What now for Roy?

[Havors]

I spoke too soon.

so they are going to come in and straight away dont listen to fans... good start.

I hope its just a generic statement so as not to unsettle the team further before they take full control.

[Taxi]

I spoke too soon.

He's already spent £20m and got Cole on a free and taken us into the relegation zone...

[Scratch]

So no one is of the opinion that off-the-field matters can weigh heavily on players minds, and with uncertain futures their performances can dip? Something i swear Carra alluded to in an interview a few months back?

[The_weatherman]

I spoke too soon.

so they are going to come in and straight away dont listen to fans... good start.

I hope its just a generic statement so as not to unsettle the team further before they take full control.

I reckon they won't / can't really do anything until after the legal challenge by H&G is settled so Roy would at least have until then to turn things around.

[peekay]

I reckon they won't / can't really do anything until after the legal challenge by H&G is settled so Roy would at least have until then to turn things around.

I don't think they will make any radical changes for a month or two. Expect them to put in a new management team to run the business side of things over the next few years.

Having said that, Roy has managed to unite the fans in a way no manager has done in the last 20 years.

[The_weatherman]

Having said that, Roy has managed to unite the fans in a way no manager has done in the last 20 years.

That's true I reckon they'll get someone else in around january, going by what NEVS are doing elsewhere they seem to prefer younger managers and coaches. Neil, you can put your application on hold for now.

[Taxi]

Can we do a manager exchange with the Red Sox? It can't do any harm.

[danperkins]

Go this off F365, make of it what you will:

Five Reasons To Keep The Faith

* Hodgson started slowly at Fulham too. In his first nine games at the Cottage he won just once, was knocked out of the FA Cup by Bristol Rovers and was seconds away from relegation, before Diomansy Kamara scored that winner against Manchester City. After surviving, Fulham flourished. It's not a guarantee that success is just around the corner, but judging Hodgson on his first seven league games could be hasty.


* You want to blame someone? Blame the players. Each of the XI that started for Liverpool against Blackpool on Sunday went to the World Cup. And with 'proper' teams too. Spain (Reina, Torres), England (Johnson, Carragher, Gerrard, Cole), Portugal (Meireles), Holland (Kuyt) and Denmark (Agger, Poulsen). That XI should have enough talent, application and basic pride to beat Blackpool, a side that admittedly are performing above their talent levels, but are still incredibly limited. And it isn't a team that has just been chucked together either - eight of the XI were at the club last season. A manager can only do so much - it's up to the players to actually perform.


* Liverpool fans talk about 'the Liverpool way', and how a club as illustrious as theirs must go about their business in a dignified and honest manner. Is it dignified or honest to hound a good man and a good manager out of his job after seven games? Is it dignified to demand he is replaced by a man who walked away from the club 19 years ago, and hasn't had a managerial job in the last ten? Sacking a manager after such a short amount of time is the quickest way to be regarded as a total laughing stock, on and off the pitch. This is the sort of thing Newcastle used to do, and look where it got them. If Liverpool fans want an honest and dignified club, they should keep their honest and dignified manager.


* 'Liverpool in the relegation zone' sounds awful, but the league table is more or less meaningless at this stage of the season. If one were to take the uber-optimistic route, Liverpool are only five points off the Champions League places. A couple of weeks ago Stoke were in the bottom three - a few wins later and they are seventh. In a season when even the best teams seem keen to throw points away, having this total after such a short time is not the catastrophe some seem to think.


* It would just be mental to sack him. Seven games in...it's just mental.


Five Reasons To Sack Him...Now

* There is a sense that Hodgson is simply out of his depth. A lovely and intelligent guy, but one that is not suited to a big club, with big expectations. In general, his record is one of a man who succeeds when expectations are not particularly high. Even his proudest managerial achievement, at Halmstads in Sweden, was a surprise. Hodgson took over a club that had avoided relegation on goal difference, and took them to two league titles - their first since forming in 1914. At Fulham anything other than keeping their heads afloat in the Premier League was regarded as a bonus and a success. A man cannot necessarily be criticised for not over-achieving, for turning dark, cloudy water into the finest Pinot Noir, but for not delivering the absolute minimum...he should be responsible for that.


