épieur

what? This can't be true, surely. He has managed in the premiership for over 4½ years. That's 80+ away games managed.

His tactics have served him well for 35 years. I'll give him one thing: We play with tactics antiquated by just about 35 years. Football moved on, Roy.

Poulsen mystifies me. I realise he is not the player he was for Sevilla anymore, but I swear I've seen him have his fair share of good games for Denmark over the past few years. How did he turn this substandard? He looks utterly unfit. Could even Hodgson's personal talisman by affected by the same malady that is dragging down this team as a whole (ie, Hodgson)? Please play Lucas from now on.

I haven't wanted to judged yet, but I am now. It's really a question of: How soon will he leave? A part of me, which another part of me hates myself for, is actually wishing for us to lose epically to Everton whilst west ham and wolves pick up points to send us bottom of the league. My main fear right now is that he will pull off a few results to save his job for now and continue his work of solidifying the team, mentally and tactically, as distinctly midtable. I'd sooner lose the next few games and get Dalglish in. We'd be better for it in the league by the end of the season. Actually, as scared as I am of Hodgson staying, I think I am equally scared of the owners bringing in O'neill to replace him. Houllier is showing everyone the difference between a good British manager and a good European manager. I can't believe I am jealous of the vision and knowhow of the manager of f***ing Aston Villa. And I can't believe I am looking at Houllier and thinking how he is doing a vastly superior job to the current incumbent at Liverpool. I thought we had moved on from this years ago.

tbf, I think it can be reasonably argued that Hodgson is just as much given reprieve in the media on account of only having managed the club for 6 bleeding league games. I am not happy at all with Hodgson at the moment and I honestly don't see it getting much better, but it is premature to suggest him getting the sack already and I think it would, no matter who the manager, be altogether 'unfair' for the media to be piling pressure on a manager this new in a job.

Could have, should have. Ronaldo did ridiculously well for a Real Madrid side that was frankly outstanding. But he didn't play for much of the season. Messi was ridiculous for a full season, equalled the fat Ronaldo's goalscoring record in addition to being probably the best player in the world based purely on his overall game (though Xavi is probably the player that might pip him to that claim). It's not even a contest. It might be one hell of a contest if both stay fit this season though.

I disagree with that. Particularly the first of those titles was very much United winning as a team. Scholes in particular, but also Rooney, Giggs and Tevez were all having splendid seasons that year, not to mention a backline far stronger than anything barca can boast of. The second title he can take more credit for, but it was still a very good team around him, not in the least their defence, and further strengthed by Tevez. United fans will go on about how Ronaldo's allround play was terrific in 06-07 and should have been world player of the year that season, but if you take the goals away from both, Messi is still much superior to Ronaldo at his best ever was in this regard. And last season, he showed he is likewise superior in the goalscoring department that has since then been Ronaldo's saving grace in the stakes for being the best in the world. Messi has won more than Ronaldo. He did it with a better team, but not that much better. And I dare say, he has done it with more impressive displays than Ronaldo. What Messi has done the past two seasons is simply way better than anything Ronaldo has done to date. That said, if Messi were not around, Ronaldo would be in pole position for being the outstanding player of his generation. Messi is just better.

Zidane was far too inconsistent to be up there with the best of the best, imo. He'd be outstanding for a few games, often when the cameras where rolling, and he did have a very high level of bottom-performance, but far too often he would fail to properly stamp his influence on games, especially against lesser opposition. He shone in knock-out competitions but he was never the kind of player who would drive his team to league titles by winning games or even being the main inspiration week-in and week-out the way players like Nedved, Rivaldo, Del Piero, Laudrup, Henry or even fecking Cantona and Ibrahimovic would. Or for that matter, the way Messi is doing these days. Zidane in the season or two leading up to and including Euro2000 was amazing on a regular basis and his performances at euro2000 were as good as anything I've seen from a player in that tournament (though perhaps a bit overshadowed by the fact that there was so much brilliant attacking prowess on display in that tournament it wasn't quite as remarked on). It was at best only for a few seasons he was consistently the player he ought to be however. That said, I still rate him just above Ronaldinho and about on par with fatty Ronaldo as the outstanding players of the past decade. Messi is up there in that company on equal footing with those players by now, but I don't think he has quite surpassed them yet. If he continues taking the piss the way he's been doing the past six months though, he'll do that soon enough.

*Obviously, injuries played a huge role in how the latter parts of your anfield career turned out, but is there anything in hindsight you think you could have done differently to extend your anfield career and get back to the level of your early years?

Can't see past Keane. Was never a world class player, but with his pedigree, style age and experience in the premiership and abroad I think we all assumed he'd be as safe a top class investment to strengthen the side as we could get. Instead he flopped miserably at a critical time for us. That said, wasn't Phill Babb the world's most expensive defender when we signed him?

Hodgson worked with Poulsen at FC Copenhagen and he was brilliant under him, albeit in a slightly more attacking role than the player he has developed into. Think he'll be a good signing, especially for the fee mentioned. He's more of a Hamann player and though not quite as good as Mascherano, still a very good player on his day, though he seems to have regressed somewhat in Italy. I'm encouraged by the fact that Hodgson already knows him very well as a player and almost certainly has very clear ideas about how he means to use him.

If there ever was a situation desperate enough to take a punt on a manager, this is surely it. Rafa's track record when he joined Valencia wasn't better than Hodgson's. This is a deplorable silver lining really, but it is good for the English game, if nothing else, that a major club is taking on a British manager to allow him to prove his mettle at the highest level. Last time I recall that happening was Bruce Rioch for Arsenal in '95 not exactly a shining example). One thing I think I will come to appreciate with Hodgson's tenure is the dignity I see him bringing to the job. I loved Rafa and much appreciated his love for the club, loyalty and willingness to fight for the club, but his approach was very much a departure from the now exsanguine 'Liverpool Way' well before the Americans came in and drained it of all lifeblood. After the first year, he was not above a good mudslinging or scathing criticism and while I appreciate that it may have been warranted on a few occasions, I do prefer a manager who does not get publicly embroiled in politics, be it with owners, referees, Ferguson or the FA. I think he'll do well given the circumstances. And I think he is more likely to positively surprise us than merely keep things adequately ticking. Getting back into the top 4 will be a major difficulty without new ownership this summer, but I think Hodgson is up for that task.

The plural of 'forum' is 'fora'. I agree though.

it was the least to be expected really. Rafa failed big time last season. Anyone in football except Alex Ferguson and possibly Arsene Wenger would find themselves out of a job after a season like that with a squad like this and a club of this stature.

Warnock? Guthrie?

Great post.