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Take it in with your head, not your heart. Get past the dislike for Hodgson (hard I know) and you'll realise that this isn't a typical Hodgson away day - far from it. Konchesky is stil sh*te, mind.

Rubbish. Over 60% possession, playing through midfield, Johnson is getting into forward positions. Lucas and Meireles controlling the game and the passing is fluid and not in our own half. Watch the game.

I hate him as much as anyone else but we have been very good so far (at the very least compared to all the other away games this season).

ball watching from konchesky yet again...(for the goals earlier and vs Spurs)

Just believing that for half a second put a wider smile on my face than when any of the goals went in this evening (fist pumps and that was it).

Capello got them to lump it up to Ibrahimovich, which played right into the hands of Sami who was majestic. I forgot about Zambrotta being nullified too. For me I have little confidence in Hodgson because his methods come across as old-fashioned. Comparing that with the kind of insight into complex football tactics introduced by Rafa, it's night and day. He didn't always get it right, but when he did it was symphonic. Take the Barca home game in 07 for instance. That first half was perfection - we controlled the game with and without the ball. We adopted what some have called aggressive defending. And when we had the ball, we won it back high up the pitch and launched quick attacks. They were rattled and it was superb. I remember that game so clearly, I turned to my mate at the pub with a big smile after about 20 mins had gone and said to him "wow, we are incredible". Like someone mentioned earlier, we were feared in Europe. Houllier gave us the platform to succeed, but Rafa took us to levels GH never could, because his tactical genius at the time was right up there with the best of them.

come on dodgeson f*cking put on some subs and liven up the game you old hack...

XABI ALONSO *clap clap clap clap clap* Anyone who has a mateat the game needs to tell them to sing for Xabi.

Lucas and Meireles have bossed the game. Not having Gerrard on the pitch means they are able to impose themselves on the game more. I'd like to see Jovanovic, Pacheco and Aurelio get some game time. Also, am I the only one incredibly disturbed by the general apathy?

I didn't think it was all that. The refs clearly favoured his team/disliked his opponents - it was bordering on obscene if I'm honest. Hence my highlighting of the two short term stints at Australia and Chelsea (a mediocre and a top team) which I followed relatively closely. There you go - debate over.

I guess it depends on how you interpret it. They did enough but the ref wouldn't give them the clear cut penos they needed. I laughed at the time, but imagine if that happened to us.

OK, I think you've missed my point as well. I said that I think he's the best short term option. Based on two achievements: 1) How he got Australia playing well as a team. I followed their games before Hiddink, and the ones after. At no point did I claim that itwas a great achievement that his team got to the second round of the WC. I liked how he how he organised them and got them playing football which was effective. They became strong in possession, not least by packing the midfield, and he used the squad of players at his disposal pretty well. I always believe that if you get the team to play the "right" way, then the results will usually follow. And to qualify, the "right way" is dependent on the players you have at your disposal and also the stage (European tie, International game, English league match etc). 2) His stint at Chelsea. He revitalised them, got them playing some good football again. He got them results. Tactically he was very sound, and should have beaten a Barcelona team but for some incredibly dodgy referee that failed to award at least two clear cut penalties from my memory. One of which was almost immediately after Iniesta scored. He got them to the FA Cup final, which you said isn't all that. Fair enough. But look at the results - the whole club took to him well. The players responded to him, and he got the most out of them in that three/four month period. That would be good enough for many as a long term manager, but as a short term caretaker? Also, I don't see the point you are trying to make with your "nearlies" comment. Is getting an unfavoured Russian team who knocked out early favourites Holland to a semifinal not an achievement? I'd never seen a Rafa team outplayed tactically in a first leg of a two-legged tie at Anfield his six years at LFC. Doing enough to beat Barca in a CL semi over 180 minutes was also an achievement. Why can't I list them as "achievements"? What are you looking for? Ferguson's 11 or however many League titles? Mourinho's two European Cups??? Rafa's two La Ligas? For me, when you look at short term options you want someone who is obviously tactically sound and understands the game well enough to work with the resources available. But equally important, he has to have a strong enough personality with a decent enough winning pedigree so that players respond to him. And for the record, I don't think he'd be in my top 4/5 candidates as a long term manager. But show me a manager who has done a better short term job with a better list of "achievements". And finally, out of curiousity, do name me your 15 managers whom you rate higher than Hiddink.

Hiddink?

In case you were in a coma from February to May last year, Hiddink stepped into the Chelsea job and did very well. Won the FA Cup, went on a very strong league run in the last couple months, and was prevented from getting to the CL finals - against the best team in the land Barcelona whom they more than matched - due to some of the most suspect refereeing you'll ever see. His time with Australia is not to be dismissed as he changed the mentality and imparted tactical knowledge on a pretty average squad of players. Within months they were playing with confidence and tactical assurance which saw them qualify for the World Cup, and reached the second round. Which is why for me if you're looking at a short term caretaker manager, Hiddink will always be near the top of the list due to these achievements. Name me another manager who has been as successful as him when it comes to short term roles. Calling him "a myth of a manager" on the basis of his stint with Chelsea - never mind the fact that he is one of around 40 managers in football history that has actually won a European Cup - is just disrespectful. That was the point of my question.

The press will NEVER realise nor admit that the idiot is crap. He is the English manager who's finally broken through to one of the top jobs and they will want him to hold on to the job for the longest time so he can prove himself (to be inferior to many other foreign managers/coaches). If anything is to happen it has to be done by the fans.

How many managers have won the European Cup?

And there you have it - the perfect short term solution with proven credentials. Took Australia to the World Cup by changing the way they played over a short period of time. And then led Chelsea to a very good run in 08/09 - IIRC the best run of form of any team in England over the three months he was in charge.

At Juve, I recall we played with five at the back. A tactical adjustment which was the point I was trying to make. Can't disagree about the Chelsea game. Superb post Leo.

People need to remember that Hodgson was hired by the media. We're not going to get any favours from them.

No, we learnt how to handle those ties mentally. We learnt how to be determined and fight, and stay calm in such ties. We understood that over two legs anything can happen (Barca 01), and therefore were equipped to handle one part of the battle. Under Rafa, we finally understood tactically how to play European games, and especially two legged ties. Against Barca at Anfield in 07, we played an almost perfect first half of football. They were meant to come at us full pelt, but instead we suffocated them by pressing them, cutting out the passing lanes and maintaining a high tempo. They were clearly rattled and we played cat and mouse with them, even when they had the ball. That was the first time I realised what it meant to be in total control of a football match - at least the first half anyway.

What do you think is the more likely wage he received then?

Thanks mate. This pr*ck is killing my enjoyment in supporting my club. I appreciate that you will have difficult times as a supporter. As if being subjected to disappointment by results/performances on the weekend is not enough, he's killing the rest of the week for most fans as well I imagine by saying some downright stupid things.

Apologies but what was this Mourinho quote that Carralegend's legendary post mentioned?

The Aquilani deal was reported to be worth around 17m in total. If you were talking about up front costs in comparison I'll give you that, but you're telling me that we wouldn't have got Mereiles at around that price, probably a little more?