Liverpool FC "Bust" Joe Cole Gets Hammered By Roy Hodgson

Roy Hodgson just added another memorable press conference to his long list since taking over at Liverpool FC.

In his six months at the helm, he has said some truly remarkable things. He claimed Liverpool was overstaffed, selling Alberto Aquilani, Albert Riera and Javier Mascherano while loaning out Emiliano Insua, all starting players from last year, only to now claim that Liverpool are in dire need of reinforcements during the January transfer window.

He trashed the reserve squad for losing a cup tie to a second division Northampton team at Anfield, despite the fact that he himself fielded an entire lineup devoid of all regular starters. He also called out Glen Johnson, the starting right back for both England and Liverpool, for his sub-par performances. Yet another is his comical claim that Liverpool had the "best performance" of the year in a 2-0 drubbing against crosstown rivals Everton.

Ah, good ol' Roy.

So, just days after claiming that the squad is not his, and thus, he should be absolved of all blame for Liverpool's poor start, Liverpool's gaffer claimed that Joe Cole was not his signing, despite having previously claimed he was responsible for Cole's arrival. In his rant against Cole:

"He's not so much a player I can really take responsibility for...Joe is a midfield player, and what's the right position for a midfield player? Gerrard has played all over midfield for as long as I can remember...Joe has to come to terms with the fact that he has come here after an unsuccessful period at Chelsea with high hopes of taking Liverpool by storm and unfortunately it's not happened. He should be convincing me and everyone watching that this is a player who can help Liverpool win things. And I think you couldn't say that has been the case so far."

Now, the attack on Cole itself is not wrong, had Liverpool taken the league by storm. But they haven't. The body language of the players and managers is not good, the ball movement is terrible on the pitch, and the results reflect that. The team as a whole—manager included—are on terrible form. Singling out Joe Cole, who historically is fragile (physically and mentally), doesn't seem like an effective way to put the team back on track.

Managers have the right to attack their players, but seldom do they air such dirty laundry publicly. For Hodgson, this is the second starting player he has bashed in such a manner, without offering any advice for Cole to improve. Furthermore, if he expects Joe Cole to start performing up to his legendary form, would it not be better to NOT create a rift by saying "He's not my player"?

Joe Cole is just a pawn in Hodgson's fight to keep his job and support from the club. He needs to deflect responsibility for the team's ninth-place standing. He needs to blame somebody else—anybody—even if his claims contradict what he has said before. Maybe the Anfield janitor will be the next to be blamed in Hodgson's epic press conference tour.

Regardless, the results will speak for themselves. Come Sunday, all eyes will be on Hodgson, as he hopes to regain his reputation abroad and at Liverpool. Should Blackpool complete the season double over Liverpool, however, there will be nothing left to salvage. A once-glorious man when he took Fulham to an improbable Europa League final, Hodgson now looks more and more like a drowning man desperate for the last gasps before the end.