• Premier League

Hodgson left 'insulted' by questioning

Roy Hodgson is furious with the questioning over his methods © Getty Images

Enlarge

Related Links

• News: It's not as gloomy at Liverpool as you think - Hodgson
  

Roy Hodgson has launched a passionate defence of his managerial style as Liverpool find themselves inside the relegation zone.

Hodgson has come under pressure at Anfield after several disappointing results and performances, with the Carling Cup exit to League Two side Northampton considered one of the club's most humiliating defeats in decades.

However, Hodgson, who has won trophies in Sweden and Denmark as well as reaching two European finals, feels there is no justification for criticising his work at this stage.

Asked if his methods were failing, Hodgson said: "Unbelievable. What do you mean by that? In 35 years, how many clubs have I had?

"What do you mean do my methods translate? They have translated from Halmstads to Malmo to Orebo to Neuchatel Xamax to the Swiss national team, so I find the question insulting.

"To suggest that, because I have moved from one club to another, that the methods which have stood me in good stead for 35 years and made me one of the most respected coaches in Europe don't suddenly work is very hard to believe.

"Experience is an important quality for any manager.

"We have a job to do and we know what to do. We're working at it and hopefully we'll get some joy from our work during the course of the season."

With the likes of Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard at his disposal, many feel that Liverpool's performances have been well below the expected standard this season, yet Hodgson feels that, on current form, they cannot be considered star players.

"At the moment, arguably one of the two players that people are suggesting are very different to the Fulham players I managed aren't playing any better than those Fulham players," he said.

"Journalists work on names rather than performances and what happens is that a judgement is based on names rather than what those players have actually done in a game.

"You have to take each game as it comes. You can't live in a dream world of how wonderful it would be if every time one of your players got the ball he raced past four defenders and smashed it into the net.

"That would be living in a fantasy world. It is not going to happen against the type of teams we play. I couldn't give a monkeys whether Liverpool are 16th or 18th. What bothers me is we've only got six points and I'd have liked a few more."

He added: "The expectations here are very, very high so having had plenty of highs and some lows in my career can only be advantageous.

"Are people suggesting that we should be doing the same as Arsenal, who have had the same team together for the last six years and Chelsea, who have just won the league? If so, I would accuse them of being unrealistic at this moment in time.

"This is a new team, there are four or five new players. We finished seventh last season so I don't understand why it's suggested we should be comparing ourselves every day with Chelsea or Manchester United at this early stage of the season.

"It will be nice if we can get there. We will see but I certainly don't make that demand upon the players."

Liverpool take on fellow strugglers Blackpool at Anfield on Sunday, with Gerrard set to return to the side after missing the Europa League game against Utrecht.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.