Hodgson: "I've taken Fulham FC as far as I can"

[WhiteJC]

http://www.ealinggazette.co.uk/sport/football-ealing/fulham-fc-ealing/2010/07/01/hodgson-i-ve-taken-fulham-fc-as-far-as-i-can-82029-26764962/?
Hodgson: "I've taken Fulham FC as far as I can"

ROY HODGSON reckoned back in March he had taken Fulham as far as he could – a vital reason for his departure to Liverpool.

In fact, the man who took the club to the edge of Europa League glory was gobsmacked his overachieving team defied the odds to get to the showcase final at Hamburg in the first place.

The 62-year-old is taking over at Anfield, knowing it would take a miracle if the current Fulham squad get anywhere close to the heady heights of the last campaign.

A club insider said: "Roy told friends he thought the team were going out of the Europa Cup when they played Juventus – and even getting that far was better than he thought.

"Without heavy financial imput at Fulham – and Roy smart enough to knows that's not practical – the club possibly faces another middling Premiership season."

For all that, Hodgson wrestled with the lure of Liverpool, knowing he faces a huge task to put trophies back in the Anfield cabinet rather than just guaranteeing Premiership survival as required of him at Fulham.

The source said: "But it's Liverpool, and Roy's as ambitious as the next manager. He thought that if he said no he probably wouldn't get a second chance. Can you blame him?"

[Lighthouse]

Yet I feel it is Fulham who were the ones who took Roy as far as he could go.

[White Noise]

Yet I feel it is Fulham who were the ones who took Roy as far as he could go.

An ineresting statement Mr L - could you expand on that a bit?

[Lighthouse]

HODGSON'S MANAGERIAL CAREER
1976-1980 Halmstad (Swe)
1982 Bristol City
1983-1985 Örebro (Swe)
1985-1990 Malmö FF (Swe)
1990-1992 Neuchâtel (Swi)
1992-1995 Switzerland
1995-1997 Inter Milan (Ita)
1997-1998 Blackburn Rovers
1999 Inter Milan (Ita)
1999-2000 Grasshopper (Swi)
2000-2001 Copenhagen (Den)
2001 Udinese (Ita)
2002-2004 United Arab Emirates
2004-2005 Viking (Nor)
2006-2007 Finland
2007-2010 Fulham
2010 - Liverpool

Roy has never had the chance to manage a bigger club. At both International and club level he has built systems with the players he already has or brought in players he knows he can improve. On the most part he has done fine. Never spending a few years at any one place. Until Fulham gave him another chance in the Prem, a Chairman that backed him and a pretty good transfer kitty for our size. AJ anyone? Roy was going to continue doing great jobs for small outfits. 

A chance to spend at Blackburn after a great year saw him sacked, his big money players have not been a great success. So a great few years but where was he going. An old playing squad, tactics that were failing in the Prem away from home and dull to watch at home sometimes. Fulham had given him the shop window he never really had before. He had to work to his strengths. But he was simply running out of ideas without money to improve things, Money is not his strong point. Yes he did wonderfully well but he will find the constraints of other clubs, some say bigger clubs, will bring out the problems he always has. He can nurture but by his nature he cannot buy big. Big clubs expect big.

[Logicalman]

I'm not so unsure that we are playing the Fulham up a little too much in the debate of who took who and how far.

All in all, if Fulham were in such a position to take a manager to the heights of last season, then why did we get rid of LS? Basically because he was a crap manager. Thus, if we needed a new manager that 'we could take up' to the heights, then it had something to do with the manager himself.

Let's not kid ourselves here. Fulham are a Premiership side, that's it. We are not the standard European Champions side. To get to the Europa Final was more than most of us could of dreamt of - we all said it at the time, and so, rather than saying the club took Roy to the heady heights, or that Roy took the club to the heady heights, I would contend it was a joint effort of two compatible parties both reaching those heights TOGETHER.

Now, I could very easily be proved wrong by the club reinstating LS and he, using this same squad, brings about the same success as we have seen this past season. But I doubt it. Anyone wish to argue?

[LBNo11]

...I have taken my support for Hodgson as far as I can go too...

Le Roi est mort, longue vie Fulham...

[jarv]

Hodgson did a great job but it is over. That's football. It could be nonsense but apparently there is a clause in his contract that prevents him from taking Fulham players with him. I heard it from a friend of an insider, could be rubbish. If true, that protects Hangeland and Dempsey at least. He could take AJ for 10 mill if he wants.

[ron]

The situation that has arisen is nothing more than confirmation of where Fulham finds itself in the great scheme of things. We are allowed by fate to do well, very well even....but as soon as the sharks in the bigger clubs get wind of our success, they home in on any assets we have, and spirit them away, either with or without the blessing of FFC management. Sniffer, Mullery, Marsh, I'm sure you can think of dozens over the years.

I'm just thankful for the fact that we go on regardless...and for the likes of one JH who couldn't be bought, and for the likes of Jimmy Hill and others who ensured that Craven Cottage couldn't be bought either.

COYSW, we're facing the dawn of a new era..........with Hughes perhaps.

[RidgeRider]

Hodgson did a great job but it is over. That's football. It could be nonsense but apparently there is a clause in his contract that prevents him from taking Fulham players with him. I heard it from a friend of an insider, could be rubbish. If true, that protects Hangeland and Dempsey at least. He could take AJ for 10 mill if he wants.

Well, in another thread I speculated this very point because its good business. NO POACHING clause. :)

[RidgeRider]

COYSW, we're facing the dawn of a new era..........with Hughes perhaps.

Please be right.

[Steve_orino]

On the contrary, I think Roy could have taken us farther...if he could have won a couple of 'away-days' this year, we could be headed for the Champions League!!!

We weren't that far off in 08-09.

[RidgeRider]

On the contrary, I think Roy could have taken us farther...if he could have won a couple of 'away-days' this year, we could be headed for the Champions League!!!

We weren't that far off in 08-09.

True. At times we played like a Big 4 club...but as Mr. Lighthouse bangs on and on about, Hodgson's tactics away, always playing for the draw and not attacking, may have been his achilles, and as you rightly state, may have costs us a bit...but I have no complaints about the man and will miss him greatly.