Blackburn post match, Roy "we ended the match on a high" thread

[erikolaf]

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/roy-s-blackburn-verdict

Roy Hodgson spoke of his disappointment and frustration after Liverpool slumped to a 3-1 defeat at Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday night.

Martin Olsson and a brace from Benjani put the home side into a three-goal lead inside an hour at Ewood Park.

Steven Gerrard reduced the arrears with 10 minutes remaining but the captain missed from the penalty spot before the end.

Asked to sum up his feelings after the game by reporters, Hodgson replied: "Dejection, bitter disappointment and frustration.

"I'm very disappointed for the fans who travelled so far and gave us such good support only to see the team concede the goals we conceded.

"I thought in the second half we did our best to retrieve a seemingly hopeless situation and get back on track and who knows, if Steven's penalty had gone in we might have even made the last five minutes even more exciting.

"Unfortunately, when you're Liverpool and you lose away to Blackburn there is nothing that can be said which will put a positive slant or make the situation look any brighter, so as far as I'm concerned it's a really, really bad day.

"There's not much more I can say other than to say to the fans that anything they're feeling tonight, I can assure them the feeling is equally as bad and equally as depressed in the dressing room because tonight it was a performance which was anything other than the performance we wanted to give."

He continued: "In football you do what you always do. You keep going as best you can, you make certain you try and get over the result, you make certain the next result is a better one and hopefully wipes away the memory, but that's all you can do.

"Football unfortunately throws up some good moments and bad moments, and when it throws up a bad moment there is no amount of talking that is going to change anything.

"It'll be the next performance which could change things."

[Armchairkopite]

http://www.nesn.com/2011/01/roy-hodg...blackburn.html

Good

[dom9]

http://www.nesn.com/2011/01/roy-hodg...blackburn.html

Scathing.

[McDermotX]

http://www.nesn.com/2011/01/roy-hodg...blackburn.html

Nice

[el matador]

http://www.nesn.com/2011/01/roy-hodg...blackburn.html

is that site related to nesv in anyway ?

[Kenneth]

http://www.nesn.com/2011/01/roy-hodg...blackburn.html

The New England Sports Network (NESN) is owned by the Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins and delivered to over 4 million homes throughout the six-state New England region and nationally as NESN National. The definitive source for New England sports programming.

[ronanm]

Fair point by a caller on LFC Tv - where are the owners in all this? Why are they not telling us what their intentions are?? Are they going to keep him/sack him???

[Drago]

Doesn't sound like a man about to resign to me

[-V-]

Roy Hodgson has asked for patience. He's asked for the chance to leave his imprint on his side, for his tactics to be accepted. He's asked for fan support, financial backing -- the list goes on, and the results have only grown worse, and at this point, he pretty much has nothing left to ask for.
In the wake of Liverpool's abysmal 3-1 loss to a Blackburn Rovers side that is nearly always uninspiring -- a result eerily similar to those found against Wolves, Blackpool and other sides Liverpool supporters can't fathom losing to -- one of two things must be true -- maybe both.
Either Liverpool's squad is full of players who just aren't very good, or Hodgson has been utterly incapable of making the team even a fraction of the sum of its parts.
It is said with relative frequency that this is nearly the same team as in 2008, yet this team is in 12th place, and that one finished second, but that may be a little unfair. The Sotirios Kyrgiakos-Martin Skrtel combination cannot hold a candle to the 2008 versions of Daniel Agger-Jamie Carragher in terms of class. Paul Konchesky is nowhere near the player that Fabio Aurelio was at that point, and the right back actually played defense.
David Ngog, also, wasn't anywhere near the first team, and Maxi Rodriguez, Christian Poulsen and Joe Cole can't be remotely be compared to Javier Mascherano, Yossi Benayoun and Xabi Alonso.
All in all, the 2008-08 team was not the same as the 2010-11 team, but even if the comparison is unfair, there's certainly half-truth in it.
Dirk Kuyt is still Dirk Kuyt -- except he isn't. Fernando Torres is still Fernando Torres -- except he isn't, and the same can even be said of Steven Gerrard, who now has bursts of resolve and brilliance intermingling with long periods of disappearance. Sure, each is older, but not so much that any of them should have declined.
Their play is surely affected by the class of those around them, but even so, they just aren't themselves. Their body language is poor, they seem disinterested and they play with a lack of belief.
When great players appear as such for such an extended period of time, there's no possible argument to make other that the manager is to blame.
Poor performance, of course, can often be condoned if the team seems to be giving an effort, playing fun, aggressive football, or at least showing signs of improvement. Those qualities, though, can be attributed to the likes of Wigan, Blackpool and Wolves -- none of whom Liverpool beat.
Hodgson's side, on the other hand, plays negative, low-pressure football normally displayed -- ironically -- by Blackburn Rovers. On Wednesday, Rovers surely didn't look as such. Instead, they proved how poorly the strategy was working for their opponents. Gave Blackburn ample space to win balls in midfield and build down both wings, the results of which were countless crosses and three beautiful Blackburn goals.
So, if nothing is working, why maintain the status quo -- especially in the midst of the transfer window?
Hodgson's philosophy is one of negative football, and though such worked at Fulham, it has proven to be disastrous at Anfield, and any attempt on his part to "leave his imprint" as such could only prove more disastrous. It's not as though he hasn't had a chance to bring players in. He did so with Cole, Konchesky, Poulsen and others, and they've generally proven to be exactly what he is -- negative in approach and performance. The team clearly must spend in January, but it would be dangerously profligate to allow the team to waste money in its current direction. Something must change.
Many considered the last-gasp Bolton win to be a stay of execution for Hodgson. Then, as usual under Hodgson, the next match came, and the team looked dead.
It is, of course, never a certainty, but it would be a surprise to many if that stay of execution wasn't short-lived -- even Mr. Hodgson could have few words to the contrary.

And thats written by a Boston Yank called Nick Coman

[Armchairkopite]

Fair point by a caller on LFC Tv - where are the owners in all this? Why are they not telling us what their intentions are?? Are they going to keep him/sack him???

Roy Evans concurring with caller

[el matador]

Doesn't sound like a man about to resign to me

he wont resign. Roy hodgson wont do the decent thing

he has to be sacked.

[Montana]

http://www.nesn.com/2011/01/roy-hodgson-has-few-arguments-for-keeping-his-job-left-after-awful-3-1-loss-at-blackburn.html#comment-6a0115709f071f970b0147e14da2d1970b

Post your comments on NESN.com

[RedReet]

I didn't think anything would make me laugh tonight after that performance, but

It’s all you can do in this situation mate. I wasn’t trying to wind you up, just trying not to get annoyed myself and trying to keep my thoughts light hearted while I patiently wait on the enviable. My boozing ban is out the window on day 2, work for tomorrow is out the window, so if I actually allow myself to get annoyed, things would get much, much worse.

No harm intended.

[Lisburn Red]

http://www.nesn.com/2011/01/roy-hodg...blackburn.html

Has to be positive this dismissive tone on NESN ?

[Armchairkopite]

Craig is on the line calling for Carra to be made player manager