Welcome to LFC Roy Hodgson (Officially Confirmed)

[banditos]

forgot about maxi lol. the team will be so better now that aquilani and maxi seem to be settled (fingers crossed/touch wood) with jovanovic in. we just need Turan and an experienced left back and we should be able to make the top 4!

I'd add a quality back-up striker to that.

[DannyMan2006]

I think any manager in charge of a limited team would definitely do one thing and that is make them solid and hard to beat. Average managers would then throw in a route one long ball game and look to pummel the opposition with long balls.

Hodgson obviously made them hard to beat, but instead of reverting to option two, like teams such as Bolton, Blackburn and Stoke, he stuck to a passing game. That is to his credit.

I think there is only so many goals a team concisting of players such as Simon Davies and Bobby Zamora will score, but at least they played it the right way.

[Mox79]

I know its late, but any way....

Welcome Roy! i hope you can turn things round for our great club!

[Mostar]

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11669_6243260,00.html

Hodgson wants new owners
New Reds boss was made aware of behind-the-scenes issues

New Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson is desperate to see an ownership takeover at Anfield as soon as possible.

Reds co-owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks appointed Barclays Capital in May to sell their control and British Airways chairman Martin Broughton was appointed to oversee the process.

Broughton confessed on Thursday at a press conference to unveil Hodgson as Rafa Benitez's successor that he had yet to receive an official offer for Liverpool, but he insists that there are interested parties.

With Liverpool struggling under reported debts of £350million, Hodgson wants to see the arrival of replacements for Gillett and Hicks, and to get his hands on the expected transfer funds that would be made available after a takeover.

He said: "The sooner that happens the better. That is what the fans want. They want new ownership, maybe in the way Manchester City found new ownership!

"I can understand fans wanting that because they want the best for the club.

"They know the only way to get that is to have quality players on the pitch and they cost money."

Former Fulham boss Hodgson was made aware of the structure and status of Liverpool's hierarchy before he arrived.

He added: "It was made clear to me how the board was set up and that the owners are quite prepared to sell the club.

"I was told I would have to accept that somewhere during my tenure the club might be sold and I fully understand the position.

"There's always going to be people who want to own Liverpool. It's just a question of when it can be sold and whether the new owners are prepared to back the club as we all think it should be backed."

[Craig_H]

Yeah, that one season, no different, so many fans seem to think it about just one season.

He better had, this side finished 2nd the season before under the manager the club sacked, won a european cup and went to another final under him, i would have expected top 3 from Rafa this season...with a very fired up squad i'd hope.

As for the bet, i'll go 50 he wont finish higher that Rafa did the season before last.

So many fans, blinded by one bad season.

It was worse than bad though.

And there's a reason why a 'minimum acceptable requirement' is called that.

[Craig_H]

Other than Reina, no player has came out publically and said that they are sad to see him go or to even wish him well. You would have thought Carra or Gerrard atleast would have said something nice about him??

That says it all, I think they were relieved to see him gone because they were as frustrated with him as alot of the fans were

Mate, you're wasting your time with Mattshark, his red-tinted specs view should be taken about as seriously as fredo and 5europeancups.

[Craig_H]

Man United had a stronger squad to start with

And we had a stronger squad than Villa, Spurs and City, to start with.

Cant have it both ways. Although i suspect you'll try to

[Mattshark]

Mate, you're wasting your time with Mattshark, his red-tinted specs view should be taken about as seriously as fredo and 5europeancups.

No it is just simply that you can't read or understand a multidimensional concept.

[Mattshark]

And we had a stronger squad than Villa, Spurs and City, to start with.

Cant have it both ways. Although i suspect you'll try to

First team, yes, squad, probably stronger than Villa's but not the others.

[red g]

First team, yes, squad, probably stronger than Villa's but not the others.

i think villa had more of a balanced squad. quite simply in Torres and N'gog with kuyt and babel is probably one of the worse in the premiership as soon as torres out we were always going to be ****ed

[el matador]

Meh, I think we'll just be overrun in midfield with 442, not just due to the fact that we only have one out and out striker.

I have to agree with Matt.

You can play 442 if you have two solid wide midfield players in the mould of dejan stankovic, or a younger maxi rodriguez players who will attack and get back at every opportunity, players who can can get to the line and cross properly.

If you play with the three in midfield you can afford to have at least one out and out winger ie valencia from united and another attacking midfielder capable of getting 15 goals from the wide position.

But if you play 442 with 2 attacking wingers then we will get slaughtered every game.

The other problem we have is that Gerrard hasnt played centre midfield for at least 4 or 5 seasons and you cant ask a 30 year old who hasnt the fitness required for midfield to start playing there and if masher goes then we will have a problem as a new midfield paring will have to be found. I dont think lucas will start as many games as he did this season unless hodgson has no other choice but to play him - but not as a defensive midfield player.

