Is Roy Hodgson the one?

Some news to distract all serious football fans from the World Cup.

Is Roy Hodgson the man to lead Liverpool forward?

Well, I think for some fans, this will come as a shock to their system. Especially those who have come to expect a Gerard Houllier or Rafa Benitez; managers who stimulate the affections of the Kop at the start but fade quickly in two seasons.

But clearly, the board is taking on a new direction in employing perhaps a wiser and older British manager, one that is pretty shrewd, experienced yes... but probably has no major credentials on his honour roll... yet.

It is way too early to speculate if Roy is the man for the job, but this could well be a step in the right direction for Liverpool. For one, his job must be to hold on to what remnants he has in the dressing room and convince Fernando Torres that he is an ambitious manager.

Two, he needs to find some young British talent from lower divisions and bring them into an ageing and shallow squad. It is a challenge for him to harness his scouting network to look for rare gems in unexpected places; but that he did manage to pick out for Fulham during his time at Craven Cottage, just to name a few... Dickson Etuhu, Clint Dempsey, Brande Hangeland etc. considering Liverpool has little funds to compete with the big boys. Won't be surprised if Etuhu joins to replace a certain-to-leave Javier Mascherano.

I think the coming season is a season of consolidation for Liverpool and Roy Hodgson is the man for the job. Fulham did manage to consolidate a respectable position in the BPL despite being low on transfer funds when he was in charge.

Boring boring Liverpool might just be the pragmatic step forward for the most successful club in English football. *shrugs*