Kop job could be too tough for Hodge

Roy Hodgson has taken a monumental gamble joining Liverpool, according to senior sources at Fulham.

The 62-year-old, who joined the London club in 2007 and guided them to the Europa League final last season, is even being tipped to fail at Anfield by some players at Craven Cottage.

Others claim that, although Hodgson is widely respected in the game, his brand of management and style of football will have to change radically if he is going to succeed at Liverpool.

“I’m not entirely sure this is the right move for Roy,” claimed one senior player at Fulham. “He’s a lovely bloke and I wish him all the success in the world but I suspect he might have taken on more than he can handle going to Liverpool.

“He loathes confrontation and can’t handle egos and troublesome personalities.

“He certainly bit off more than he could chew with Jimmy Bullard at Fulham, so can you imagine him dealing with players at Liverpool like Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Fernando Torres who have enormous power in and out the dressing room?

“He can also be rigid and inflexible as well. Certain players hit a bad run of form at Fulham but Roy refused to make changes even though their performances on the field were deteriorating.”

Another player said: “Roy likes to surround himself with a certain type of player. Foreign players are less likely to come and smash down the manager’s door complaining about not playing.

“He doesn’t want troublemakers at the club, he wants players who are happy to sit patiently biding their time waiting to play.

“If there are problems he will promise you the world, fail to deliver but leave his coaching staff to deal with the fall-out.

“Personally, I think he has made a big mistake going to Liverpool.

“Steve McClaren is a good example of what can happen when you step out of your comfort zone. Didn’t he lead Middlesbrough to a major European final? Look what happened to him when he left and took over England. It’s a big gamble.”

But it’s Hodgson’s style of play that will have to change if he is to make a real success of his move to Liverpool.

A senior insider at Fulham said: “I think you can get away with a certain style of football at a club like Fulham but that won’t be tolerated at Liverpool.

“Perhaps senior figures at Liverpool and the supporters want a more settled team after the way Rafa Benitez rotated the squad.

“But Roy has a certain way of playing and sticks to it. Perhaps he will adopt a more flexible tactical approach at Liverpool but he certainly showed no sign of doing that at Fulham.

“He also has to contend with a very unstable environment, co-owners at each others throats and very demanding supporters who have been starved of success in recent years.

“At Fulham Roy could manage without pressure but he won’t have the same luxury at Liverpool.

“And I’m not sure how he will deal with Kenny Dalglish, who clearly wanted the job ahead of him.”