Former boss: I was never wanted at Liverpool

Roy steps out of the frying pan and in to the fire at West Brom

Roy Hodgson’s spell on the sidelines of the Premier League has lasted 37 days, before he was thrust back in to the league – West Brom having taking the manager on an 18 month contract.

Hodgson was asked about his LFC experience and insisted though it had hurt, his confidence had not been dented, despite posting the worst set of results at Liverpool in almost 60 years.

The former manager suggested he wasn’t made to feel wanted, and that the club did not give him enough freedom to get on with his job.

“I didn’t feel drained but you do feel wounded.

“I have had a very good spell in my career and it’s a long time since I have had a very serious knock-back so, when it comes, it wounds you.

“I think my 36 years, for those who care to study it, speaks for itself.

“You wouldn’t be human if it didn’t but it hasn’t dented any confidence or belief. But I can’t lie and say it didn’t hurt me, or I didn’t care, because, of course, I care.

“I care very passionately about my job and I care about football and I have had an awful lot of praise. So, when you get the opposite, it’s not something you particularly embrace, but, if you’ve got half a brain, you accept that as being part of the job or par for the course.”

Hodgson, who’s comments during his time at the club only served to baffle and antagonise LFC fans, continued:

“The people who wanted me at Liverpool didn’t last too long. The people who employed me didn’t stay for too long. The new owners found themselves in a difficult situation because we weren’t winning enough games and the fans were making it perfectly clear they wanted me gone and somebody else in. That makes life more difficult and the job harder. It makes it easier if the fans say ‘we know of him, we know what he can do’.

“To be fair to them, they were in a very difficult situation. I can’t for one minute suggest I was wanted at Liverpool.

“But hopefully everyone will accept this club (WBA) made a considerable effort to get me and worked hard to persuade me to come and try to help preserve the status so, of course, I feel much more wanted. But I have been lucky. I felt wanted at Fulham and there aren’t that many clubs where I haven’t felt wanted.”

“Clubs which allow you to do the job properly and embrace your philosophies are very important. I believe West Brom are that sort of club,”

“I knew when I took the job (at Liverpool) I was taking a bit of a risk because there was likely to be a change of ownership. Therefore I’m reasonably philosophical about it.

“It’s a great club, with some very good people there, the players were extremely good to work with, and I’m happy to see them now getting some good results. I don’t regret going there.”

West Brom are currently clear of the relegation zone with a game in hand.  Liverpool head down to the Hawthornes in April.

13 comments on
Former boss: I was never wanted at Liverpool

  1. Worst set of results at Liverpool in almost 60 years says it all !

    Hodgson was and is a complete idiot, every time he opened his mouth he just made matters worse. So glad he is gone now but feel sorry for WBA as I’m sure Hodgson will get them relegated just like he would have done to us.

    Hodgson was the worst Liverpool manager I have ever seen in over 45 years of following the team.

    It was a massive mistake to bring him to Liverpool. He has always been a crap manager and has never won anything in this Country and never will.

    The only thing he has got right is that the Liverpool fans never wanted him, too right Roy you were not wanted but the fans were always prepared to give you a chance but your best was not good enough maybe its time to retire on all those big pay offs you have got from different clubs for being a crap manager!

  2. Get over it WOY you were crap at our beloved club and you should never have been given the chance to manage such a great club. Stick to your relegation fights that you have ALWAYS been so used to no matter who yo have managed.
    Even the players have said you were never in touch with them and hardly got involved with them what is it your too good to be involved with the players or fans unlike KENNY who is a true RED. If West Brom had any sense they would get you out NOW before you ruin them even further you MUG

  3. My issue with Roy Hodgson was most definitely about his media-chummy warbling and not so much with the results (although those weren’t acceptable, either). His attitude about his CV and trying to snuggle up to opposing managers (namely Slur Alex) were absolutely dreadful, as were comments about the quality of our squad and the quality of previous regimes (namely Rafa). He just didn’t ‘get it’ from the off. My heart wasn’t with his appointment at the beginning, and I know I wasn’t alone with that, but I was willing to give him a fair shake. Our summer signings were horrendous before they even kicked a ball… and we all knew it. That was the beginning of the end, really, but it was “nail in the coffin time” when he said he didn’t know Raul Meireles’ best position… truly unacceptable! My NAN could tell you he is an attacking midfielder up the middle!!!

  4. It wasn’t just the bad results, i think his off-pitch performances like the press conference about the reina-transfer-to-the-scum or when he attacked us as supporters and called for more support towards himself after results that we had like against northampton or wolves and blackburn or at goodison…
    Roy it was YOU with your weak mentality and your lack of loyalty that gave you the kick! I remember matchday 1 at home against the gooners and N’Gog giving us a one-nil. turned out it all was a dream when we went to man city!
    I wish you all the luck you can get for your new job Roy, but when we meet at the Hawthornes I’m hoping for a clear four-nil

  5. The appointment was wrong from the start, we all wanted you to do well Roy, but the team had no motivation whatsoever, the tactics were a joke and as for the results !!!

    Im sure you got a few quid for helping to wreck the season for us so quit whining.

    Hope the baggies stay up, I like their brand of football, that could change fairly soon tho

    Onwards an upwards with Kenny YNWA

  6. There goes Mr Hodgson once again passing the buck we should call him shaggy It wasnt me ! I hope roy does very well at west brom and keeps them up because i was impressed with them at anfield they were unlucky to come away from there with nothing to be honest and who was in charge of liverpool on that day well thats bygones now . I really hope that the new owners and the people who have been at liverpool for many years realise that we have tried bringing in managers from out side of the club and all thou we have had some trophys won under them we have not been consistently challenging for the the title enough . We have had the mentality of lets just finish in the top four to get in the champs league for the last several years. So the people in charge of LFC must now change back to the real liverpool philosphy appoint with in keep it in house build the football club back up to how it was and follow the great bill shanklys statement of intent first is first second is no where and third or fourth place is just not good enough .

  7. I actually dont blame Roy. Yes, he wasn’t good enough, never understood the club, and didn’t realise how big we are. However, you have to point the finger to those who recruited him in the first place. They must have seen his CV and noticed his appaling away record and his poor mentality. Its like the Trade Descriptions act, we actually did get what we purchased and that was a smaller club manager. If it was stability they wanted to get through the sales process then fine. But to this day, I am still baffled as to why Kenny was snubbed in the summer. The guy is all about stability. Lets not worry about the past and look towards that golden sky we all sing about. ynwa!

  8. well because you are the sort of coach that can only keep a team from not going to relegation so clubs like Fulham and West Brom can always appreciate ur work but Liverpool we are too big for that we fight for Honors so when u were making us look like a relegation fighting club then u will never be wanted because b4 u were appointed the rules and goals was set and given to u … so we might not want you because you never wanted the club at first

  9. any Reds who knew the frausters and mis-managment by hicks & co,parry , purslow and broughton KNEW that appointing hodgson in place of Rafa and ignoring kenny was a double error, he was about as wrong as hitler would have been at a barmitzva…but still the stupid – biased media pushed him, dotn feel sorry for him, he ruined our season if Rafa or Kenny had been manager from the start of a season with weaker top teams we could have been challenging for the title never mind top 4..he got well paid for a bad job, hodgson didnt care about us, and we dont care about him,

  10. I don’t think that’s true, Roy. Many fans welcomed your appointment, but it was your awful, negative and at times bewildering football that turned them against you. If you’d done a good job – or even looked like being capable of putting together a good footballing side – the fans would have been won round.

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