Liverpoolfc.tv was this morning granted the first
interview with new boss Roy Hodgson. Here's what he had to say in full.
How pleased were you to see the comments from both Steven
Gerrard and Jamie Carragher this morning endorsing your appointment?That was really nice and I am looking forward immensely to meeting
them. I bumped into Jamie in Port Elizabeth but had no chance to really
speak to him and that would have been too soon anyway. I am looking
forward to speaking to those two in particular today, but also getting
in touch with the other players who are either on holiday or still at
the World Cup.
How proud are you to have become only the
18th manager in our history?I'm extremely proud. The club's tradition in terms of its football
and its managers is really second to none and it was an opportunity
which was absolutely impossible to turn down. I am both proud and
excited at the prospect of working as the Liverpool manager.
The
Fulham fans loved you but was the lure of the Liverpool job just too
great to turn down?I don't think there are many jobs that would have tempted me away
from Fulham, to be perfectly honest. I had such a good relationship with
the Chairman and the Chief Executive, the players were magnificent to
work with and everything was as good as it gets, but on the other hand
when there was a chance that Liverpool wanted me, and they asked to
speak to me, I asked the Chairman for permission. He wasn't too happy to
give it but fortunately for me this job came about and I am really
happy to be here.
When did you first hear of the club's
interest in you and what was your immediate thought about the
possibility of one day managing Liverpool?It was a while ago, certainly before I went to South Africa. The club
has had a very diligent process. I was perhaps one of the first people
they spoke to but they were determined to go through the full process
and make certain that they researched everything. I'm grateful for that
because it means they have chosen me having done all their homework,
interviewed other candidates and plumped for me. That makes it an even
nicer feeling being here today.
Watch
Roy's first game live on LFC TV>>
How did you feel when you heard of Liverpool's interest?It was an enormous feeling of anticipation, expectation and then of
course hope that having had the initial discussions that they would
decide I was the right man for the job.
You took your first steps into management at a time when
Liverpool began to dominate Europe - did you watch the likes of Bob
Paisley closely and pick up anything that helped you as a manager?What we picked up was the Liverpool style. On paper it was a
relatively simple style but in actual fact simplicity is the hardest
thing to achieve. Working in Sweden, as I was at the time, they were all
very impressed with the quality of the passing, the quality of the
movement, the way players were always available for each other. Of
course the quality of the players they produced at that time, firstly
Toshack and Keegan and then Dalglish and Rush, and then the great
partnerships at the back with Smith, Thompson, Hansen and Lawrenson; we
were brought up on that. When I was at Malmo I brought a group of
coaches over and Bob Paisley was great. Graeme Souness was the coach but
Bob was still around at Melwood and I remember having a cup of tea with
him. He was a really interesting man to meet. You can never turn the
clock back and live those times again, but it would be nice if we could
fashion an image again which in some way represents what these people
pioneered so many years ago.
How much do you know about
the traditions and history of the club and was this one of the
motivating factors in your decision to come here?It's very important you have that as a manager. At Liverpool it's
highlighted really because the traditions here are so great, but even if
you go to a smaller club it's still important that you're aware of what
the club has done in the past and what the club means to the people.
There's nowhere more keen on what a club means to the people than the
city of Liverpool.
You've managed the likes of Inter
Milan and the Swiss and Finnish national sides - where does this job
rank amongst those roles?It'd be foolish to compare but it'd also be dishonest to say anything
other than it's going to be a highlight of my career. I have worked
long and hard to reach the level I have reached.
What are your main priorities on
taking charge?It's important to get started straightaway, working with the players,
trying to create an environment which will give us a chance to become
better and hopefully improve upon the last season.
How
key is it to you to keep the big-name players at Anfield - most notably
Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard?It's important, of course. I don't think there's anybody here at the
club who would welcome losing them. Certainly the fans wouldn't welcome
losing them and us as a club I'm sure will do everything we can to make
certain they stay with us. I'll be trying to persuade them that this is
the place to be. I'll ask them to give me a chance to work with you and
give us a chance to improve on last season. They're all disappointed,
I'm sure, after last season's results and I'll be doing my level best.
It would be foolish to give guarantees that it's going to happen because
I can't speak for the players themselves, but I'll be doing my best to
keep them.
Do you have any plans to speak to
any of your senior players who are at the World Cup or those who have
returned home before they report back to training?I'll see the ones who are here today. There are a couple of meetings
this afternoon with senior players, in particular Steven and Jamie, and
I'll contact the rest by telephone. I will make certain that before the
end of the week I have had a conversation with all of the players to
tell them I'm here and am looking forward to welcoming them back when
they come.