Honestly, i dont think hodgson will play gerrard behind torres like rafa did.

[DannyMan2006]

I have to agree with Matt.

You can play 442 if you have two solid wide midfield players in the mould of dejan stankovic, or a younger maxi rodriguez players who will attack and get back at every opportunity, players who can can get to the line and cross properly.

If you play with the three in midfield you can afford to have at least one out and out winger ie valencia from united and another attacking midfielder capable of getting 15 goals from the wide position.

But if you play 442 with 2 attacking wingers then we will get slaughtered every game.

The other problem we have is that Gerrard hasnt played centre midfield for at least 4 or 5 seasons and you cant ask a 30 year old who hasnt the fitness required for midfield to start playing there and if masher goes then we will have a problem as a new midfield paring will have to be found. I dont think lucas will start as many games as he did this season unless hodgson has no other choice but to play him - but not as a defensive midfield player.

Honestly, i dont think hodgson will play gerrard behind torres like rafa did.

Hodgson has played Gera and Dempsey behind Zamora for Fulham. He may go that way. We'll see. I think it will all come down to options available to him.

[Shaggy]

FERGIE MAY KOP HUMP OVER ROY MOVE

Hodgson fears for Sir Alex relationship


By Chris Bascombe


ROY HODGSON fears his pal Sir Alex Ferguson will consider his Kop appointment 'unforgivable'.

The new Liverpool boss says he is dreading his next phone call to Fergie as he suspects he'll disapprove of his desire to end Manchester United's supremacy over the Merseysiders.

The two have huge respect for each other. But such is the intensity between the opposing fans, Hodgson recognises the dynamics of their rivalry may change.

Hodgson, 62, said: "I know Sir Alex is not really a Liverpool man so I'm a bit concerned about my excellent relationship with him.

"I hope he forgives me for moving north and, hopefully, we can have a glass of wine together, maybe in secret.

"I hope that's how he is going to see it but he is one of the people I intend to ring to find out.

"When I rang the Fulham chairman to say I wished to move to Liverpool, that was one call I had to get out of the way and Alex might be the next one.

"I must say I've always believed you don't have battles with other managers.

Ridiculous

"Football teams have battles with other football teams, clubs have battles with other clubs and I've never subscribed to that theory that it's me and you.

"I used to find it quite ridiculous in Italy when they used to compare your record against another manager. It's a nonsense. If you happen to be manager of a club who is fighting for survival against a club which wins the title every year, the chances are that in the battles you've had he's won one and you've won five. That's the way it goes."

Hodgson intends to revive the passing game which is imbedded into the culture of the club, citing the great Kop sides of the 1970s as an inspiration on his coaching career.

And he's vowed to nurture more English talent through the Anfield ranks.

He said: "I do have ideals and principles we'll follow. I like a high-tempo passing game, I like players to work hard, I like players to get back in position.

"All the things I've always liked are the things Liverpool were famous for in their heyday. Pass and move, always move it quickly and once you lose get back in to position was the mantra that took Liverpool through their great years.

"We have to find a basis of English players because of the way UEFA and Premier League rules are going. We've got to get more homegrown players otherwise we're going to struggle to get our squad numbers together.

"Kenny Dalglish can play a very, very important role in this.

"The club has already brought in a couple of players like Jonjo Shelvey and Raheem Sterling. Top English talent."

Hodgson is also promising a clean slate for those who felt sidelined under the previous regime.

He said: "Whenever a new manager comes in, players who have been on the periphery start to see it and maybe think, 'this could be my chance, I'll have a go'.

"You'd be foolish as a manager not to give them that chance."

Demise

Hodgson knows it was Fulham's eye-catching season, allied to Liverpool's demise, which earned him the Kop job.

But he's only been dismissed once from his last 15 jobs and his mid-90s departure from Blackburn swiftly followed the loss of the spine of his side in Stephane Henchoz, Tim Sherwood and Chris Sutton.

He'll be praying history doesn't repeat itself and he can keep Liverpool's big names together this summer.

Hodgson added: "I suppose that might be a sad indictment on the way coaches are selected.

"Win three matches and you're in line for top job. Lose three and you can forget all about it.

"I'd like to think people here would have been good enough to recognise my qualities without last season. But, of course, it plays a part.

"Mind you, I've had 35 years and never been out of work."

[Mostar]

I guess he is still adopting to the new role as LFC manager...Roy, if you did not know we cannot stand any manure scums including your friend. Better get use to it FFS.

[Shaggy]

Mr Ferguson won't be able to help himself and is bound to carry on talking **** about us. I wonder if Roy'll bite.