Roy Hodgson’s Liverpool future hangs in the balance
The Merseyside club's approaching group of crunch matches may work in the 63-year-old's favour
Roy Hodgson’s future as the manager of Liverpool is in serious doubt following an angry reaction from fans after the Reds’ defeat at the hands of relegation-threatened Wolves on Wednesday.
Fenway Sports Group principle owner John W Henry, and club chairman Tom Werner are believed to be seriously concerned following Liverpool’s loss to lowly Wolves and the backlash from the Anfield faithful who ironically chanted “Hodgson for England” and called for the appointment of club legend Kenny Dalglish.
Hodgson’s post-match attack on the Anfield supporters did nothing to help improve his position with either the fans or the clubs owners, with his comments about hoping “fans would become supporters” being out of line with the calculated approach FSG have taken to handling the media since arriving on Merseyside.
The Liverpool boss on Friday admitted he regretted making the comments and insisted that “the last thing in my mind is walking away from a club like this”.
Anything but a win in Liverpool’s next game against Bolton on New Year’s Day would likely see Hodgson’s position at Anfield become untenable, with the patience so far shown by the club’s board running out.
Liverpool’s owners had been reluctant to end Hodgson’s tenure at Anfield half way through the season, with their plan originally being to wait until the summer to review the position of the former Fulham boss. But a continuation of the Reds’ poor run of form could force the owners to relieve Hodgson of his duties just six months after his appointment.
Liverpool’s tough run of games may be the only factor which works in the favour of the 63-year-old, with a clash with Manchester United in the FA Cup and a Merseyside derby falling within the Reds’ next five games – a run of fixtures Liverpool would not want to face without a manager.
Though FSG are believed to be reluctant to make a short-term appointment, should Hodgson leave the Liverpool owners may be tempted to appoint Dalglish in a caretaker role until a new long-term manager can be found, with rumoured targets including former Barcelona manager Frank Rjikaard and current Marseille boss Didier Deschamps.