Is the World Cup a hindrance as you will not
have much time to assess your squad as a group ahead of the Europa
League qualifier in July?It is a hindrance, but it's foolish to complain or moan about it
because there's nothing you can do about that. The World Cup comes
around every four years, they are very important occasions for the
players and you've really got to wish them well and hope they enjoy the
experience. As a club manager there's no doubt it does disrupt your
preparations, in particular for us this season with a game as early as
July 29. It's not an ideal scenario but football throws up situations
which are less than ideal and we as managers and players have to deal
with it.
Have you identified any potential new signings?We haven't really had a lot of time to talk about that as yet. It was
only on Tuesday it was finalised that I would be the new manager. I've
had very little time to sit down with the Chairman and Chief Executive
and in particular the Chief Scout to see what avenues he's been
pursuing. Of course I know players and I've got ideas, but it'd be very
wrong for me at the moment to start talking in detail about that. It's a
major area of work.
Have you spoken to the board about
your transfer budget?No, not as such. One thing they made clear to me is we have to work
within whatever restraints are in place at the club, but they've also
made clear that if we were unfortunate to lose somebody then that money
would be made available. I'm hoping that won't be the case because I
don't want to lose anybody, but we haven't gone much further than that.
The Chairman is here today and I'm sure that during the course of the
day, when I've spoken to the players, there will be meetings and
discussions along those avenues as well.
You've been successful in many countries over Europe - what
would it mean to win silverware in England with Liverpool? It would mean a lot. I've never really played up my Englishness when
I've been abroad. I've tried to fit in with the various cultures. I've
not been one of those people saying 'We don't do it this way in
England', I've always tried to avoid that, but at the same time I don't
think I'll ever pretend than I'm anything other than English, so to win
something in your own country would be really fantastic. If I can do it
here at Liverpool it will be a real crowning glory for me.
Did you talk to any former Liverpool players or staff about
the job before taking it? Did Danny Murphy say anything to you before
you left?No. I was with Alan Hansen and Mark Lawrenson with the BBC but we
steered well away from the subject and it was never mentioned. I've met
Kenny with Christian because he was part of the process of selecting the
new manager. Kenny is a person I have known for a long time, but
otherwise I haven't canvassed anybody about the job simply because until
Tuesday I wasn't told exactly 'We are giving you the job and everything
has been agreed'. I have been very wary about speaking to people. Danny
Murphy called me during this period saying he'd heard a rumour I was
going to Liverpool. It was only a rumour so there was no point in
talking about it.
Do you plan to speak to Danny?What I intend to speak to Danny Murphy about is Fulham and giving my
very best to the players. I'll tell him how much I enjoyed working with
him and the rest of the players there and thank them for their great
efforts on behalf of Fulham Football Club and on me as a manager, which I
suppose has promoted me to a position whereby Liverpool came calling. I
owe all of those players a great debt of gratitude and I will make that
clear to them, but I don't intend to talk to him about Liverpool. I
have plenty of people here to talk about Liverpool with.
Kenny Dalglish was key in the selection process and actually
interviewed you. How much respect do you have for him and are you
looking forward to working with him at Liverpool in the future?I have a lot of respect for Kenny, as everyone has. He was arguably
one of the best players ever to pull on a Liverpool shirt. He's achieved
legendary status at the club and will always have a place in the hearts
of Liverpool fans. It's very important for Liverpool Football Club that
people like Kenny are with us, working with us and helping to promote
the club and help it in every way he can. His name is up there with the
true greats and deserves to be up there because he was a magnificent
player.
The team endured a difficult season last term, losing 19
games and going out of all the cup competitions very early. What are
your ambitions for this season?The ambition initially is to do better. For Liverpool the ambition
always has to be to try and achieve a Champions League place and that's
what we'll be trying to do as soon as possible. There's no point in
setting low goals to make yourself look a bit better if you get beyond
that goal. I don't think any of the players or staff wants anything
other than a successful Liverpool year and we want to hit the ground
running. You can't do more than work for that. There's no point throwing
out empty promises. Words are words and actions are actions and we have
to show by our actions first of all on the training field and then at
Anfield and other stadiums that we're ready and good enough. That's my
task, to work with the players and ensure we are good enough.
Do
you have a message for the Liverpool supporters?The message is thank-you for having me here. I'm really looking
forward to working with your team and looking forward to getting your
support, which I've seen so many times throughout the years. I said
recently that this is one of those clubs where your motto 'You'll Never
Walk Alone' is really lived by the fans. It's a club where you feel
you're not alone. I shall need lots of help and lots of support and I
sincerely hope you make sure I never walk alone. That would be my
message. Help me to do a good job and I'll do my best to do it.
