Can Roy Turn Anfield's Fortunes?

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Three games in the space of one week could finally decide the pending future of Roy Hodgson.

Fans and media have been calling for his head since consecutive losses to Stoke and Tottenham and the comeback win at home to Bolton seems to only have delayed the inevitable.

Wanderers were defeated 2-1 that day thanks to a late goal from substitute Joe Cole, who might have been considered offside.

You take what you can at the bottom and it’s got to the situation where you take what you can at Liverpool.

The side face Blackburn in the league on Wednesday, where they have a good record, before facing Manchester United in the FA Cup and finishing away at Blackpool next Wednesday.

You would imagine that progression in the FA Cup is imperative after their Carling Cup 3rd Round exit to Northampton, but Hodgson is near certain to play a better team this time out.



Hodgson could only hold his head in his hands after their Carling Cup exit on penalties.


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Not only that, but some might consider four points out of the two league games to be a failure. They simply have to be on their best form and we haven’t seen that for some time.

One man who is central to their contrasting form is Fernando Torres, who was back on the score sheet at weekend, only his second goal since scoring a brace at home to Chelsea on the first weekend in November.

The goal, set up by captain Steven Gerrard, was one moment of quality in a game which saw Liverpool again create precious little and offer minimal threat going forward.

That, quite simply, has to change and immediately if Hodgson is to come out of January, or even this week, in the hot seat at Anfield.

Perhaps the goal will ignite the Spaniards confidence and it will be interesting to see whether he plays at Blackburn, given his record against Manchester United, and Nemanja Vidic, in particular.



Torres has scored three in his last four against United and seems to have the better of Nemanja Vidic.



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It seems as though Hodgson hasn’t matched the fans ambitions since the start and, even when he was appointed, the Reds’ fans were wondering whether he had a big enough pedigree for the historic Merseyside club.

Those views haven’t been helped by several defeats, including at home to Wolves and Blackpool, over the last 5 months.

It used to be that games against Liverpool, especially at Anfield, struck fear into the opposition but now teams come knowing that, if they play their best football, they can get a result of some sort. Bolton proved that on Saturday and were outdone by one moment of skill and one moment of mis-fortune.

It is that tight for Liverpool.

How ironic that it was one of Hodgson’s buys, Joe Cole, who rescues the English gaffer from a sure sacking the next day, but one of his other midfield buys, Raul Meireles, playing in an un-natural holding role, has failed to step up to the Premier League, despite his good reputation at International level and at Porto.







Meireles scored in the World Cup against the Ivory Coast, but has yet to find the target for his new employers.





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That, in itself, was a disappointment, even for me and I was looking forward to seeing him in action, but instead we have been treated to another lacklustre individual in Lucas Leiva.

People have started to defend Lucas but I have no idea why.

Every time I watch Liverpool, his passing is awful, he can’t tackle and he doesn’t exert any influence on the game in the same position which Xavi Alonso took up when Liverpool won the Champions League in 2005. It seems a long time ago.

At the other end of the pitch, Liverpool have improved of late, with four clean sheets out of their last ten games, but they remain especially vulnerable from set pieces, from which Kevin Davies capitalised at weekend.

The defence remains another problem, however, for Hodgson, with the centre backs being changed regularly, while Fabio Aurelio and Paul Konchesky seem to be sharing the left back birth. It’s little things which change every game, rather than in the long run, which sup confidence out of a side, despite what Rafael Benitez seems to believe.

I think it is slightly ludicrous that Hodgson is under so much pressure given the other sides, namely Aston Villa and Everton, who have struggled in the first half of the season.

Ok, Liverpool might be considered a bigger club but the fact that Blackpool currently sit in 8th position shows that it’s been a strange season in England’s top flight.

Regardless, Hodgson has had to deal with a change in owners, he’s had the fans on his back from the off and he’s had injuries to the three key players; Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres and Jamie Carragher, at separate times this season.

Any manager would say that they struggle without their key players and the side now is not too different to Benitez’s from last season, where the fans wanted him out.

It would be a considerable change is the Spaniard, sacked by Inter Milan last month, returned to Anfield in place of Hodgson, with English managers being sacked left, right and centre in Chris Hughton and Sam Allardyce going in December.

The real question is how long the side afford not to play good football and how can they improve a side which is full of individual talent, but seemingly lacking in togetherness.

Some might say that the solution is to sell Fernando Torres and bring in some money, but that’s happened before and the likes of Peter Crouch, Robbie Keane and Craig Bellamy have both failed at the club, despite going on to better things.



It rained on numerous Liverpool strikers before the signing of Torres offered a more optimistic outlook.

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It’s a lack of patience and realisation which leaves Liverpool in a fairy-tale land and the sooner they return to Earth the better.

All it takes is a little bit of time, with the same team playing each week, and Liverpool should reach the top half come May.

You’d be wrong to expect much more, but keep your fingers crossed Hodgson can turn it around; he is a good English manager and we need to keep the likes of him in our English Premier League.

Can Hodgson turn it around at Anfield? Who should Liverpool sign in January? Please discuss below.