Elite
If I didn’t have a life (of sorts) I could surely waste mine in dissecting every disagreeable and idiotic utterance from the disagreeable idiot Roy “Hodgo” Hodgson. The man simply can’t let a day go past without shooting himself in the foot. However I do have a life (of sorts) and so I am just going to focus on a couple of statements from a single recent interview.
Roy: We’re fighting to find form – 20th Oct 2010 – Latest News
Roy Hodgson today insisted his players are working hard to emerge from their current troubles.
The boss admits his squad is down after a poor run of results, but he’s taking heart from the training sessions since Sunday’s derby defeat where the Reds are showing determination to find their best form.
“The players were very upbeat today,” said Hodgson. “The training session was very good – the intensity and concentration was as good as one would wish to see at any stage in the season. That, in itself, is very commendable when you are down. You can’t deny that we are down. We are down because we aren’t doing what we want to do, because the fans are angry and disappointed in us; we are down because we are at a great club and should be doing better.
“Unfortunately the reason we aren’t doing better is down to a number of factors. But it was great that we all rose above it and got out there and started playing again. Now we badly need that result or run of results that will at least take us into a safer position when we can live and breathe again.”
Liverpool can forget about their league troubles tomorrow night when they turn their focus to a Europa League clash with Napoli in Italy.
With four points from their opening two group games, the Reds are ideally placed to kick on and secure early qualification – but Hodgson insists his side will face a tough test in Italy.
“They are good,” he said. “I spoke to Claudio Ranieri at an elite trainer conference in Nyon not so long back and asked him about the Italian league and where the major threat to so called big clubs come from. He cited Napoli. Apparently they have a new owner, the son of the famous film producer, De Laurentiis.
“A lot of money has been put into the club, they’ve invested in some big name South American players.
“They are taking it very seriously. They are fourth in the league. Whatever team we play will have a tough game. We’ve got great respect for them. We’ve scouted them, we’ve been to see them play twice and done our video analysis.
“It’ll be a chance for at least four or five players that haven’t played so much this year to show me that they should be in the team or that I should be taking them seriously.”
Let’s leave aside his habitual proactive damage limitation exercise of bigging up our opposition. Let’s refuse to be provoked by the suggestion that if we’re lucky enough to win a few games then we might be able to climb out of the relegation zone. Let’s focus instead on
Hodgo’s continuing addiction to his own self-importance and credentials – If you’ve blinked and missed it, he is fond of occasionally reminding us that he is one of the most respected coaches in Europe, the LMA Manager of the Year, who cost us an arm and a leg in compensation, was welcomed with “pomp and circumstance”, and is far too good to ever manage in Scandanavia again. Even though that’s the only place he’s ever won anything. So of course he was attending an Elite Trainer Conference at Nyon – home of UEFA, donchaknow? I’m only surprised he was prepared to lower himself to the level of the merely elite. Surely UEFA at least had the decency to get someone to bedazzle his conference ID?
Hodgo’s continuing B-Team contempt – Apparently a bunch of ne’er-do-wells that he would have loved to have been able to sign when he was elitely training the Fulham squad now have to fight to get their own manager to take his playing staff seriously. Presumably then it’s their fault he hasn’t been taking his job seriously so far. That might make sense, I suppose. After all, somebody’s got to shoulder the responsibility for everything that’s gone wrong since the highly respected Hodgo arrived at Anfield. And if we can’t pin the blame on Rafa Benitez then it might as well be the B-Team. Still, I’m sure they’re now fully motivated to get Hodgo’ a result in Napoli now. After all, it might be their last chance to get a Euro-elite coach to take them seriously.
Couple of questions:
Is it wrong that I don’t feel even remotely guilty for detesting the manager of Liverpool FC?
Should we read anything into the fact that even the Official Site is allowing Hodgo to shoot off his toes one by one?
