Red hot for Roy: Why Hodgson became Liverpool's most wanted...

Roy Hodgson will be unveiled as the new Liverpool manager this afternoon. With Fabio Capello fighting to keep the England job after a disastrous World Cup, Hodgson had also been touted as a leading contender to replace the Italian. How has the 62-year-old from Croydon become the hottest asset in English football?
Fulham had just reached the Europa League semi-final courtesy of a 1-0 win in Wolfsburg - at that point arguably the biggest game in their 131-year history - and Roy Hodgson was asked how he felt to be flying the flag for English football. 'It'll help our UEFA co-efficient,' he replied, without a hint of irony.
It was pure Hodgson: straightlaced to the point of suffocation but making an intelligent, considered point. He does not deal in vacuous, off-the-cuff soundbites and devours Jewish-American fiction (Philip Roth, Isaac Bashevis Singer and Saul Bellow) in his spare time.
Hodgson is a manager who spends his days honing, organising and coaching on the training pitch. He was - briefly, from 1972-73 at Alleyn's School in south-west London - a PE teacher, after all.
'Of course it's nice for people to believe some managers are born with a magical quality that will transform bad into good, but I don't,' he says. 'It's about leadership skills, practice, repetition and bloody hard work.'
Repetition is the cornerstone of Hodgson's success. There were grumblings from within Fabio Capello's World Cup squad that the Italian didn't spend enough time on 'pattern of play' drills, but Hodgson's Fulham did this every day. Fellow coaches and managers, such as Steve Coppell and Glenn Roeder, often attended sessions to watch the 62-year-old in action.
'Every day in training is geared towards team shape on the match day coming up,' said midfielder Simon Davies. 'Every day is team shape and it shows.
'He gets the 11 that he wants on a match day and he drills everything in that he wants. There are no diagrams. It's all on the pitch with the ball, nothing unopposed.'
Hodgson has described his approach as 'player-orientated'. Words 'spill out left, right and centre' from a man who speaks five languages. His players know exactly what he expects and how they can be successful in their ascribed roles. They also know who's playing more than two hours before kick-off.
After failing to make the grade at Crystal Palace and playing non- League football, Hodgson gained his full coaching badge aged just 23. He followed the likes of Don Howe, Sir Bobby Robson and Terry Venables - tracksuited English coaches who relished their 'time on the grass', as Robson called it.
With Hodgson it was 11 versus 11 every day, the manager stopping play to make a tactical or technical point, or to tell a player they weren't in the right position at the right time. Hodgson was at the heart of everything, in his shorts with his socks pulled up to his knees.
Zoltan Gera said: 'We do the same thing in every session and sometimes it gets boring but we know it's working so I'm happy to do it. Put it this way, when I wake up in the middle of the night I know what I need to do in the game, I know everything about how we play.'
Fulham players could have slotted back into position in their sleep last season but, for all Hodgson's emphasis on repetition, he is not a man resistant to change. Quite the opposite, in fact. It is part of the reason the League Managers' Association's manager of the year has rarely been out of work during a 33-year coaching career.
At Fulham he introduced a basketball defensive system, called a 'zonal trap', where his team moved as a unit when protecting their goal. When he joined Inter Milan in 1995 he asked Italian World Cup winner Giuseppe Bergomi, who had always marked man-to-man, to mark zonally. The team switched from a libero system to a back four and Hodgson asked Bergomi to play at right back.
After taking over at Hamstad in 1976, his first management role, Hodgson and his great friend Bob Houghton revolutionised Swedish football. They abandoned man-to-man marking all over the field in favour of a zonal approach. It is no wonder Hodgson tends to bristle at the suggestion he is an old-fashioned manager.
Now he will find himself rebuilding a Liverpool side bereft of confidence and star quality, against a backdrop of high expectations. Hodgson will need to draw heavily on those decades of experience.

Liverpool: Hodgson Targets Hangeland

Roy Hodgson hasn't been appointed as the new Liverpool Boss yet however his appointment is believed to be a mere formality after a compensation pack was agreed with Fulham and his terms of a contract, for two years, were also agreed rumoured to have been agreed on Tuesday night.

Even though the club hasn't confirmed this appointed the rumours of whom he'll bring from Fulham with him to Anfield have started. Norwegian defender Brede Hangeland is believed to be his top target and having secured his continued services at Craven Cottage despite interest from Arsenal last season Hodgson will, if confirmed as our Boss, look to tempt him to Merseyside.

This all sounds good and well, if we even need a central defender as a priority which I don't think we do, but with Fulham looking for a rumoured £7m for the 29 year old how are we going to pay that?

