Former Liverpool captain Phil Thompson has described the way Liverpool fans turned on former manager Roy Hodgson in his 6 months in charge at the club as “unprecendented,” saying it was the fans that forced his departure.
Hodgson’s departure from Anfield was confirmed just before lunchtime today, with Kenny Dalglish taking over in a caretaker role until the end of the season, after a torrid half-season of football.
Fans had been calling for Hodgson’s exit for months, until Wednesday’s 3-1 defeat away to Blackburn became the last straw for owners John Henry and Tom Werner and Hodgson left by mutual consent.
Hodgson was brought in by former owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, two men of which there was even more resentfulness for until they were forced out of ownership in October. There was rising discontent at the club even before he replaced Rafa Benitez.
Thompson says he’s never seen anything like the treatment of Hodgson at Liverpool before.
“Six months is not long enough, not just for Liverpool but for all managers,” Thompson said. “Everybody should have a chance. What we’ve seen at Liverpool in the last month has been unprecedented, unparalleled in the way the fans have turned.
“Even in the dark days of Graeme Souness’ reign, there were no universal chants for Graeme to go. Liverpool fans felt as though we were different, we don’t do things like that, we stick together and we stick with the club.
“Now the fans had even started taking the mickey out of their own manager, chanting ‘You’re getting sacked in the morning.’ That is incredible.”
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