Pressure Mounts On Hodgson

Make no mistake about it; it’s been nothing short of a disastrous week for Liverpool. It started with a defeat at arch rivals Manchester United and ended with a disappointing home draw with Sunderland. Sandwiched in between the two Premier League games was a shock Carling Cup defeat at the hands of League Two side Northampton Town.

It was never going to be easy for Hodgson, but I think in the last week he may have discovered just how big of a task he has set himself.

Hodgson took over Liverpool at a recent low. Rafa Benitez’s failure to bring Champions League football had created a gloomy club for Hodgson when he arrived. But nevertheless Liverpool fans would have still thought that a new manager would bring a change in fortunes.

But this was never going to happen quickly. Personally I think Hodgson and the Anfield hierarchy need to wipe this season off because hopes of success are to be honest are highly ambitious, bordering on unrealistic.

Hodgson needs time to kick-start Liverpool. If you look at his time at Fulham, his success was achieved gradually there, and you feel that he will need similar time to achieve any success on Merseyside.

The man himself admits that his side isn’t up to standard yet: “I don’t think we’re playing like a team from fourth or fifth place at the moment. One of the things that is lacking is we need to play and work much more together. We’ve got a lot of new players coming into the team and we haven’t had that much time.

“The more we work and the more the team plays together the better you will see them become. Rome wasn’t built in a day and we’ve got to keep working at it. Certainly I’ve got a group of players here who will work and try to get better and give their all.”

Hodgson seems to me as if he plans to stay in it for the long haul, the only remaining question is will the Liverpool board give him the chance to build something?