Stability has been the focus at Liverpool this season or has it? Roy Hodgson was earmarked as the man to steady the ship in the summer as Liverpool parted company with Hicks and Gillett and introduced John W Henry and NESV.
The club and its fans have been through a torrid time over the past couple of years, but now IS the time for stability. Now sitting in twelfth position in the Premier League table, the elusive Champions League spot looks along way off, with only 19 games to go.
Let’s be honest, not many Liverpool supporters would have expected the team to reach the top four this season. Mathematically it is still possible; however it would be a huge task for the players, but a fantastic achievement if they pulled it off.
We are now in 2011 and in the January transfer window. Roy Hodgson has brought in a couple of suspect buys (Poulsen and Konchesky), but what Liverpool manager hasn't done that in recent years? The former Fulham man has the chance to add some quality in this transfer window with the help of Damien Comolli. The Frenchman took Gareth Bale to Spurs - oh how Liverpool could do with a player like him at the moment!
The Kop vented their displeasure at Roy Hodgson against Wolves and again at Ewood Park last night - and rightly so. The atmosphere was fierce and hostile towards him. Both performances were terrible and the fans reacted by chanting 'Hodgson for England' and calling for Kenny Dalglish.
The danger for both Liverpool and Dalglish is that we don't want to become a club like Newcastle United. Look at them and how they treated Kevin Keegan, he went back in the hope of saving the club and bringing back the glory days, but turning back the clock just doesn't work in the cauldron which is the Premier League.
Liverpool have a long path back towards the top, but snap decisions will not help the team, Hodgson, or the fans. Kenny Dalglish called on the fans to support the current manager, and support is exactly what Roy needs now. Bringing in a new manager at this point in the season wouldn’t help. It would just cause more upheaval and upset for the players and ultimately the fans.
Roy Hodgson is here to do a job - to 'stabilise' the club and to get Liverpool back on track. His role is to give NESV a platform to build from in this transfer window and beyond. He won't be at Liverpool forever, but if he can help instill a mentality of calm and strength within the ranks then Liverpool will finish in a respectable position and the fans will see the benefits in the years to come.
Joe Mainland
Source: DSG