* Hodgson was always regarded as a stop-gap appointment anyway. Giving a 62-year-old man the job was never going to be anything more than temporary. He was supposed to be the man to steady a ship full of holes. Thus far, he only seems to have made more holes. His team selection has bordered on the bizarre, selecting players out of position, and tactics appear to be non-existent. His dismissal would not create too many ripples, so it may be best to get rid of him before more damage is caused.


* The counter-argument to the 'the players should be good enough' point is simply to say that they therefore should be pretty easy to manage. If a team is good enough to win without management, then surely a manager who has taken them into the bottom three can only be providing a corrosive influence. In theory, a team of top-class internationals should only require a small amount of motivation and tactical guidance. Hodgson has showed little of that so far.


* More than many clubs, Liverpool are driven by their fans. Could the return of Kenny Dalglish provide the boost that they need? Sometimes all it takes is a change to turn an ailing season around - to simply 'not be the other guy'. Could King Kenny be that change?


* They lost to Blackpool. And Northampton. Blackpool. Northampton. Bloody hell.

[Buzzo]

I have seen a couple of those bad boys myself in this recession.

[el matador]

New England Sports Ventures - make it happen....

The call of the reds too strong to resist for Benitez ?

Inter Milan were pluged into chaos this afternoon after it emerged that manager Rafa Benitez had been in contact with Liverpool officials over a possible sensational return to Anfield.

The Spaniard, who left Liverpool under a cloud and who recently stated that he had unfinished business at the Reds claimed that Liverpool was his home. His contract with Inter still has 21 months to run and incredibly it does not include a buy out clause leaving Benitez effectively free to speak to other clubs.

Speaking from his Milan base, Benitez said earlier today "There have been some contacts with Liverpool, its true. However, I have a contract with Inter which has 2 years left to go. At this moment, I dont want to say too much because I have a contract with Inter and have to be respectful of them. But those close to me know that Liverpool is my home and the fans are my own. We need to analyse things and see what happens."

[Shaggy]

New England Sports Ventures - make it happen....

The call of the reds too strong to resist for Benitez ?

Inter Milan were pluged into chaos this afternoon after it emerged that manager Rafa Benitez had been in contact with Liverpool officials over a possible sensational return to Anfield.

The Spaniard, who left Liverpool under a cloud and who recently stated that he had unfinished business at the Reds and that Liverpool was his home. His contract with Inter still has 21 months to run and incredibly it does not include a buy out clause leaving Benitez effectively free to speak to other clubs.

Speaking from his Milan base, Benitez said earlier today "There have been some contacts with Liverpool, its true. However, I have a contract with Inter which has 2 years left to go. At this moment, I dont want to say too much because I have a contract with Inter and have to be respectful of them. But those close to me know that Liverpool is my home and the fans are my own. We need to analyse things and see what happens."

The **** has this come from? A wind up surely?

[el matador]

The **** has this come from? A wind up surely?

it is but its a headline that i would dearly love to see.

If its true that NESV want to forge close links with the fans (and the SOS) they have to bring back rafa and get rid of Roy now.

Bring him back.

[Shaggy]

FFS

[Fredo]

New England Sports Ventures - make it happen....

The call of the reds too strong to resist for Benitez ?

Inter Milan were pluged into chaos this afternoon after it emerged that manager Rafa Benitez had been in contact with Liverpool officials over a possible sensational return to Anfield.

The Spaniard, who left Liverpool under a cloud and who recently stated that he had unfinished business at the Reds claimed that Liverpool was his home. His contract with Inter still has 21 months to run and incredibly it does not include a buy out clause leaving Benitez effectively free to speak to other clubs.

Speaking from his Milan base, Benitez said earlier today "There have been some contacts with Liverpool, its true. However, I have a contract with Inter which has 2 years left to go. At this moment, I dont want to say too much because I have a contract with Inter and have to be respectful of them. But those close to me know that Liverpool is my home and the fans are my own. We need to analyse things and see what happens."

That must be made up.

[Fredo]

it is