Read more: http://www.liverpool.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=203215#ixzz0sKYYXDBY

Roy Hodgson given cautious welcome by Liverpool FC fan groups

LIVERPOOL FC fans groups today cautiously greeted the imminent appointment of Roy Hodgson as manager.

They questioned who had made the decision to appoint the Fulham boss as successor to Rafael Benitez.

Others said some in the Kop will mourn the loss of a chance to see Anfield legend Kenny Dalglish back at the helm.

But they also called for 62-year-old Hodgson, who will now have to deal with a huge spike in expectations, to be given enough space to grow in to one of European football’s top jobs.

James McKenna, spokes man for Spirit of Shankly fans group, told the ECHO: “It’s obvious we need a manager, but we have had a few weeks without decisions being made in the boardroom.

“A lot of fans are asking ‘who’s made this decision?’ Has George Gillett made the decision or was it Christian Purslow?

"Who with a footballing background has decided that Roy Hodgson is the right man for Liverpool Football Club?

“Christian Purslow was meant to find a buyer for the club – but what qualifies him to make decisions about who’s going to be the manager?

“And what support is he going to get from the boardroom? The past shows that there’s been massive tensions between the manager and the boardroom.

“There’s a real worry that it’s been done more to steady the ship, rather than push the club forward again.”

Les Lawson, 47, secretary of the official LFC supporters association also said: “I think there will be a mixed reaction from supporters with regards to his appointment.

"A lot of supporters would have liked to see Kenny given the opportunity again – someone who’s got Liverpool blood running through his veins and who’s managed us successfully before.

“I’m sure the fans will get behind him.

"He is our manager, he may not have been the fans’ choice but ultimately he’s in charge.

"He has got to be given the opportunity to do the job to the best of his ability.

“What he achieved at Fulham would have been unacceptable if he achieved it here – there’s more expectation.”

Roy Hodgson is the new Liverpool FC manager

ROY HODGSON will be officially named Liverpool FC’s new manager today (Wednesday).

The 62-year-old is due on Merseyside to complete the formalities of signing a contract after the Reds agreed a compensation package in the region of £2million with Fulham for his release.

Cordial negotiations have been ongoing in the past 72 hours between Liverpool’s Managing Director Christian Purslow and Fulham Chief Executive Alastair Mackintosh and they have now reached a successful conclusion.
Though Liverpool – who have remained tight-lipped throughout their search to replace Rafa Benitez – were linked with a clutch of names, Hodgson was always the number one candidate.

Other names in the frame included former Real Madrid boss Manuel Pellegrini, Galatasary’s Frank Rijkaard and Didier Deschamps of Marseille, while Kenny Dalglish also made it clear he was desperate to take the job on.

Dalglish had initially been named as part of the recruitment process but he was desperate to have a second crack at the post he occupied between 1985 and 1991 when he felt his claims were as strong as the other candidates.

The board, though, were anxious to pursue Hodgson and Liverpool will be his 16th job in a managerial career that has spanned almost 35 years.

His first post was with Swedish side Halmstads in 1976 and he enjoyed instant success, leading them to two Swedish titles; he would later coach Malmo after a brief stint with Bristol City.
Success in charge of the Swiss national team led to him being appointed Inter Milan manager in 1995 and the highlight of his time at the San Siro was an appearance in the 1997 UEFA Cup final appearance, which they lost on penalties to Schalke 04.

Hodgson’s first crack at the Premier League came later that year, when he took over at Blackburn, but things did not go according to plan at Ewood Park – despite qualifying for Europe, he was sacked in December 1998.
Stints with Udinese, the United Arab Emirates, Viking Stavanger and Finland followed before Fulham turned to him in December 2007 and he successfully led their battle to avoid the drop, which they did thanks to a last day with at Portsmouth.

After that, his time at Craven Cottage went from strength to strength and he enhanced his reputation while transforming Fulham’s fortunes, guiding them to their highest Premier League finish and an appearance in the Europa League final.

Now he has a fresh challenge and Hodgson, the LMA’s current Manager of the Year, will meet those Liverpool players who have not been at the World Cup tomorrow when they return for pre-season training.

It had been mooted that Hodgson, who is expected to bring his trusted assistant Mike Kelly with him to Anfield, would be favourite to become England manager if the Football Association decided to sack Fabio Capello.

However, it is understood the delay in Hodgson being appointed to his new role had nothing to do with him waiting to see what happened with England.

One of Hodgson’s first jobs at Anfield will be to ratify Yossi Benayoun’s move to Chelsea after the clubs agreed a fee in the region of £6m for the Israeli midfielder.

