The Roy Hodgson Thread

[Juan]

'Somebody' read your post Juan - "I cant help feeling while we're getting rid of Hicks and Gillett cant someone take Roy with them"

Somehow I think somebody is jumping the gun somewhere. I cant see Roy being let go so easily. The only shred of hope I would have is that Purslow didnt want to be around for the Hodgson culling so thats why hes stepped down as MD.

Time to nail my colours to the mast so there's no doubts: I don't want Rijkaard. I believe he's not the right man and his reputation from when Henk Ten Cate was his assistant is clowding the reality of Rijkaard's performance since Ten Cate left. I'll find it hard to support him like I find it hard to support Hodgson, who I also didn't want.

It's hard to honestly feel positive about something you don't believe in. Pretending otherwise is just hypocrisy.

Pellegrini - yes
Laudrup - maybe
Di Matteo - massive outside chance, but still preferable to Rijkaard. 

I would be hugely disappointed by Rijkaard. Di Matteo doesnt have the big club experience we need.  Laudrup  isnt a bad call but again I would probably say no.

Off the top of my head and trying to think whose available for me its

1. Pelligrini
2. Pelligrini
3. Hiddink (although most likely unavailable) / Kenny  / possibly O'Neil but not fully convinced

[Gurdeep]

As I've mentioned on the site before, for me the number 1 candidate has to be Guus followed by Pellegrini.

Rijkaard for me just does not have the credentials.....I'd rather keep Woy 

[Juan]

So now Rijkaard is looking to come to the Premier League. Its a pity he wasn't so interested in the summer when he was first touted for the job.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_6457814,00.html

Frank Rijkaard has set his sights on managing in the Premier League after leaving Galatasaray, with Sky Bet slashing the odds on the Dutchman becoming the new boss at Anfield.

The former Barcelona coach is on the lookout for a new job after an unhappy 16-month spell in Turkey with Galatasaray came to an end earlier this week.

Rijkaard's sudden availability will alert a number of clubs across Europe, but the Dutchman's advisers have told skysports.com the former AC Milan star will snub other offers to come to England.

The news of Rijkaard's desire to manage in the Premier League has already fuelled speculation that he could be a contender for the Liverpool job, should Roy Hodgson lose his role at Anfield.

Pressure is mounting on Hodgson after the Reds' poor start to the campaign, which was compounded by a 2-0 to Everton in the Merseyside derby last weekend.

Rijkaard was in the frame for the Liverpool post prior to Hodgson's appointment and he could come under consideration again should the club's new owners lose faith in the former Fulham boss.
Favourite

The ex-Inter Milan and Fulham boss is 11/10 to be the next Premier League manager to be sacked and Sky Bet's Dale Tempest reckons that Hodgson's dismal start at Anfield has paved the way for Rijkaard to replace him.

Tempest said: "Liverpool are a club in crisis so it's been no surprise to see the odds gradually shorten for Roy Hodgson to leave.

"However what we didn't expect was the gamble on Frank Rijkaard to take over.

"The Dutchman started at 12/1 on Wednesday but is now the 4/7 favourite."

Former Holland international Rijkaard is regarded as one of the best coaches in Europe following his success at Barcelona, where he won two Spanish titles and the UEFA Champions League during his tenure at Camp Nou.

The 48-year-old helped transform Barca's fortunes with his attacking brand of football and he won many plaudits during his time in Spain.

[Juan]

Watching the champions league post match interviews with Ferguson just highlighted to me where Roy lacks so badly. Last night Fergie dictated the interview, he forced his view on the gathered journalists and had them agreeing with him. They almost seemed afraid to disagree with him. Roy now has created this opening for people to talk about Torres going to United. And even if Torres doesnt go to United all the talk may unsettle him and I really think he will be off.

There is being honest and there is being too honest. Roy should have said Torres is our star player, hes not for sale at any price and he certainly wont be going to United or anywhere else for that matter. Case closed todays headlines would read Torres not for sale. Instead Roy probably has Torres considering his own future.

[Kopite999]

Pellegrini was my first choice in the summer so i'd like him or i would take Rijkaard. He'd help settle the spanish players settle back down and hopefully influence LLORENTE, MATA OR/and Navas to sign for us. To be honest at the moment i'd take John Coleman from Accrington Stanley!! A big reds fan

[barticus]

Once i heard the ludicrous statement from Roy about Torres going to manure and how he did not dismiss the idea and did not spit and laugh at it, i have now come to a very firm conclusion...
Roy may be very good with the media, but the media did not build the history of liverpool football club...
The media may want an english manager but f*** them they never back LFC anyway...its always glory glory manure, fantastic mercenary chelski etc...oh and lucky liverpool...
not backing up torres against the cheat from SAF(TM) claims was bad enough...
winning 1 in 8 even worse....
finding ourselves in the relegation zone...
but even suggesting that Torres could go to the manure scum is the last straw....

Sorry Roy...actions speak louder than words...you're actions have been useless on the pitch and now they're a disgrace off it...

[the dude abides]

Rijkaard - shurely shum mistake?  Zero interest in him.

Di Matteo - ok, who's having a laugh.  I wouldn't have the lad making the half time cuppa, nevermind being our boss.

hiddink is my choice, manuel pellegrini might be worth a chance, or possibly lure rafa back again (with a temporary appointment til his arrival in the summer).  Stranger things have happened at sea.

