The Liverpool coaching job has been a very interesting story to follow. As a fan of Fulham I certainly don't want Hodgson to leave for Liverpool. I have seen what he has accomplished at Craven Cottage. I would like to see the progress the club has made under Hodgson continue. However, the speculation is growing strong that a Hodgson move to Anfield could happen in a couple of days.
If Hodgson does leave for Liverpool, it will be a sad day at Craven Cottage. I do believe Fulham can move on and prosper in the future. I have full confidence that the ownership will push the Cottagers forward.
Covering this story I also have been interested on how Liverpool fans feel about Roy Hodgson. I have done a few polls on Cottagers Confidential for the fans of Liverpool to voice their opinion. Who do the Liverpool fans want as their manager? Do they want Roy Hodgson? The current poll, I asked the question " Do Liverpool Fans Want Roy Hodgson As Their New Manager? As of right now, 80% voted "no"on wanting Hodgson as their new manager.
In my opinion, I think Fulham fans want Hodgson to stay at Craven Cottage. But, what do Liverpool fans want? I had the pleasure of contacting Richard Buxton of Click Liverpool to help me with the Liverpool view of Roy Hodgson.
Richard Buxton has been covering Liverpool for around 3 years now with various fan sites. He has been the Liverpool Football Club Correspondent with Click Liverpool for almost a year. His role consists of reporting news on a daily basis, attending press conferences at Melwood and filing match reports, usually from the Anfield press box. Mr. Buxton was also at the Europa League Final between Fulham and Atletico Madrid.
I had the pleasure of asking him several questions regarding the perception of Roy Hodgson in Liverpool. I thought he would be the perfect person to shed some light on the Livepool view of the Fulham manager. Below is my Q & A with Richard Buxton of Click Liverpool.
Q: What is the overall perception of Hodgson as a manager by the Liverpool fans?
The general perception of Roy Hodgson from a Liverpool viewpoint is that he has done well wherever he has gone, but he is not the type of candidate that supporters feel should be taking the reins at Anfield.
His achievements with Fulham since taking control in late 2007 deserve credit, particularly last season's run to the Europa Leauge final, but is only the type of manager Liverpool are able to attract due to the current financial constraints.
Q: If they have serious concerns of him as a manager for Liverpool what would they be?
A: As far as Liverpool managers go, he looks set to be the most unpopular appointment before a ball has even been kicked due to the fact that he isn't in the same league as his predecessors, which again is owing to the financial turmoil in which the club finds itself.
Of course, the fans will back him from the start as they do with every new manager but there will be an overriding feeling that he is second-best to the club and vice versa if his reported interest in the England job is to be believed.
Hodgson has done well with Fulham but his appointment would be akin to Liverpool sacking Gérard Houllier in 2001 and appointing George Burley because he was the flavour of the month on the basis of one good season at Ipswich.
Q: Do they think he might be too old for the job?
A: The age factor is irrelevant. There have been a lot of calls for Fabio Capello should he become available, and he is only a year older than Hodgson will be in August. Marcello Lippi is 62 and Kenny Dalglish, who still remains the fans' ideal candidate, is 59.
Q: Do they think he is not a big enough name?
A: He's a well-known name in England and on the continent but in terms of the calibre Liverpool are used to attracting, he isn't what would be considered a big name or one with an impressive track record.
Q: Do fans just want Kenny Dalglish as their manager and it doesn't matter who else Liverpool bring in?
A: Supporters want a return to the traditional, in-house manner in which the club conducted itself until recently and they feel that Dalglish would be the ideal man to bring in.
The argument that it should be Kenny or nobody is a slightly wide of the mark as there was a lot of enthusiasm after it emerged that the club was in talks with Manuel Pellegrini and was considered a stronger candidate than Dalglish.
Liverpool fans just want the right man for the job, whether it's Dalglish, Pellegrini, Hodgson or whoever. As long as they prove to be the ideal choice to steady the ship and give fans something to cheer about in these depressing times.
Q: Are they concerned about the type of style of play he has shown at Fulham?
A: Having seen Fulham play live a few times last season it was hard not to be impressed at Craven Cottage when they tore Liverpool limb from limb even without the dismissal of Carragher and Degen.
From an opposing fan's viewpoint, away from home there seems to be something rigid and overly cautious about Fulham's style of play as we saw at Anfield and at the Europa League final in Hamburg.
Q: Is there a concern about his experience?
A: He has been at 15 clubs both at club and international level across a 34-year career so there's no doubt about his experience in the game per se but with only two spells at Inter Milan in the 90's constituting as top flight management, he comes with few credentials on that front.
Q: Are you seeing or hearing positive feedback regarding Hodgson?
A: The feedback from the majority of readers suggests that there are little positives about his appointment aside from the fact that his reserved personality is in-keeping with the Liverpool way of doing things.
One saving grace is that he has proven time and again that he can work with limited resources which should stand him in good stead for the task ahead. His confrontation with Udinese's owners in 2001, however, will not.
I want to thank again Richard Buxton of Click Liverpool for participating in this post about Roy Hodgson. Please check him out at Click Liverpool or you can follow him on twitter at http://twitter.com/rbuxton87 .