Now Glen Johnson labels Hodgson's football 'boring'

zocoss SG

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson not impressed with defender Glen Johnson

Glen Johnson

The England right-back has played just one of Liverpool's last seven games as he struggles with a calf injury.

But his displays when he has been on the pitch have been hugely disappointing, further fuelling suggestions he is unhappy on Merseyside.

Now Hodgson has taken an amazing swipe at Johnson with no attempt to disguise his feelings about the 26-year-old's displays.

The Kop boss blasted: "He's the England right-back and, if he plays like that, one would expect him to come back in when he's fit.

"But then he'd have to play like the England right-back and up to now, to be quite frank, he's not performed - very often at least - to the level I'd expect of him.

"You would have to ask him 'do you think you're playing at top form and are you playing like the best right-back in the country for your club?'

"If he says yes, obviously we will have to agree to differ and if he says no, then you'd have to ask the question why not."

He is likely to be in the squad for today's trip to Stoke if he does recover, as Hodgson added: "Whether he'll be fit enough to play any part is more relevant than whether he will get his place back."

Johnson has proved himself a top-line attacking full-back. But his defending has been a constant cause for concern since his £18million arrival from Portsmouth 18 months ago.

Former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez admitted paying over the odds at the time, claiming: "Sometimes you have to spend a little bit more."

Yet that fee, plus weekly wages of around £120,000, have further increased the pressure on Johnson to deliver.

Tottenham have been monitoring the situation closely while Juventus are also interested. And Johnson himself did little to allay doubts concerning his future recently by admitting he has been learning Spanish.

Jamie Carragher has occasionally been switched to right-back to cover Johnson's absence, while rookie Martin Kelly has impressed hugely when he has been thrown in.

Kelly, 20, has starred in Europe and earned further plaudits with his first Premier League start in last week's 2-0 win over Chelsea.

Hodgson admitted the youngster's form has been one of the highlights of his four months in charge.

He said: "Martin's form has surprised me, to be fair. It was a really tough one to throw him in against Chelsea, especially because they are most effective down their left but he did very well."

AEW5001 SG

another overrated player.

Bus&Soccer l0v3r (VO3x 1) SG

A RB who rich in att

Rooney9 SG

sell him and buy fulham RB

Who is fulham RB anyway?

trolol SG

Let him play wing la..

gunner77 SG

glen johnson is the only RB i know that cannot defend.

zocoss SG

Liverpool full-back Glen Johnson is reportedly wants to leave the Merseyside club in favour of a move to greener pastures.

The 26-year-old right-back only recently returned to training after overcoming a groin injury that was sustained early last month. But despite having returned, he was left out of the squad in the recent defeat to Stoke City.

Add to this that manager Roy Hodgson had questioned as to whether he warrants a place in the England squad, and it is thought that the former Portsmouth man wants an Anfield exit.

Now The Mirror claims that Johnson has told his representatives to schedule a meeting with Hodgson and the club's new director of football strategy, Damien Comolli, to sort out the situation.

Johnson has played seven league games for Liverpool this season.

Zweiz SG

because with roy's vast experience of managing england internationals (what to do, loads of them at fulham) roy knows an england international when he sees one

also, slagging off your player work wonders for man management and morale

in other news, paul konchesky tipped for england callup as his epic defensive skills on the left flank prevented all goals/crossins from his side and left opponent teams aiming their long passes at liverpool's right flank

zocoss SG

• Liverpool full-back labels Hodgson's football 'boring'
• Manager stands by criticism of Johnson's poor displays

Roy Hodgson and Sir Bobby Robson were friends, linked by Fulham and their years as Englishmen managing abroad. Had Robson still been with us, he would have recognised the way the name of Kenny Dalglish is used by a section of the club's fans to bait Hodgson whenever Liverpool lose. In his tumultuous year managing Barcelona, Robson received the same treatment at Camp Nou; his every action compared with Johan Cruyff's. Less than a week after overseeing the dismantling of Chelsea at Anfield, the menacing, rhythmic chants of "Dalglish" appeared again at the Britannia Stadium.

Yesterday Glen Johnson's "people" signalled their client's desire to leave Merseyside amid claims he found Hodgson's style of football "boring" and that he felt slighted by criticisms from his manager that he had yet to demonstrate the form that made him England's first-choice right-back. Bayern Munich are said to be monitoring the situation, although for Johnson's sake one hopes the German champions did not monitor his abysmal display in Utrecht in the Europa League or any of his performances in South Africa.

While apologising if his comments made on Wednesday in the wake of Liverpool's 1-1 draw at Wigan Athletic offended the player whom Rafael Benítez brought to Anfield for £18m last year, Hodgson maintained the remarks were fair.

"It is no good being a player of great ability if you are not bringing that to the field of play," he said. "He, as well as I, knows he has not reached that form very often. It amazes me that when you make statements of such obvious veracity people want to make headlines out of it."

Robson seldom enjoyed reading the Catalan press or having it translated for him by José Mourinho. He delighted in relaying the headline in one paper after Barcelona had come from three goals down to win 4-3. "Manager loses the first half, players win the second."

Hodgson did not have the players to cope with the intensity of Stoke's football which was summed up by Jermaine Pennant: "Push on, don't give them anything or even any room to breathe." Pennant, who once felt as constricted by Benítez as Johnson apparently does by Hodgson and found himself at Real Zaragoza as a result, argued that Liverpool lacked the personnel to adapt to the physical challenge Stoke offered. In his time at Anfield, he said, Benítez could employ Peter Crouch. Here there was just Sotirios Kyrgiakos used as a makeshift centre-forward with Fernando Torres labouring with an ankle injury.

Once Ricardo Fuller had punished a failure to clear one of Rory Delap's missiles, the only question was the margin of Stoke's victory. Kenwyne Jones, put through with instinctive intelligence by Pennant, ensured it would be by two clear goals. "They did look uncomfortable," said Pennant, who in the space of a week had tasted victory over two of his array of former clubs – Birmingham was the other and Arsenal arrive in May. "It is probably a lack of confidence but you look at their team and they do need to get strength in certain areas.

"Great sides can play a different team within the squad and still get results but Liverpool are struggling to do that. Some are struggling to cope with the pace and demands of the Premier League but they have to battle through and shine.

"They have a lot of work to do if they want to be challenging Chelsea and Manchester United. I don't know what they can do or what they expect to do but they have to do something. It is hard to live up to the past and the reputation Liverpool have. They want to be the best team in the world and their fans think they should still be that."

reyes SG

sell glen johnson lah. he is not that great player he sound to be. liverpool are the only stupid club to be paying 18million for this standard of player.

he tends to make more silly mistake than brillant display on the field.

Rock^Star SG

The egos of english players are as inflated as their price tags. Sell him and see where he goes after that :)

Zweiz SG

liverpool are the only stupid club to be paying 18million for this standard of player.

chelsea bid the same fee to portsmouth