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Brom vs. Liverpool: Revenge will be sweet for Hodgson
Hodgson
will look to get one over on Liverpool this weekend
Roy Hodgson meets
his former employers this weekend and, not only is it a big game for Hodgson
himself, it’s a huge a game for West Brom.
Most think that he wasn’t given enough time at Liverpool. Many believe that Liverpool just wasn’t the right club for him; that he couldn’t handle the pressure of managing a ‘big club’. What is for certain, though, is that Roy Hodgson, in the time that he was given at Anfield, failed as manager of Liverpool Football Club.
Hodgson
was given just over six months to stabilise a club in free-fall after a
combination of poor management, poor ownership and all-round poor decisions
left England’s most successful football club of the twentieth century in dire
straits.
Earlier
this week two Anfield talisman spoke out about Hodgson’s time with the club,
saying that the sixty-three-year-old wasn’t to blame for the failure of Anfield.
Captain Steven Gerrard stated that, “as
players we didn’t perform consistently for him”, with centre-back Jamie
Carragher adding: “it’s not as if Roy was there for two years and didn’t do
well so as a group of players you have to ask are we doing well enough.”
Of course, Kop legend Kenny Dalglish took over from Hodgson in January, with Liverpool sitting 12th in the League. They now sit 6th, just four points away from Tottenham. The turn-around has been quite staggering.
Everyone has their own opinion: did the
players not perform under Hodgson but are now finding their feet with Dalglish
at the helm? Are Dalglish’s tactics simply more suited to the Liverpool
players? Or is (or, was) Hodgson simply tactically inept and didn’t understand
what it meant to be manager of Liverpool?
Hodgson is now manager of West Brom. Many
tipped them for the drop when the former-Inter Milan, Blackburn Rovers and
Finland manager was appointed West Brom head coach in February, after Roberto
Di Matteo was sacked.
Many Baggies fans were unhappy with the departure
of Di Matteo as he was seen as a young, likeable manager, as well as being a
good coach with fantastic man-management skills. He was seen as the future of
the club, a future that was then cast in doubt as Hodgson was brought in with less
than four months left in the season and with a relegation fight on their hands.
West Brom are currently 16th in
the Premier League and just one point above the relegation zone, but the fact
that Hodgson has organised the team into a well-oiled machine as well as
actually playing players in their preferred positions (as Di Matteo was
criticised for doing the opposite) has delighted fans at The Hawthorns.
This weekend, though, sees a match that has
set many tongues wagging. Liverpool visit West Brom on Saturday meaning that
Hodgson faces his old employers for the first time since his exit.
Dalglish, though, had some positive words to
say about the man who will be in the opposite dug-out this weekend: "Roy hasn't got anything to prove to anybody. If you
say he has extra motivation then you are doubting the man's integrity and
implying he never had enough motivation before”, Dalglish told The
Telegraph.
"I have great respect for him as I said when I came
in here and that isn't going to change now that we are playing against each
other.”
What is for sure, though, is that Hodgson will be looking
to get one over on his former employers come Saturday, 3pm. West Brom’s Premier
League status is not yet safe and a win against Liverpool could set them on
their way to a fine run-in.
Hodgson has stated today that he already has targets
in mind for the summer transfer window; he expects to be at West Brom for
the foreseeable future but knows he needs time to build. On Saturday, he’ll
come up against the side that wouldn’t allow him that time, in a game that
could spark the surge away from relegation.
The
time is now for Blackpool
EPL:
Blackpool are in danger of relegation
In 2011, they’ve
won just two games. They’re in the middle of an intense relegation battle.
Blackpool’s form is relegation form.
The
English Premier League relegation battle is always a gripping story that
unfolds over the course of thirty-eight games. Usually, by the time April comes
around, the relegation contenders have been whittled down to around five teams.
This
time last season, Portsmouth were propping up the table on thirteen points,
with Burnley above them on twenty-four – Championship football was already on
the cards for these two sides. Between eighth placed Fulham and Hull City (18th
and in the relegation zone) there were eleven points. Realistically though,
Wigan and West Ham were the only other relegation concerns. Burnley, Hull and
Portsmouth were demoted at the end of the season.
This
season, it is not so clear-cut. There are eight points between the bottom club
and 7th placed Bolton. West Ham, West Brom, Blackpool, Aston Villa
and Blackburn are all in serious danger of dropping into a relegation zone
currently featuring Wolves, Birmingham and Wigan. With eight games to go, no
one is safe.
Blackpool,
in particular, have seen a horrific fall in form. A 4-0 win away at Wigan sent
them to the top of the Premier League table after the first game. A 6-0
thrashing from Arsenal didn’t exactly dampen their spirits as, by 28th
December, they were sitting eighth in the table.
And
then came the turn of the year. In 2011, The Tangerines have won two games
(against Liverpool and Tottenham). They’ve lost vital games against their
relegation rivals: Birmingham, West Brom, West Ham and Wolves. In their last
six games, they’ve conceded sixteen goals. To put it bluntly, their current
form is relegation form.
Charlie
Adam, Blackpool’s star player this season, was, somewhat expectedly, completely
outclassed on Sunday as Scotland were defeated 2-0 by a Neymar-inspired Brazil.
The midfielder suffered a knock at The Emirates and, although he
has stated that he’ll be ready for this weekend’s clash with Fulham,
manager Ian Holloway will need a fully-fit Adam to inspire his team through the
rest of the season.
After
Fulham this Sunday, Blackpool face a struggling Arsenal who will surely be
looking to re-state their claim for the Premier League title. Following that,
three bottom-half teams visit Bloomfield Road. Blackpool cannot afford to lose
to Wigan, Newcastle or Stoke, especially when their final three fixtures put them
up against Tottenham, Bolton and Manchester United.
If
Blackpool are to stay up this season, their form is going to have to
drastically change instantly. A win against Fulham would certainly set them on
their way and, to steer clear of the drop, they’re going to need to be
tactically shrewd and adopt a win-at-all-costs attitude.
Blackpool
have played some brilliant football this season which is remarkable baring in
mind that, at the beginning of the season, everyone was writing them off. Gary
Taylor-Smith, DJ Campbell and Luke Varney have played above and beyond
themselves and have contributed to Blackpool scoring forty-five goals this
season. Their defence, though, is a completely different matter.
The
game against Manchester United in January pretty much sums up Blackpool as a
team. In the first half, Holloway’s side battered United, taking a 2-0 lead
into half-time after attacking with great fluidity. In the second half, United
came back in roaring fashion, scoring three goals in sixteen minutes to destroy
a helpless Blackpool.
Blackpool
might not have the best squad on paper but, when it comes to actually playing on
the pitch, in a unit, they are fantastic to watch and have been a revelation
this season. They’re stuck in the middle of some woeful form but form can
change. A win against Fulham won’t save their season, but it could set them on
their way to survival.
These articles were originally published on Sports Haze.
