Roy Hodgson - LEgend

[Artful Dodger]

I think you will find Jol has a better points won per game ratio than Hodgson.

The word legend has been cheapened, examples of legends are:

Atlantis
The founding of Tenochtitlan, Aztec Capital
Big Foot
Cenodoxus, or the Damnation of the Good Doctor of Paris, told as an event justifying the sanctification of St Bruno
Celtic Legends
El Dorado
Fountain of Youth
Helen of Troy and the Trojan War
King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
Legends of Africa
Loch Ness Monster
Odysseus
Philosopher's stone
Robin Hood
Romulus and Remus and the founding of Rome
Shangri-La
Táin Bó Flidhais
Vlad the Impaler; stories of his cruelty have attained legendary status, most likely spread after his death by his enemies.
William Tell

Thats a fine list of legends! However, a legend can also be the person that inspires legends, as opposed to the legend itself. I feel we will be talking about our Europa run for decades to come and Roy was the person that inspired that run; ergo, he is a legend.

[alfie]

It's also about how we view certain people, as much as achievement. To me, Simon Morgan is a legend but it was only in the last couple of years he was associated with success. Hodgson is / was loved unanimously by all Fulham fans and not many achieve that - even Berbatov seems to split opinion! To close my argument, I give you three words - Europa Cup Final. Hodgson is a legend - no debate.

He achieved a lot here at Fulham but i hated his football style, seemed to me that his philosophy was try not to loose rather than try to win, very very defensive minded manager, but that is purely my own opinion, and i never call anyone a legend the word is thrown around by David Hamilton on a match day whenever any past players turns up.

I'm not suggesting for a second that any past player that turns up is a legend. Hodgson achieved something that none of us thought possible, far beyond the 'status' of Fulham. Half of us - myself included - didn't even think the Europa league was a good idea and concentrating on the league would have been better. But I tell you what - I went to Juve and then to the final and the latter was the best football day of my life, despite the result.

We scored 3 away at Basel and 5 against Juve in 2 games, so we weren't just about defensive football. But if you rather we went out 4-3 in the first round, then fair enough!!

I appreciate what you are saying, but don't just pick out a couple of games, i was at those games and it was fanstastic, but overall RH is a defensive minded coach, he always has been, i do not in any way dislike the chap, he served us well, and where on earth did you get the idea that i would rather we went out 4-3 in the first round.
:49:

[TonyGilroy]

I'm not terribly interested in defining "legend" but ranking Fulham managers on the basis only of their time at Fulham puts Hodgson top for me.

I wasn't happy with the way he left but maybe had he stayed it would have been downhill for him and he knew the time was right for him to go. We all knew it would end in tears at Liverpool of course as it will with England.

[Lighthouse]

I was never a fan of Roy's playing style anymore than I am of Jols. But managers set up the team they want using the players they have. I tend to agree that defining 'legend' is pointless.

As for the best managers we have had then Alec Stock brought us an FA Cup final appearance.
Roy a Europa Final.
And every manager who brought us promotion deserves to be hailed as a legend.


But the real legends are the managers who kept us going when times were tough.

So every manager who managed us deserves praise. Except for Dicks who had no real idea.

[MasterHaynes]

He may have been a legend at every other managers position he had but Robson was as clueless as Dicks. He did say much later that getting the sack at Fulham made him determined to be a success and made him question what he got so wrong as he had no idea it was coming which all of us that saw his signing lose game after game could see. You could say we helped shape the man and gave him to the nation.

Roy under any definition you apply has to be the best manager we have had and I agree with cmg, you can't argue Artfuls's definition of a legend, Fulham fans will still be talking about that EUFA cup final for many, many years into the future. 049:gif

[HatterDon]

I was not enamored of his passive, tentative play against inferior teams, but managers are all about results. So there are three reasons why I think he's a good candidate for our best manager ever.

1. The Great Escape -- still almost unbelievable to me
2. 7th place in the Premier League
3. Europa League Final

I say "a good candidate" because my history with Fulham managers only goes as far back as Coleman -- although I do have some first-hand knowledge of Stock as a gaffer.

[A Humble Man]

I was never one who thought losing the Cup Final to West Ham was a wonderful thing. in fact it was a disaster to be forgotten.  The same for our defeat in Hamburg, it was a grindingly disappointing experience to be forgotten as soon as possible.

Nobody thinks losing is a good things apart from some Fulham fans who thing anything is better than the nothing when remembering we have never won a thing that counts. 

[TonyGilroy]

I was never one who thought losing the Cup Final to West Ham was a wonderful thing. in fact it was a disaster to be forgotten.  The same for our defeat in Hamburg, it was a grindingly disappointing experience to be forgotten as soon as possible.

Nobody thinks losing is a good things apart from some Fulham fans who thing anything is better than the nothing when remembering we have never won a thing that counts. 

You are so right. It's just one long miserable experience following Fulham. As is life generally.

[A Humble Man]

I was never one who thought losing the Cup Final to West Ham was a wonderful thing. in fact it was a disaster to be forgotten.  The same for our defeat in Hamburg, it was a grindingly disappointing experience to be forgotten as soon as possible.

Nobody thinks losing is a good things apart from some Fulham fans who thing anything is better than the nothing when remembering we have never won a thing that counts. 

You are so right. It's just one long miserable experience following Fulham. As is life generally.

That is not true, when we win and it is an exciting game like on Monday life is great and it is something to talk about until the next match.  When you lose, apart from a quick chat on where we went wrong you forget it and get on with all the other good things in life.

[YankeeJim]

I think it would increase the accuracy of your posts if you would change your name to The Cranky Pessimist.   :005:   LOL

[HatterDon]

I'm sorry. I know many of you are still shattered by the experience of losing the final to Atletico, but dammit, our little team reached the finals of a major tournament. We were the last British club still competitive in Europe and we were being talked about in the national and international news daily. Our manager was selected manager of the year as the result of that tournament final.

I'm incredibly proud to support a team who reached the final in Hamburg. I don't consider any of it a failure at all.

[alfie]

I'm sorry. I know many of you are still shattered by the experience of losing the final to Atletico, but dammit, our little team reached the finals of a major tournament. We were the last British club still competitive in Europe and we were being talked about in the national and international news daily. Our manager was selected manager of the year as the result of that tournament final.

I'm incredibly proud to support a team who reached the final in Hamburg. I don't consider any of it a failure at all.

I agree with you here HD, i only ever said i did/do not like his defensive playing style, but as you say there was no failure here in anyway, we were just beaten by a better team on the day.