Roy Hodgson may not be able to restore Liverpool’s former glories but halting the club’s plummet will be seen as a positive addition to his CV.
By Conor Hogan
In the worst kept secret since Ricky Martin’s homosexuality, Roy Hodgson has been revealed as the next Liverpool manager. In Hodgson’s 34-year managerial career he’s been in almost as many positions as Ron Jeremy  (17, to be exact) but the Liverpool job might be the toughest of the lot.
The Anfield club is in an absolute mess. Up for sale, £350m in debt, and no closer to getting a stadium than when Messrs Hicks and Gillett, probably the worst chairmen in the world, took over in 2006.
Last term, given the level of expectation following their title challenge of the previous campaign, Liverpool endured arguably their most disappointing campaign since 1981 when, having won the title for the previous two seasons, they slipped to fifth place in old First Division. As well as that, none of its three prized assets, Javier Mascherano, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, seem to have any intention of staying at the club.
The way things look, there’s about as much chance of seeing a wildlife documentary about bike-riding fish on Saturn as there is of seeing Liverpool overtake Spurs and Man City.
The best choice
Hodgson is the first Englishman to be appointed by one of The Big Four™ since Roy Evans was made Liverpool boss in 1994. English managers like Sam Allardyce often complained that they weren’t being given the opportunities they deserved.
It must be pointed out, however, that Chelsea and company were aiming to win league titles and compete in the Champions League, something practically none of the natives have experience of. Most England managers continued to ply their trade in the lower leagues and bottom half of the Premier League rather than attempt to forge a reputation abroad.
Roy Hodgson isn’t most English managers. This is a man who earned his first coaching badges when he was 23. This is a man who can speak eight languages. Someone generally regarded as being one of the most organised and pedantic trainers in the world.
It must have been frustrating for Hodgson that he wasn’t held in as high esteem in his own country as he has been in Europe. Regarded as a legend in Scandinavia and Switzerland, in England he was most remembered for one bad season at Blackburn.
He accepted the Fulham job to redeem his reputation in his home country, and he performed miracles with them over two and a half years, taking them from relegation certainties to Europa League finalists. This has finally earned him the opportunity to manage a top English club, even if Liverpool right now is a top club in name only.
For Liverpool the choice was easy. While a few years ago they might have scoffed at the idea of Hodgson as their manager, right now he was their only, and therefore best, option. A club that can’t offer Champions League football can’t expect to attract someone like Jose Mourinho, the man who most Reds fans would have been holding out for as recently as a few months ago, while recently sacked Real Madrid manager Manuel Pellegrini is even reported to have turned down talks.
Kenny Dalglish’s name was bandied about but, despite being three years younger than Hodgson, hasn’t managed for over ten years. He was never likely to be anything more than a short term option anyway.
Hodgson’s career
As a footballer, Hodgson was nothing special. He started out at Crystal Palace, but never made it into the first team. He was released and spent the rest of his playing days in non-league football with teams such as Maidstone and Tonbridge. As a manager, however, his record is mostly excellent.
His first manager’s job was in 1976 with Swedish club Halmstad, who had survived relegation from the Sweden’s top division by the skin of their teeth the previous year and were favourites for the drop. Miraculously, in his first season with them, they won the league.
In the 33 years since, Hodgson has managed in eight countries and won seven league titles. Under his stewardship, Switzerland qualified for the USA ‘94 and Euro ‘96 and at their peak were ranked 3rd in the World behind Brazil and Germany. He has been sacked only twice in his career, by Blackburn Rovers and the United Arab Emirates.
If there is a feeling among Liverpool fans that the arrival of Hodgson marks a further drop down football’s ladder, well then that’s an accurate reflection on their current standing. They should consider themselves fortunate that one of the best and most gravely undervalued managers on the continent was available and willing to come on board. With Hodgson in situ, the chances of Liverpool slipping through Leeds- and Newcastle-shaped trapdoors are greatly reduced. Whether he can prompt a return to the top of the tree, however, remains to be seen.
