Patience the key for underperforming Liverpool

I almost choked on my coffee this morning when I read the back page of the Racing Post. Frank Rijkaard 2/5 to succeed Hodgson screamed the headline.

That Liverpool would even consider replacing Hodgson so early in his tenure,is an indictment of how far a once great institution has fallen. In the 70s and 80s, the success at Liverpool was built on stability, continuity and patience both on and off the field. The model worked, making Liverpool a trophy gathering machine and one of the most legendary clubs in world football.

But those days have long since passed, a whole generation of scousers have grown up watching their nemesis Man Utd dominate the domestic scene along with monied johnny come latelys Chelsea.

A City famous for self pity and an over inflated opinion of their own sense of humour could be about to execute another depressingly poor joke if they don't take a reality check and get behind Roy Hodgson. Sacking the erudite Hodgson and replacing him with Rijkaard, a man whose managerial record is a flaky as a bad case of athletes foot, would be a disastrous decision

Liverpool fans are constantly prasied for their passion and knowledge of the game, so it is a major surprise how out of touch they are with both the appreciation of their current standing and also the tactics that they expect Roy Hodgson to apply.

The style of play that Hodgson will drill into his Liverpool team will focus on defensive stability and above all team shape. The methods are surprisingly simple, but it needs a team committed to this ethos and willing to put the collective before the individual.

For me, the first shoots of recovery were apparent at Napoli in mid week. A team stripped of the egos of Gerrard and Torres secured a creditable 0-0 draw away at Napoli on Thursday and for the first time this season it seemed that the players executed the Hodgson gameplan perfectly.

The likes of Jay Spearing and Jonjo Shelvey may well find themselves with more playing time than expected this season, as anyone not following Hodgson's strict gameplan will not be selected regularly. Hodgson doesn't do mavericks, just ask Jimmy Bullard.

For some unknown reason an away draw in Italy was not deemed acceptable by the media or large parts of the fanbase, but had Ryan Babel snaffled a great chance late on, Hodgson would have secured another great European result on his favourite stage.

From a neutral point of view the facts are simple. Liverpool have an average squad, which was expensively assembled by the wasteful and inexplicably popular Rafa Benitez. They do not have the resources to compete at the top end of the transfer market.

What Liverpool do need is some good old fashioned patience. Roy Hodgson worked his magic at Fulham because the squad and supporters bought into his footballing philosophy honed around Europe for over 30 years.

The accusations that he has never done it at a big club are fairly meaningless to me, the key question is whether the big egos and big earners are willing to knuckle down and get back to basics with Hodgson. If they do then Liverpools mediocre start to the season will soon be forgotten.

Liverpool to beat Blackburn @4/6