Hodgson unfazed by Rafa threat

LIVERPOOL manager Roy Hodgson does not feel threatened by predecessor Rafael Benitez’s arrival back on Merseyside, admitting it would be “surprising” if the Spaniard was considered the man for the club’s future.

Hodgson has so far failed to win over a large number of fans and speculation about his future has persisted since his side’s woeful start to the season.

Benitez’s departure from Inter Milan after just six months in charge is seemingly imminent and his return to the home he kept on the Wirral this week has led many supporters to step up their campaign for his reinstatement at Anfield.

Banners declaring their support adorned a fence outside his house yesterday and one online poll had 65% of respondents expressing their desire to see Benitez back at the helm.

Hodgson, however, remains unmoved and unaffected by the continued speculation. Asked whether he felt under any additional pressure considering Benitez’s proximity, he responded: “None at all, no.”

And when quizzed about suggestions Benitez could be a contender for his job, he said: “You’d have to ask the owners about that. It would be surprising.

“If he was the right man for the job it would have been wiser not to let him go for six months and then have to bring him back again.

“This job will always be linked with lots of people. When you are in one of the top jobs in the country, it would be very strange if there were not other people being linked with my job.

“I am sure there are many people who are envious of my job and would like to take my place.”

Benitez left Anfield in June, when former owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett were still in charge, with a huge pay-off after a seventh-place Barclays Premier League finish.

His relationship with senior figures at the club contributed to his downfall, but many of those have now left.

Hicks and Gillett have been replaced by John Henry and Tom Werner, whose New England Sports Ventures completed a £300 million (€350m) buyout in October, while the search for a new chief executive is expected to be concluded early in the new year after Christian Purslow — one of Benitez’s significant opponents — stepped down two months ago.

Hodgson has been concentrating on preparing his side for the St Stephen’s Day trip to Blackpool after last Saturday’s home game against Fulham was postponed due to the weather.

Bloomfield Road has no undersoil heating and is therefore exposed to the threat of sub-zero temperatures, despite the Seasiders’ best efforts to maintain a playable surface.

That only reinforces Hodgson’s belief that a winter break is long overdue in England.

“I don’t understand the opposition to the winter break,” said the Reds boss, who has also managed in Scandinavia and Italy.

“I come from European football where winter breaks are a necessity and for many years has been accepted as the norm.

“The insistence everyone plays all of their football month after month without a break and then spend over three months without a game I don’t understand any more.”