Roy Hodgson took over at Liverpool in 2010 and he will face his old team when they travel to face his Crystal Palace side on Monday evening.
Roy Hodgson is adamant that the current Liverpool is a very different club to the one that hired him in 2010.
Hodgson was brought in from Fulham in June of that year, replacing Rafa Benitez during a very difficult time for the club that nearly saw them go out of business.
Then-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett had purchased the club through less-than-transparent financing that saw them dramatically limit the amount of spending.
“It’s a big club. It’s a long time since I was there,” said Hodgson, according to the Liverpool Echo. “The people who employed me weren’t the people who took over the club and have carried it forward.
“It was a very different Liverpool that I joined to the one we see today, because the one we see today has had a lot of money invested in it. We didn’t have any money to spend – they’ve spent a few bob over the last couple of years.”
It’s certainly true that Jurgen Klopp has had it easier in that regard; Hodgson’s sole transfer window saw him spend over £5m on one player (Raul Meireles for £11.5m), with the rest being cheap signings and free transfers, such as Joe Cole and Milan Jovanovic.
Conversely, Jurgen Klopp has been able to strengthen his squad year on year – including then world-record fees for both a goalkeeper and a centre back.
But despite the vast differences in finances, you won’t find many Liverpool fans feeling sorry for Hodgson. His management saw the side knocked out of the League Cup by Northampton, as well as flirting with relegation by the time he was sacked in January.
It’s safe to say that things have changed for the better all over the club.
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