That word again. That word which seems destined to haunt
Roy Hodgson’s reign as Liverpool manager, however long it lasts.
That word which has come to sum up all of the fears and furies of
the club’s supporters, that word which will greet each of the
club’s defeats this season. “Dalglish.”
To the Liverpool fans who cried for the return of their king as
they watched their side fall to a limp, lifeless defeat at
Stoke City, in his name lies salvation.
Dalglish used to be a paean. Now he is their prayer. In reality,
though, the problem facing their club’s new owners, New England
Sports Ventures, is not as simple as a mere coronation. They face
an election. They must decide whether to stick or twist.
Hodgson appeared to acknowledge as much in his comments in the
aftermath of what was not simply Liverpool’s fifth league defeat of
the season, but an unacceptably meek surrender to Tony Pulis’s
buoyant, bullish side.
“The fans can chant for whoever they want,” the 63 year-old
said. “And it will be up to the club to decide what they want to
do. There is nothing I can do about it. If the club decide they
want to give the job to somebody else, then I’ll have to accept
it.”
It is a statement almost as obvious as it is stark. Yet it
encapsulates neatly the decision John W Henry and the his
colleagues at NESV find laid at their door less than a month after
they completed their £300 million takeover.
The club, as Hodgson says, can do what they want. There would be
no great outcry if the former Fulham manager was handed his gold
watch and thanked for his services. After all, Liverpool’s fate,
without change, seems clear.
“Fans make their frustrations felt every time we lose a game,”
Hodgson said. “Unfortunately they may have to do that a few more
times this season, because I can’t see us going through a season
winning every single game.”
Stick with Hodgson, and Liverpool will endure a season of toil,
each victory offering only fleeting respite and each defeat
punctuated by that word again, not so much for the results as the
performances. mid-table anonymity awaits a club that does not
accept mediocrity.
The Britannia provided the perfect paradigm. Liverpool’s squad
is not as poor as accepted wisdom maintains, but what is most
glaringly lacking is any sort of plan. Whereas, in the victory over
Chelsea last week, the most deceptive of false dawns, they attacked
with width and verve, here they appeared to attempt to mimic their
hosts.
Stoke, though, are rather better at being Stoke than any
impostor. They harried and hustled, dominated aerially and earned
their reward, Ricardo Fuller prodded home the scrappiest of
openers, the imperious Kenwyne Jones stroked home a rather more
refined injury-time clincher.
Liverpool, in contrast, offered nothing, their imitation
flattering but failing. And to make matters worse, Lucas was sent
off late on for a needess hack. The player may be interested to
know that Hodgson was last night watching Rennes’ defensive
midfielder Yann M’Vila.
Yet for all his troubles, twisting, dispensing with Hodgson, may
be unappealing to NESV. Attracting a manager mid-season is hardly
ideal. His replacement may fare no better, and there is little
appetite for creating problems when already NESV must deal with
concerns over the futures of Fernando Torres, who will have a
hamstring strain assessed by Spain’s medical team this week, Pepe
Reina and now Glen Johnson, reportedly unsettled by Hodgson’s
comments on his poor form.
It would be rather apt should Hodgson keep his job more for what
he is not – risk, uncertainty, doubt – than what he is.