Shouting into the wind

I haven’t written a blog for a while and there is one simple reason: I’ve nothing original to say. I can continue repeating my assertions that Hodgson is completely unsuited to and making a terrible hash of the role of LFC manager and continue to add to the list of evidence supporting that view (which comes in faster than I can type some days), but I see little point. To me, this case was closed long ago. Quite simply, the man should not be in post at this time.

I understand the arguments for not yet dismissing him – none of which are based on him being retained based on his ability and potential – but I just don’t agree. I agree that we need to avoid having a revolving door to the manager’s office and that it is vital that our owners appoint a manager for the long term who shares their vision, can work their way and crucially who can deliver a significant upturn in our fortunes on the pitch. If they need time to find that man then by all means they should take their time. However, they do not need to retain the services of one Roy Hodgson until that search is concluded. They have a perfectly able interim manager in Kenny Dalglish who would surely achieve more with this set of players than the current incumbent (should that be ‘incompetent’?).

I’ve heard the argument that if Kenny did a good job for half a season before stepping aside, as soon as the new man hits a rocky patch there may be calls for the King to return permanently. To that I say it’s down to the board to appoint a new man that the fans believe in. If that happens, the fans will back him just as they did with Rafa. Roy Evans allegedly didn’t want Kenny back at the club as he feared calls for Kenny to oust him but even during Rafa’s worst season, I was not aware of a single voice calling for Kenny to be reinstated. The majority of true supporters unconditionally backed their manager while the fools laughably called for his replacement with Jose Mourinho(!) – as if the Portuguese would ever take a job where he couldn’t spend millions on top, top players in order to achieve success and then leave before his management strategy is exposed as being extremely short-term.

If the next man is the right man, he won’t have to worry about Kenny. If not, it will be Groundhog Day but that won’t be Kenny’s fault and nor will it be a direct legacy of making our most famous son interim manager this season.

Newcastle United is the prime example of how chopping and changing your manager during a season can have disastrous effects but in their case, they tend to sack managers just a couple of games into the season or when the team is actually achieving at the level it should be – whether the fans accept that level or not. There are plenty of other examples where changing the manager has had a positive impact. The best example was Chelsea a couple of years ago who replaced Scolari – who himself was only appointed in the summer – with Hiddink who revitalised the team and won them the FA Cup laying superb foundations for Ancelotti to build on the following season. While I think that level of success is beyond us, there is no question we are underachieving under Hodgson and worse, the football is so dire and the man himself so despicably useless that I found myself celebrating that our game was snowed off last Saturday as it meant he couldn’t ruin another of my weekends.

He has to go.