Liverpool face tough choice as Stoke City expose Roy Hodgson

Stoke City 2 Liverpool 0

Under pressure: defeat to Stoke City has left Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson with an uncertain Anfield future Photo: ACTION IMAGES

By Rory Smith

That word again. That word which seems destined to haunt Roy Hodgson’s reign as Liverpool manager, however long it lasts. That word which has come to sum up all of the fears and furies of the club’s supporters, that word which will greet each of the club’s defeats this season. “Dalglish.”

To the Liverpool fans who cried for the return of their king as they watched their side fall to a limp, lifeless defeat at Stoke City, in his name lies salvation.

Dalglish used to be a paean. Now he is their prayer. In reality, though, the problem facing their club’s new owners, New England Sports Ventures, is not as simple as a mere coronation. They face an election. They must decide whether to stick or twist.

Hodgson appeared to acknowledge as much in his comments in the aftermath of what was not simply Liverpool’s fifth league defeat of the season, but an unacceptably meek surrender to Tony Pulis’s buoyant, bullish side.

“The fans can chant for whoever they want,” the 63 year-old said. “And it will be up to the club to decide what they want to do. There is nothing I can do about it. If the club decide they want to give the job to somebody else, then I’ll have to accept it.”

It is a statement almost as obvious as it is stark. Yet it encapsulates neatly the decision John W Henry and the his colleagues at NESV find laid at their door less than a month after they completed their £300 million takeover.

The club, as Hodgson says, can do what they want. There would be no great outcry if the former Fulham manager was handed his gold watch and thanked for his services. After all, Liverpool’s fate, without change, seems clear.

“Fans make their frustrations felt every time we lose a game,” Hodgson said. “Unfortunately they may have to do that a few more times this season, because I can’t see us going through a season winning every single game.”

Stick with Hodgson, and Liverpool will endure a season of toil, each victory offering only fleeting respite and each defeat punctuated by that word again, not so much for the results as the performances. mid-table anonymity awaits a club that does not accept mediocrity.

The Britannia provided the perfect paradigm. Liverpool’s squad is not as poor as accepted wisdom maintains, but what is most glaringly lacking is any sort of plan. Whereas, in the victory over Chelsea last week, the most deceptive of false dawns, they attacked with width and verve, here they appeared to attempt to mimic their hosts.

Stoke, though, are rather better at being Stoke than any impostor. They harried and hustled, dominated aerially and earned their reward, Ricardo Fuller prodded home the scrappiest of openers, the imperious Kenwyne Jones stroked home a rather more refined injury-time clincher.

Liverpool, in contrast, offered nothing, their imitation flattering but failing. And to make matters worse, Lucas was sent off late on for a needess hack. The player may be interested to know that Hodgson was last night watching Rennes’ defensive midfielder Yann M’Vila.

Yet for all his troubles, twisting, dispensing with Hodgson, may be unappealing to NESV. Attracting a manager mid-season is hardly ideal. His replacement may fare no better, and there is little appetite for creating problems when already NESV must deal with concerns over the futures of Fernando Torres, who will have a hamstring strain assessed by Spain’s medical team this week, Pepe Reina and now Glen Johnson, reportedly unsettled by Hodgson’s comments on his poor form.

It would be rather apt should Hodgson keep his job more for what he is not – risk, uncertainty, doubt – than what he is.

zocoss

15 Nov 10, 20:44

HODGSON: I`M DOING MY BEST

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Roy Hodgson insists he will continue to give his best for Liverpool, but will accept any decision to hand the manager's job to somebody else.

Liverpool appeared to have shown signs of recovering from a poor start to the season when last week's 2-0 success over Chelsea made it three Premier League wins in a row.

However, the Reds followed up a midweek draw at Wigan Athletic by going down to a 2-0 defeat at Stoke City on Saturday to place fresh question marks over Hodgson's future.

The travelling support at the Britannia Stadium chanted the name of Kenny Dalglish and Hodgson was aware of the clamour for the Kop legend's return to the hot seat.

Hodgson, though, is adamant it will take time to produce consistent results with his current squad and is determined to fight on in the job he only accepted in the summer.

"If the club decide they want to give the job to somebody else, then I'll have to accept that, if that day comes," said Hodgson

"We are short of players, as everyone knows and we don't have so many options.

"The fans can chant for whoever they want and it will be up to the club to decide what they want to do.

"There is nothing I can do about it and I can only continue to do the best job I can do under these circumstances."

He added: "I can't get upset every time the fans chant someone's name and furthermore, we have millions of fans.

"Maybe the travelling fans are showing their frustration because we've lost, they are entitled to do that.

"Fans make their frustrations felt every time we lose, but unfortunately they may have to do that a few more times, because I can't see us going through a season winning every game."