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Hodgson the right man for Liverpool - Houllier

Roy Hodgson has come under pressure at Anfield © Getty Images

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Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier believes that Roy Hodgson has what it takes to revive Liverpool's fortunes, as he prepares to take on his former club at Anfield on Monday.

Hodgson has thus far struggled to replicate the remarkable success he achieved with Fulham and despite earning the public backing of the club's new owners, recent results are thought to be putting his job under threat.

Houllier sat in Hodgson's position in the Anfield dug-out for six years, winning half a dozen trophies with the Reds before leaving the club in 2004.

And the Frenchman believes that Hodgson, an old friend of his, has what it takes to improve his current record with the Merseysiders.

"Roy is a great pal of mine, he has been a good friend for a long time," Houllier said. "We first met when he was coach at Malmo and I was at Paris St Germain and we had an indoor tournament. It has gone on from there.

"It was a League Managers' meeting where I saw him again - but we meet several times in a year. I don't think we have ever managed teams that have played against one another before. I am sure he will turn it around at Liverpool. He will do it. No problem. Give him a bit of time.

"He needs to change a few things. The problem is at Liverpool, when you lose, it's a crisis. There is far more pressure than here (at Villa). But the board were patient, they knew we had to reconstruct and we did. Each year you try to build. I always think the mission of a manager is three-fold.

"The first one is to win a trophy and have silverware and win titles and so on - and we did that. The second one is to leave a legacy. I would just use my former chairman's words. He said 'you put the club into the 21st century' which it needed, maybe at the time.

"The legacy is the team because the team that was left with Rafa (Benitez) won the Champions League the following year. We also had new facilities and maybe a new style of professionalism I would say. I think the third mission of a manager is to make your players improve.

"We had a Ballon d'Or with Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard is a world-class international player. All the players, whether it was Danny Murphy, Emile Heskey, Stephane Henchoz or Sami Hyypia, all did well, contributed and became better players.''

On Monday, Houllier returns to Anfield under similar pressure to his opposite number having endured a diffcult start to his Villa tenure.

And while the former Reds boss admits he has retained a soft spot for his old club, he knows it is important for Villa to obtain a positive result after a poor start to the campaign.

"I want to be proud of my team at the end of the game. That is the aim and we are desperate for a win. I wish we were in a better position, yes, because I would take more risks.''

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