Roy Hodgson : Not The Manager Liverpool FC Needs

With Rafa Benitez departing Liverpool FC and the fans split over whether this will ultimately benefit the club or not, the unenviable task of finding his successor has fallen into the hands of Managing Director Christian Purslow and club ambassador Kenny Dalglish.

There seems to be quite a few candidates being touted about and even some throwing their names into the hat on their own accord.

The media's speculative front runner is Fulham's Roy Hodgson.

But does Hodgson give the club what it really needs?

There is little doubt of the caliber of manager that Liverpool FC truly requires.

And that is that, they need a winner.

They need a manager that brings to the club the experience of knowing what it takes to lead them to a major European league title. A manager with a proven track record and an established European pedigree with a reputation in world and European football that is renowned and highly respected.

A manager that brings a winning mentality, a confidence and swagger of "been there, done that."

With all due respect to Hodgson, he has none of the above and is not a winner.

Granted, Hodgson has won the Swedish and Danish leagues, but they can hardly qualify as major European leagues.

As manager of Inter Milan, he did well enough to take them to seventh and third during his time in charge. This was creditable, but no cigar.

His time at Blackburn can hardly be described as a success either. With millions to spend, Hodgson made a series of poor decisions in the transfer market and ultimately was sacked due to poor displays and dressing room unrest.

What has been consistent about all the clubs that Hodgson has managed with reasonable success, is that they have been devoid of world class players and big name stars.

He himself is quoted as saying of his Inter team, that they lacked stars except Paul Ince.

His experience with top class players is minimal and when given the resources to purchase them, he has proved less than successful.

It is his time at Fulham, where he has gained most recognition, that he has again taken a team of few stars and big time personalities and gotten them to perform beyond their abilities.

Hodgson's strengths lie in taking teams with middle-tier players to mid-table finishes and a European cup final.

The Englishman cannot be described as a winner, which is what Liverpool FC really needs.

It is hoped that the ambitions of Liverpool FC lie higher than what Hodgson has to offer.

Purlsow and Dalglish's wisdom should not be questioned, but it would be prudent for them to look further afield at other, far more successful candidates.

There are many out there.