[the dude abides]

I'm curious why you don't rate Kelly dude. But if you move Johnson forward he could become a decent winger. He has pace and good ball control. And critically he wouldn't have to tackle that often. Then Kelly could play at RB.
 So you're suggesting we only buy proven players. They will command a premium for that very reason. In short, we didn't have the money so some risks had to be taken. Rafa did buy some good players like Crouch but wouldn't give him a guarantee of first team play. But there must have been more to that because no player can insist on that.
 That was a dream week but unrepresentative of our performance over the season. Everything just clicked from that point until the end of season and 7/10 times our points tally would have been enough for the title. Sadly, you only realise what you had when you don't have it any more.
 
Looking at his early years he did buy some good players using his knowledge of the Spanish league. But his knowledge of the better English players was limited. I think he worked on the principle that if you get enough players then by the law of averages you will get some bargains. Look at the number of players on the books when Roy took charge. he was mortified!

re kelly - I just have not seen enough of him, ASI.  He has rarely played for the first team.  And nothing to date for me, has stood out. 

we also both disagree on Babel.  You reckon he deserves a chance up front.  I reckon he has the first touch of a rapist.

re buying proven players - I am not suggesting that.  What I am saying is that those who slag Rafa's buys, fail to acknowledge that with limited funds for most of his tenure, rafa had to cut his cloth accordingly. 

Having said that, Aquilini, Keane and Johnston were bizarre buys. 

I have always reckoned (and I know Tes does too) that when Rafa fell out with his right hand man, Paka, he seemed to lose touch with the spanish market.  And that really hurt us. 

Indeed I suspect Paca is akin to Peter Taylor's role with Brian Clough.  When you lose half of your managerial team, you are gonna struggle for expertise.

[the dude abides]

Once i heard the ludicrous statement from Roy about Torres going to manure and how he did not dismiss the idea and did not spit and laugh at it, i have now come to a very firm conclusion...

but even suggesting that Torres could go to the manure scum is the last straw....

Sorry Roy...actions speak louder than words...you're actions have been useless on the pitch and now they're a disgrace off it...

I also felt the same when I saw his quotes re Torres and manure, barticus.

roy is out of his depth, on all levels.  fergie will walk all over him.

[Gurdeep]

Watching the champions league post match interviews with Ferguson just highlighted to me where Roy lacks so badly. Last night Fergie dictated the interview, he forced his view on the gathered journalists and had them agreeing with him. They almost seemed afraid to disagree with him. Roy now has created this opening for people to talk about Torres going to United. And even if Torres doesnt go to United all the talk may unsettle him and I really think he will be off.

There is being honest and there is being too honest. Roy should have said Torres is our star player, hes not for sale at any price and he certainly wont be going to United or anywhere else for that matter. Case closed todays headlines would read Torres not for sale. Instead Roy probably has Torres considering his own future.

Juan, 100% accurate in your assessment.  He is a joke!  He's now invited the media to begin speculating about one of our players and we all know how unsettling that can be nowaday's.....promises of more riches and players agents trying to get their piece of the pie etc etc.

Personally I think Torres has had enough, if we don't get a strong manager in soon then he and others will leave.  It's not a matter of if but when imho.

[Kopite999]

Torres mind was made up in the summer. He's a goner already. You cant blame him when he's in a team of long ballers shaped by our current manager not Rafa. Everytime he touches the ball nowadays its with his head. So its time to start thinking of a replacement striker aswell as a manager.

[barticus]

What i also love is that Roy has no say on whether Torres goes or not anyway...
John Henry will have now realised the division between manure and liverpool and wouldn't sanction a move between..it would be a sure fire way of bringing a very black cloud over his ownership at the very start of his tenure!
This is the media destabilising and attacking Liverpool football club, (mainly the Murdoch papers) and Roy should have been canny enough to see the signs...that he didn't means he's gone...perhaps Roy is far more concerned with his friendship with SAF (TM) than any relationship he has with his current employers...

[Tes]

His pedigree, or lack of it at this level, is repeatedly being exposed.

The problem with Hiddink is that he would probably only be a very short term appointment, considering his age.
Also, apart from his brief cameo at Chelsea, he's been out of club football a long time and doesn't have the greatest record in his most recent stints.

So the choice is clear - Roberto Di Matteo, then. 

[Tes]

What i also love is that Roy has no say on whether Torres goes or not anyway...
John Henry will have now realised the division between manure and liverpool and wouldn't sanction a move between..it would be a sure fire way of bringing a very black cloud over his ownership at the very start of his tenure!
This is the media destabilising and attacking Liverpool football club, (mainly the Murdoch papers) and Roy should have been canny enough to see the signs...that he didn't means he's gone...perhaps Roy is far more concerned with his friendship with SAF (TM) than any relationship he has with his current employers...

That's why nobody within the game has a bad word to say about him. 'Nice guy', 'gentleman' 'well respected' blah, blah. He's all those things because his teams aren't a threat to anyone.

[Gurdeep]

So the choice is clear - Roberto Di Matteo, then. 

Careful Tes, crazy talk like that will get you put away into Arkham Asylum