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Roy Hodgson, know your role and shut your mouth


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I don't think it was contempt Paul. He never understood the first thing about us and didn't have a clue what to do when it all went wrong. I don't think there was any malice in it; he's just not really very good.

 

I haven't got time to hate everyone who's a complete idiot, just the ones who mean it.

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I share your bemusement at the vitriol directed at him. He took our job as it was an honour and step up, but he couldn't handle the non-footballing side of things. If he had not taken the job when he did, Kenny might never have become manager and offered us the healing which the club so badly needed. The circumstances when KK did end up taing over were very different to those Hodgson inherited.

 

Eh? This implies he could handle the football side of things, which he patently couldn't. He was a bumbling, embarrassing fool off the pitch but it was the way that he sent his teams out to "play" and refusal to recognise how that alienated the fans that did it for me. Blert.

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Eh? This implies he could handle the football side of things, which he patently couldn't. He was a bumbling, embarrassing fool off the pitch but it was the way that he sent his teams out to "play" and refusal to recognise how that alienated the fans that did it for me.

 

You cannot really separate the off the field and on the field factors in Rafa's last year and Hodgson's half year. To succeed at a big club, you have to succeed in both, he didn't

 

His playing record with us was poor. Were there extenuating circumstances? Yes. Was it mission impossible for anyone at that point prior to the takeover? Probably.

 

Three post Anfield vignettes on his management frighten the life out of me. That revelation that its four touches in defence maximum before banging it out - not The lLverpool way. His having to ask a Swedish journalist the score and performance of the sweden friendly played 24 hours before our Belguim game. His dismissal of post match statistics.

 

It was the wrong appointment, and still would be now. That does not mean that as a Tournamant manager he may not see some success.

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Hodgson is probably a good match for England. We've tried to get in managers to play decent, attacking football for years and it hasn't worked. This group of players doesn't have the raw materials to play a fluid game; tactical simplicity and raw power are probably more suited to their skill-set.

 

As for Hodgson at Liverpool, he was an absolute disaster. His tactics were appalling, but his expectation-lowering and refusal to accept any responsibility in the press were far worse. That will probably wash with the self-loathing undertones of the British press and the England supportership, but it didn't wash here and nor should it have.

 

Anyone who wants to mitigate his behaviour should think about this: he's a 64 year-old man. He's had 36 years in management: 36 yeas to try to understand what it means for a fan to support a team. 36 years to figure out how to talk to people respectfully, 36 years to understand that expectations are relative, 36 years to know that he -- as manager -- is ultimately responsible for the relative success of his team and yet, at our place, he displayed none of those qualities. He ducked responsibility, he refused to defend our players, he criticised the fans, and then he shifted the blame onto the looming shadow of one of the greatest players and managers in our history. He had 36 years to hone not one set of tactics, but different sets for different players and different situations. When did we ever see that, either?

 

He's 64, he's an old man, and he's had his whole life to figure out football and what it means to people, and he still hasn't. Yes, to some extent I think you can judge him for that.

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I think some of the hacks are building themselves up for massive fall on this one. England won, fine but it is nowhere near as good as some are making out.

 

I don't read papers so I only have bbc pundits, Hansen etc to go by...they were critical of England saying they are a looooooong way off Spain. Have the papers chosen a different tack?

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I don't read papers so I only have bbc pundits, Hansen etc to go by...they were critical of England saying they are a looooooong way off Spain. Have the papers chosen a different tack?

 

Paddy Barclay said last night that England are in the mix to win the tournament. Says all you need to know.

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Paddy Barclay said last night that England are in the mix to win the tournament. Says all you need to know.

 

Do you disagree?

 

England will probably win the group and then its either Italy or Croatia in the quarter final, they can easily beat both and then its the semi.

 

All teams in the semi will be in the mix to win it.

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If England win, it will be as much of a surprise as Greece or Denmark in the past.

 

Cant agree with that.

 

I predicted them to reach the semi final after winning their group, in the semi I predicted them to meet Portugal where my Portugal bias puts them through to the final, but England can beat Portugal as well obviously, now it looks like its Germany they will possible meet and thats a bit more difficult I reckon, but it can be done.

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I speak from years of watching England. There is nothing at all special about this side, and the manager is tactically naive. They are likely to get out of their group now, but I think Spain will be too much for them, having finished second, and France, Russia or Germany would beat them four times out of five, not to mention many other better organised teams who would give them a much better game than Sweden.

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England hardly ever lose competitive games apart from when they had the inept McClaren in charge.

 

Since the start of the WC qualifiers for South Africa they have lost only twice, once away to Ukraine after they already had won the group and against Germany in the WC.

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England hardly ever lose competitive games apart from when they had the inept McClaren in charge.

 

Since the start of the WC qualifiers for South Africa they have lost only twice, once away to Ukraine after they already had won the group and against Germany in the WC.

 

On the other hand they rarely beat big teams in competitive games though. When was the last time they beat one of the worlds top sides in a competitive game?

 

I'm talking about one of Argentina, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Brazil or anyother of the international football 'superpowers'.

 

England are alright against the tiny countries like Andorra in their qualifying group but when it comes to the tournaments where the level of competition goes up England struggle.

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Do you disagree?

 

England will probably win the group and then its either Italy or Croatia in the quarter final, they can easily beat both and then its the semi.

 

All teams in the semi will be in the mix to win it.

 

Why do you think that mate? France surely have an easier final game with Sweden don't they? Plus they look to be a better side than England and therefore more likely to get a better result. It looks like second place to me..

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