Red Jihad

The case for Roy “Hodgo” Hodgson has been put forward repeatedly. Most often by his biggest admirer, Roy “Hodgo” Hodgson. And it appears to be that:

• Roy “Hodgo” Hodgson is not Rafael Maudes Benitez
• Roy “Hodgo” Hodgson is English
• Gerrard and Carragher like Roy “Hodgo” Hodgson and did not like Rafael Maudes Benitez
• The media likes Roy “Hodgo” Hodgson
• British managers made to look stupid by Rafael Maudes Benitez like Roy “Hodgo” Hodgson
• Roy “Hodgo” Hodgson is one of the most respected coaches in Europe
• Roy “Hodgo” Hodgson won the LMA award for losing a minor European trophy
• Roy “Hodgo” Hodgson has 35 years of experience
• Liverpool FC paid at least a gazillion dorrar to remove Rafael Benitez and replace him with Roy “Hodgo” Hodgson so Roy “Hodgo” Hodgson must be the better man.
• Roy “Hodgo” Hodgson inherited a team that was relegation-bound and needs therefore to be trusted and given all the time in the world to turn things around and put the club back where in belongs – mid-table, at best.

Well, fuck him. Fuck the media. Fuck Gerrard and Carragher. And fuck England and the English. We’re not English, we are Scouse, and we can see right through Roy “Hodgo” Hodgson.

Experience – Roy “Hodgo” Hodgson does not have 35 years of experience. He has the same year repeated 35 times. Football has changed significantly in that time. But Roy “Hodgo” Hodgson has not developed or grown as a manager. And he appears to be proud of the fact
Ahead of the game against Blackpool, the Reds boss was quizzed as to whether his approach might be wrong when it comes to managing Liverpool as opposed to his former club Fulham.

He said: “What do you mean by that? In 35 years how many clubs have I had?

“What do you mean do my methods translate? They have translated from Halmsteds to Malmo to Orebo to Neuchatel Xamax to the Swiss national team.

“So I find the question insulting. To suggest that, because I have moved from one club to another, that the methods which have stood me in good stead for 35 years and made me one of the most respected coaches in Europe don’t suddenly work, is very hard to believe.”

Have I mentioned that Roy “Hodgo” Hodgson is one of the most respected coaches in Europe? Oh, and what was the result in that game against Blackpool?

One Gazillion Dorrar – The astute financial brains that paid to replace the seventh highest rated manager in the world with someone who couldn’t even crack the top 162 also agreed to pay $252 million over ten years for a rounders player called Alex Rodriguez and then – when forced to get his wage bill off their books – agreed to pay $67 million of the $179 million left on his contract just to see him go. And that’s just one example. The money LFC spent on bringing Roy “Hodgo” Hodgson to Anfield is already gone. It’s no reason to keep him here when the cost of doing so will be to destroy – perhaps irretrievably- the fabric of the team and the club  and – quite possibly – relegation and all the financial losses associated with that.

Roy “Hodgo” Hodgson inherited a team that was relegation-bound – Oh fucking really? Last season, we were blighted by bad luck and bad refereeing – the beach ball goal, for example – and by injuries. And apparently plagued by a rift between ageing English players and their more ambitious foriegn team-mates. And we still finished seventh. Which was considered reason enough – by the media, the English players, and those astute financial brains – to fire the seventh highest rated manager in the world – the man who had taken us to two European Cup finals. Roy “Hodgo” Hodgson was supposed to be able to put his arm around the squad, bring everyone back together, and improve on seventh place. So when exactly did the team and the players suddenly become so crap that his job was saving us from relegation and turning everything around? As far as I can tell, it was about twenty minutes after everyone discovered that he was a doddering old shithouse who couldn’t manage his way out of a wet paper bag with a chainsaw. All Hodgo’s supporters realized that he was making them looking like idiots and so they decided to rewrite history to protect themselves and their beloved English manager.