It will only be fair to judge Roy when the full season is out, when hes had a chance to stamp his authority on the team and when the ownership curse is finally past us all.
That said I think this is a very worthwhile thread for us to comment on the various ups and downs of match day as the season progresses.
What worries me to date about our performances is that they are still Benitez-esque. The tactics are Benitez-esque, the ethos of not wanting to lose against the likes of Birmingham instead of going all out to win is again Benitez-esque. I was a Benitez fan but feel one of his failings was his negative approach. So if it hasnt worked for Rafa who excelled tactically then I dont see this style of play Hodgson is adopting working or being accepted by the Liverpool fans.
Hodgson needs to step out from Rafa's shadow and be his own man. I castigated him for the tactics during the Man City game but in the same breath I said he should be given time and a fair crack of the whip. Roy should be using this time to find what tactics suit us best, for giving the players freedom to attack. This is the time to be making those positive substitutions, bring on Babel and Pacheco to win a game. Its now that fans will afford him the chances to make the mistakes necessary to make this team not only successful but capable of playing decent attacking football.
If 6 months down the line we're sitting in 6th or 7th place and still churning out the same standard of football Roys days will be numbered. It will have nothing to do with money spent or the players that have left the club but everything to do with not having the courage to change the ethos of going out not to lose a game first and attempting to win at all costs second. For LFC thats just not good enough.
I like what Roys done off the field up to now, his signings, the way he deals with the media, his frank approach to interviews all refreshing compared to the way Rafa dealt with situations over this last year. All that said the main thing is whether Roys is up to the job on the pitch. What I have seen so far raises more questions than it does give answers, formations, player selection, tactics and substitutions and general ability to get the team to play have all looked dubious to say the least. The board may have appointed him to steady the ship but unless he grasps this opportunity to change the way we go about playing the game then Roy could very well be the first casualty when a regime change finally happens at the club.
