Liverpool supporters have had a difficult two years. First, Rafael Benitez could only lead the Reds to a seventh place finish last season, so he clearly deserved the boot. Just a half a year later, though, and Liverpool are looking back at seventh with longing, sitting in twelfth position after eight league losses. The squad lost to bottom-dwellers Wolverhampton yesterday, which might even lead some fans to miss the days of Rafa.
Liverpool Manager Roy Hodgson Resorts To Blaming Anfield Support-At What Point Does Hodgson Acknowledge Own Flaws?
But even as Liverpool go from loss to loss, looking like shadows of the stars they are, manager Roy Hodgson still looks to blame nearly everyone and everything besides his own lack of skill on the touchline. His most current complaint? The “famous Anfield support” has not been present during his reign. During the match against Wolves Liverpool supporters chanted the name of former manager Kenny Dalglish as well as sarcastically calling for “Hodgson for England.” According to Hodgson, this sort of negativity is not helping a side lacking confidence.
He might have a bit of a point. After all, players aware that they are not playing at the best of their abilities are likely not helped by the lack of fan support. Yet at the same time, it’s the job of the manager to create a team that is prepared to win. It’s the manager’s job to recognize what talents in his side can best be used to exploit the other team’s weakness. And Hodgson, it seems, mostly subscribes to a system in which he continues to add and remove players seemingly at random, hoping that a shift just might bring a little luck.
It's possible that Liverpool thought they were getting a different manager than the one who appeared at Anfield. After all, he did win England's Manager Of The Year award last season, after guiding Fulham to the Europa League final, forcing the country to pay attention to the Europa League and instilling a sense of belief that English managers really could be good at what they do. But Hodgson's ability to get the most out of a small squad has not translated to the stars of Liverpool. Players like Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres have looked like ghosts of their former selves this season.
But is it really time for Hodgson to be cut loose? Is there someone out there that can guide these players back to their best form? Rafa is available, but the Reds certainly aren't going to go crawling back to Benitez, particularly not after the upheaval at Inter Milan. Many Aston Villa fans will likely trade new manager Gerard Houllier for Hodgson. Liverpool would get back a name that signifies former glory while Villa supporters would get someone they're comfortable with: an Englishman playing an English style. Of course, Liverpool can also try their luck on Sam Allardyce, Chris Hughton or even Brian Laws. But can any of these offer what Hodgson doesn't?
Perhaps they can (although what, exactly, would be a subject for another piece). In this season of the disposable manager, it’s certainly not too early for Hodgson to worry about it. In fact, he’s likely been fretting for the past couple months. As such, he needs to stop shifting the blame from his own weaknesses to anything and everything else. It’s not the fans’ fault that Liverpool is losing. To put it most simply, it’s the players and the way they’re being used. This is what Hodgson must focus on--not the songs being sung in the Kop.
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