New Liverpool FC manager will decide on who stays or goes

NOBODY will be leaving Liverpool until the club has appointed a new manager, according to Christian Purslow.

The Anfield managing director has responded to speculation linking Emiliano Insua with a move to Fiorentina.

The Serie A club are pursuing the youngster but Purslow insists decisions on any departures will be made by Rafael Benitez’s successor as and when he is installed.

“At this moment the only objective of the club is to find a new coach and then to evaluate the whole roster of players with him,” said Purlsow, who is leading the club’s search for a new manager.

“I cannot confirm the interest of Fiorentina for Insua, even if in Italy he is highly regarded, for example at Lazio who often came to see him in person last season.

“I don’t think the player wants to leave Liverpool.

“When and where he’ll do this request, regardless of the difficulties of the club, we’ll talk.”

Purslow knows that Liverpool have more chance of attracting their top managerial targets with the current playing staff in place.
That means moves for the likes of Chelsea target Yossi Benayoun and midfielder Javier Mascherano, who is being linked with Barcelona as well as Inter Milan, will not be sanctioned while the manager’s office remains vacant.

However, Liverpool could be faced with a battle to appoint Roy Hodgson should England fail to make the last 16 at the World Cup tomorrow.

Odds have been slashed for the Fulham manager to replace Fabio Capello, who is expected to be sacked or resign as England manager if his team slip up against Slovenia.

Hodgson heads Liverpool’s shortlist but the 62-year-old is said to have told friends he would accept the England role over any club job in the twilight of his career.

Royal Bank of Scotland turn up the heat on Liverpool FC owners

THE Royal Bank of Scotland are ready to turn up the heat on George Gillett and Tom Hicks to pursue a quick sale of Liverpool Football Club.

Liverpool supporters bombarded RBS Chief Executive Stephen Hester with an email campaign recently, aimed at getting the bank to reconsider the financing deal they have in place with the Reds’ co-owners.

A substantial part of Liverpool’s £237m debt is owed to the government-owned RBS and Hicks and Gillett were forced to re-negotiate an extension on the terms of the deal back in spring.

The RBS have made it clear they are prepared to be patient to maximise Liverpool’s hopes of obtaining a successful sale of the club but they do not want it dragging on unnecessarily – as they want to see the Reds flourishing.

An email to one Reds’ fan from Roger Lowry, the RBS’ head of public affairs, read: “We are confident that the Chairman and the Board will be mindful of the need to avoid any unnecessary delay in concluding a sale, as it is in no one’s interest to risk deterioration in the performance of the Club prior to it being sold.

“Our common goal is the long-term success of Liverpool Football Club and the Bank’s primary objective is to ensure financial stability, so that the Club can continue to perform both on and off the football pitch.

“There is little more I can add at this juncture, only to reiterate we are supportive of the steps that have been taken and we hope to have the opportunity to continue our financial support for the Club under its new ownership, once determined.”
Meanwhile, Daniel Agger – who is hoping to help Denmark make it through to the World Cup’s last 16 – has reiterated his commitment to Liverpool.

The classy central defender was brought to the club by Rafa Benitez and was once linked with a move to AC Milan before he signed a contract extension last year.

“I have no thoughts about leaving Liverpool,” he said.

“I have a four-year contract, I intend to stay and I want to stay, no matter who the manager is. I think my team-mates feel the same.”

Ex-Liverpool FC winger Mark Gonzalez sends Chile to verge of World Cup last 16

FORMER Liverpool winger Mark Gonzalez came off the bench to head Chile to within touching distance of the last 16.

The 25-year-old, now at CSKA Moscow, struck with 15 minutes remaining as Switzerland, reduced to 10 men when Valon Behrami was sent off before the break, finally succumbed at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.

His goal will send the South Americans into their final Group H clash with Spain knowing a point will be enough to take them through to the knockout stages.

Behrami, having tangled with Jean Beausejour, did so with Vidal and saw the midfielder go to ground clutching his face.

Referee Khalil Al Ghamdi had little hesitation in producing a red card and the Swiss were very much on the back foot.

In truth, they had been already for much of the first half with Chile’s midfield trio of Vidal, Carmona - who will miss the final group game against Spain after picking up a second booking - and Matias Fernandez repeatedly causing problems.

Switzerland offered little in response and skipper Alex Frei, who missed the opening game through injury, departed before the break having struggled to make an impact.

Grichting made a fine 69th-minute block to deny substitute Esteban Paredes, but it was he who did the damage with 15 minutes remaining when he rounded Benaglio and crossed for Gonzalez to power a downward header in off the underside of the bar.

Swiss substitute Eren Derdiyok passed up a glorious opportunity to level with seconds remaining when he fired wide.