of the pitch stifled any creativity, it was absolutely dire to watch.

    ReplyDelete
  52. thank god for a bit of intelligence! i know he is northern irish and therefore in footballing terms still a "foreign" manager technically as northern ireland have their own team! But also respect the view that by him being british he isnt seen as such!

    ReplyDelete
  53. Yeah, not a whole lot out there. I think a starting point would be someone who can speak english, or is at least willing to learn a few phrases.
    But your right, we will miss Manuela :)...

    ReplyDelete
  54. Would u have rathered Hodgson stayed jaimie? Despite dalglish's failings in the summer transfer market he done more in a few months than Hodgson done all season

    ReplyDelete
  55. The thing with Hodgson was not just his lack of ambition in his interviews, or the players that he signed, but the clear ugly style that he had Liverpool playing on the field. Its all in the past for me now, but it still gives me nightmares to think that if Liverpool had given Hodgson some more time, Liverpool would have probably been the next Leeds Utd.

    ReplyDelete
  56. £132 mil spend over 3 transfer windows £96 mil recouped from sales and a reduced wage bill does not does not equate to what your quoting - dalglish thought he was starting a long term project with little help from comolli - £12 mil spend per window get your FACTS right

    ReplyDelete