Bluenose sticker plan fails

EVERTON fans taking the piss out of Liverpool is always a good laugh – people in glasshouses and all that.

But spare a chuckle for the bitters who went to the trouble of having the ‘hilarious’ Keep Rafa In Our City stickers printed up. Well they’re about as useful as Tony Hibbert now, aren’t they? While we’re here, why don’t the Toffees look at their own manager? While David Moyes has been in charge Everton have chalked up their lowest points total in a season in their history; they’ve never beaten any of the big four away; they’ve won nothing and Moyes has lost more derby league games than any other Everton manager (with the exception of Will Cuff who managed Everton for 17 years).

Keep Moyes In Our City stickers, anyone?

Master Bates

IT’S not often the phrase, ‘We agree with Ken Bates’ is written. But in this instance, we do.

You see old white beard wasn’t too happy that Leeds striker Jermaine Beckford decided to swap Elland Road for Woodison. He was caught on film saying: “Jermaine, thank you. It’s not too late to think about not going to a two-bob club like Everton and staying with a that has a great future, like Leeds United.” Shame about the last bit, Ken.

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ROY HODGSON

HODGSON IS A NICE BLOKE BUT...

BY GARETH ROBERTS

THEY knew it, and we knew it. Roy Hodgson as manager of Liverpool Football Club is a step down. It’s an appointment that would never have happened minus these owners, minus this board.

Yet happened it has, and now we’re stuck with him.

Don’t get me wrong, the bloke seems a sound fella. But my dad’s a sound fella, and I wouldn’t want him as manager of Liverpool, either.

Some of you will read this and think, ‘Come on, support the manager.’ Well, I will. When Liverpool run out against Arsenal for the first game of the season, I’ll support the team AND the manager. But I still don’t support the decision to appoint him in the first place.

The suits at Anfield – and the tw*ts in America – they knew it would be that way.

They knew appointing Hodgson would piss supporters off. But they did it anyway. Because they don’t care about supporters.

French champions Marseille shortly after Christian Purslow’s highlypublicised approach) to the overrehearsed answers in the Anfield press conference.

It was all to say, ‘Look, we tried for some of the very best managers in the world, but Roy is the best option.’

There was even an answer in the press conference about foreign managers struggling in their first season to adapt to the Premier Leaugue.

Roy, of course, knows the Premier League. Oh, and did we mention he’s British?

Look at how desperate the club were to crowbar their key messages in when Hodgson was appointed.

The official website told us over and over again that Kenny Dalglish had approved the decision to appoint Hodgson, as did (temporary) chairman Martin Broughton.

The name of The King was used to legitimise the process. The message was, The King thinks it’s alright, so should you.

And if they didn’t know, perhaps the graffiti near to Anfield on the day Hodgson was presented to the press served as a reminder.

Then Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher were quoted. The Scouse heartbeat of the club thinks it’s alright, so should you.

“Purslow FC. Purslow is a c**t.” The message was clear - fans know this is an appointment made for the wrong reasons. It doesn’t feel like a footballing decision.

The whole process felt stage managed. From approaching managers that were clearly never going to come to Liverpool (Didier Deschamps announced a new contract with

Then Broughton mentioned that Hodgson had won LMA manager of the year. The LMA think it’s alright, so should you.

Thing is, Kenny DIDN’T think it was alright, did he? Why did he push so strongly to be given the role himself if he had confidence in the candidates the club was targeting?

Kenny’s son, Paul, was quoted in The OPINION

That’s it, keep saying ‘Kenny’ and don’t mention the money...

Telegraph as saying of his dad: “I do not think he is the best person for the job, but he is the best person of everybody available.

“It is not as though Jose Mourinho is going to come and do the job. It is not as though Fabio Capello is going to leave England to be the next manager of Liverpool.

“My dad wants to do the job and he feels he is the best person available to do the job. If Jose Mourinho was available and wanted it, my dad would not have any interest in the job, because all he ever does is act in the best interest of Liverpool.

“If new owners come in to invest money in the team and they can attract a Mourinho or a Capello, he would happily step aside if it was in the best interest of the club.

“My dad wants to do the job because he feels it is the best thing for Liverpool at this time. If that were to change, he would happily step aside.” Well that didn’t change, did it? But the board went ahead and appointed Hodgson anyway, claiming he ‘ticked all the boxes’.

HODGSON’S HIGHS 1976: First job in Halmstad, Sweden, where he won two titles.

1992: Becomes manager of Switzerland. Takes them to the 1994 World Cup and Euro 96.

1997: Loses UEFA Cup final while boss at Inter Milan. Repeats feat at Fulham in 2010.

HODGSON’S LOWS 1982: Sacked as manager of Bristol City after run of poor results

1998: Sacked by Blackburn after winning nine points from 14 games

2001: Sacked by Udinese 2005: Sacked by UAE

Well, Mr Broughton, what boxes would they be, I wonder? In his sixties (tick), journeyman (tick), blew a load of money and was sacked by Blackburn (tick).

And as for bringing up the LMA as some kind of sign of quality? Nah. Past winners include Joe Kinnear, Frank Clark and George Burley. Say no more.

It seems the board – none of them football men – became obsessed with appointing someone British. Someone that would curry favour with the nation’s hacks. Someone, apparently, who would do things with ‘class’ and ‘dignity’.

Recognise those phrases? You may well do. They appeared in at least five or six reports from senior national journalists (some before Hodgson had even been confirmed as manager).

Not that those writers were briefed to pen those very words by ‘senior sources’ at Anfield, good God no, could you imagine?

That would almost be like someone was trying to pull the wool over our eyes, wouldn’t it?

Liverpool is, still, just, a formula one racing car. But thanks to the wisdom of the powers that be, we now have someone expert at steering a milk float driving it. And he’s on the back of the grid. With only a bit of fuel. Yet, still, he’ll be expected to make pole position…

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