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New Liverpool owners confirm Hodgson is safe

A timely boost for Roy Hodgson © Getty Images

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New Liverpool co-owner Tom Werner insists Roy Hodgson's job as manager is safe, and has promised that the English boss will be given transfer funds to help take the club forward.

Fellow co-owner John W Henry has also given his backing to Hodgson, whose side have picked up only six points from their opening seven Premier League games.

Werner, the chairman of New England Sports Ventures, who bought the Merseyside club for £300 million this week, said the new owners did not expect a "long honeymoon'' at Anfield.

But he told BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek programme: "He [Hodgson] needs to be given time. We have a lot of confidence in Roy.

"Nobody can be pleased about the start of the season but the club ought to gel. We had a nice chat with him yesterday and look forward to talking to him tomorrow.''

Werner, who revealed the new owners would also be meeting supporters' representatives on Monday, added: "The one prescription for disaster is to lurch to the left and lurch to the right.

"We see no reason why Roy can't be our coach this year and in the future. We're certainly going to give him time. I don't want to make too many promises except that we expect the fortunes of the club to improve.''

When asked if the owners would be providing Hodgson with "reasonable'' funds, Werner replied: "Yes, absolutely.''

He also reiterated the promise of co-owner Henry that the key aim was to return Liverpool to their trophy-winning days.

The new owners spoke with the players yesterday at the Melwood training ground and Werner said: "We're not coming in like a bull in a china shop. The first priority is to listen.

"Our general message was one of giving them a sense of confidence that we had their back, that we had confidence in Roy, that we were encouraging them and just basically showing our face and telling them that we were on the job.

"We know we're in a very competitive league here. Liverpool is one of the great clubs in the world and we need to improve revenues, especially on a global basis, but really our message to the players yesterday was just one of we know there's been a bit of a choppy sea lately and we wanted to assure them of who we were and that we wanted to stabilise the situation.

"They were very optimistic. They seemed in good spirits. It's a desire that all of us have to win. Winning is extremely satisfying. We make no promises. I think our style is to under-promise and over-deliver. But the challenge of restoring the great lustre of Liverpool is a great challenge and we'd love to win.

"Everything revolves around winning. If we can win, then the brand in Asia is strengthened, but it's just really about trophies because everything falls into place if you've got a very competitive squad.''

Werner pointed to the new owners' success with the Boston Red Sox baseball team over the past decade and the manner in which they have spent cash on players, including the transfer fee and wages for one Japanese signing which, according to Werner, came to $100 million.

"I think the size of the payroll should increase,'' Werner said. "We certainly realise there is a very strong correlation between success in the Premier League and wages. We are not short-term thinkers or short-term investors.''

With the Red Sox, NESV were credited with rejuvenating a struggling franchise and Liverpool supporters will get their own chance to ask how they plan to do a similar job at Anfield on Monday.

"Tomorrow we meet with a bunch of supporters," Werner said. "They are the bedrock of any club's success. We do not have any agenda tomorrow but we want to listen and to repair that bridge which might be a little bit broken.''

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