Roy Hodgson spent just seven months in the Anfield hot seat after replacing Rafa Benitez, but his tenure at Liverpool was far from plane sailing
Roy Hodgson’s tenure at Anfield was anything but smooth sailing. The experienced 77-year-old had a tough act to follow in 2010 when he succeeded legendary manager Rafa Benitez, who had clinched an FA Cup, a Community Shield, a UEFA Super Cup and a Champions League during his six-year reign.
Despite signing a three-year deal with the Reds, Hodgson’s stint lasted only seven months – departing by mutual agreement on January 8 and replaced by the iconic Kenny Dalglish. In spite of having a team brimming with top-notch players like Pepe Reina, Luis Suarez, Jamie Carragher, and Steven Gerrard, Hodgson could only manage seven Premier League victories from 20 matches.
He even endured a crushing 3-0 defeat by Manchester City and a surprising 3-1 loss to Blackburn Rovers before parting company with the club. However, Hodgson’s errors weren’t confined to the touchline, with one former Liverpool star admitting that he was accidentally sold to Fulham in a botched swap deal.
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While the boss managed to secure Paul Konchesky from Craven Cottage, it resulted in Lauri Dalla Vale and Alexander Kacaniklic moving in the opposite direction – along with a sweetener of £3.5million. In a remarkable mix-up revelation, Kacaniklic explained that Hodgson inadvertently negotiated the wrong player’s transfer to Fulham.
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Kacaniklic said in an interview with fotbollskanalen: “It was a bit difficult for Liverpool to replace me, but when I was in Fulham and before I signed up, I had a conversation with Roy Hodgson on the phone, where we found out that he had chosen the wrong Alex.
“In his head, he thought he had sold another Alex for Konchesky. But then it was too late. It’s a little fun. Then he just told me I was welcome back in Liverpool with open arms, but that I could do what I felt. By then I had already made my mind up and was very excited about coming to Fulham.”
He also commented on the changes at Liverpool following Benitez’s departure, claiming it negatively impacted young players: “When Roy Hodgson came to the club, it was a little different, a big change. Benitez had been there before and made the club his own with everyone who worked at the club.
“When he left and took all his people with him, it became a bit turbulent. Hodgson didn’t look so much at us youngsters, he wanted quick results. He wanted Paul from Fulham.” After Dalglish took over in January 2011, Liverpool managed a decent sixth-place finish in the Premier League.
Kacaniklic, who had stints at Watford, Burnley and Copenhagen on loan, netted 11 goals in his 100 appearances for Fulham before transferring to Nantes in 2016. Now aged 33, he’s currently plying his trade at AEL Limassol.
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Hodgson, on the other hand, took charge of West Brom for a year after his Liverpool tenure, before landing the England job in 2012. He guided the Three Lions for four years, reaching the quarter-finals of Euro 2012 and the round of 16 at Euro 2016, but couldn’t progress beyond the group stages at the 2014 World Cup – finishing last in Group D following defeats to Italy and Uruguay and a stalemate with Costa Rica.
In 2017, Hodgson assumed managerial duties at Crystal Palace, then moved to Watford in 2022. He made a comeback to Palace in 2023 – his most recent role. Brendan Rodgers took the reins from Dalglish in June 2012, enjoying three years at Anfield before Jurgen Klopp succeeded him in 2015.
The German, arguably one of Liverpool’s most successful managers of all time, enjoyed a nine-year tenure on Merseyside – winning the club’s first-ever Premier League trophy in 2019/20, as well as an FA Cup, a Champions League and two EFL Cups. Arne Slot was named as Liverpool boss in the wake of Klopp’s exit earlier this year, and the side are currently sitting at second-place in the league – a point behind reigning champions Manchester City.
