I was driving on Saturday morning and was trying in vain to find a decent sports station. Flicking through various channels I caught the word ‘Dalglish’ and pulled over. This moment in our history was hand delivered to me by Mick Quinn. I hope to Christ that’s not an omen.
Hodgson’s exit spells the end of the Hick and Gillett era and the dawning of a new glorious regime. Well, not quite. The same players that let Rafa and Hodgson down have already shown their incompetence to the new boss and this time they can’t hide behind their manager. The scapegoats have all been played. Time to stand up and take what’s coming.
The appointment was slated in the usual circles. Overly romantic? Yes and no. This is the third most successful manager in our history and one who won the double a year after Heysel so he’s no Shearer. Been out of the game too long? Good point. The game is no longer about scoring more goals than the other team by employing tactics. Serial quitter? Pulled the club through Heysel and Hillsborough with more trophies than anyone around him at the time, won the League with Blackburn and took Newcastle to the Champions League. Again, good point. My absolute favourite was some mouth-breather who moaned on about us replacing a LMA Manager of the Year with a part time golfer. You can guess which ‘paper’ said that. Roy has gone and the press don’t like it. They don’t like it one little bit.
Hodgson’s exit was as loud as his tenure. He’s been confined to a footnote, a single page in a future LFC book. Maybe even a paragraph. It spoke volumes that the change was all about the new man and not about his predecessor. Kenny’s back and we have one of our own in the dugout.
I bet he enjoyed the first thirty seconds. Has the game changed so much that referees are pretty much blatantly giving United the game? Webb kept to his level of refereeing consistency by stealing the headlines before most of our lads had even touched the ball. I’m expecting a red card at the kick off next season. The game’s changed? Well, you can’t even make contact in the box now. Not a foul, just contact. Dracula knew what was coming and they took their Howard given right accordingly. The sending off was 50/50 (I was shouting at Carrick, no shrinking violet himself but again Howard’s Law was enacted) and it killed the game. All that was left was for Kelly to give Johnson a sleepless night and the pundits to Fergieise their coverage and excuses for United winning on an uneven playing field. Allardyce espoused our cause but he doesn’t count. I hope Southampton batter them.
Then the aftermath. FC United’s John Ogden tweeted ‘Murderers’ and then sent a message to loveable Rio telling him that ‘they are murderers after all’. You probably saw that in the press. It was on the front page of the Metro. No? Why? Well, because one of our players did something far worse. The absolute bastard posted a picture of Webb mocked up with a United shirt on! The horror! The disrespect! The more than vague feeling that he might have a point! These images have been bouncing from inbox to inbox for ages, possibly because it’s an annual accusation but is that worse than Ogden’s tirade? Clearly. Don’t get me wrong, Babel was an idiot to do it if that’s a worth a front page story I’m Madeline Khan. I expect the FA and MU to investigate it with fairness, clarity and incisiveness. MU will also insist on taking down their Hillsborough flags and banning those responsible too. That’ll be the day when Satan skates to work and unicorns are spotted in the Sandon garage.
Incidentally, lobbing seats about in the away end is moronic. You should be old enough to realise that kicking a seat to pieces isn’t going to get Steven Gerrard back on the pitch. I despise that place, their fans and their police force but I also hate that level of stupidity.
Back on the pitch the Blackpool game saw some strange selections that Hodgson would have been slated for. We took what was coming. It’ll be worth it if Kenny texts the words ‘Charlie Adam, please’ to John Henry.
We need to see the passengers of LFC step up on Sunday and start to put things right. They have the managers they need now. Prove to us that you’re worth that shirt.
Incidentally I am not now nor have ever been Madeline Khan.