Hodgson unveiled as new Liverpool boss

Roy Hodgson has been appointed as Liverpool’s new manager after the club agreed a three-year deal with the sought-after Englishman.

Hodgson replaces Rafa Benitez, who left Anfield at the beginning of June, having taken Fulham from a relegation battle to a Europa League final in the space of two seasons.

Hodgson’s vast experience – this is his 17th job in a 34-year managerial career – and knowledge of English football were key factors in Liverpool deciding upon the 62-year-old, despite reported interest in former Real Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini, Dutchman Frank Rijkaard and Marseille’s Didier Deschamps.

Former Reds player and manager Kenny Dalglish assisted the club in the search for a new manager and recommended Hodgson to the board. Dalglish is said to have declared his own interest in the job but Chairman Martin Broughton revealed that he “wasn’t a candidate”.

"This is the biggest job in club football and I'm honoured to be taking on the role of manager of Britain's most successful football club. I look forward to meeting the players and the supporters and getting down to work at Melwood." Roy Hodgson

After taking his first training session at Melwood, Hodgson
was officially unveiled as the club’s 18th manager at a press
conference at Anfield.

He said: “I will try to help the team do a little bit better than it
did last season and get back into those Champions League
spots. I am looking forward to the challenge. It is our job that
we don't disappoint the fans.

“The ambitions of this club should always be of the very
highest level and that is where we are going to be aspiring
to. I am here for the long haul. I am here to do the job that
needs to be done, hopefully winning trophies very, very
quickly, and if we can't then I will have to hope the club has
patience with me."

Both Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher backed the club’s
decision to appoint Hodgson but he must still convince key
players such as Gerrard, Fernando Torres and Javier Mascherano to stay at the club.

He explained: “I'll be trying to persuade them that this is the place to be. I'll ask them to give me a chance to work with you and give us a chance to improve on last season.

"They're all disappointed, I'm sure, after last season's results and I'll be doing my level best. It would be foolish to give guarantees that it's going to happen because I can't speak for the players themselves, but I'll be doing my best to keep them.”

Hodgson refused to talk about the financial problems ongoing at Liverpool, or discuss his transfer budget, but the club’s Chairman tried to reassure fans that new investors could be expected soon.

Broughton said: “The process is well under way. The owners have stepped aside, stepped down. I'm overseeing the process and Barclays Capital are running the process. There are a number of interested parties but there's no specific deadline on it. We're hopeful - and I wouldn't put it any stronger than that - that a deal can be done by the end of the transfer season.

“The best bidder may not be the highest bidder. It's about more than just money. It's about stadium development, the team and the whole piece. Once we've been through the process, the best bidder gets it."