I was surprised to see in the Sunday papers that Roy Hodgson had decided to go public about his criticism of Liverpool right back Glen Johnson. Although he’s been let down by a number of players this season (and Johnson is perhaps one of these players) to single out Johnson for criticism in the media was not a classy move and represents further evidence that he’s not cut out to make it as manager of Liverpool FC.  Sure, pull a player aside after a game and have a chat about their form. Invite them into your office to discuss how things are going. But don’t bypass the player completely by speaking to the Press – that’s a sure way to sow seeds of discontent amongst your players.

Hodgson was in no mood to pull punches, as he told the Press: “he has not performed up to now to the level I would expect of him. You would have to ask him the question, “Do you think you are playing at top form and are you playing like the best right-back in the country for your club?” If he says yes, we will have to agree to differ. And if he says No, then you have to ask the question, why not?’

It was not such a surprise for me to read Johnson’s response later in the day. The Mail suggests that Johnson is ready to leave Liverpool this January and that he has no faith in Hodgson’s ‘boring’ style of play. Admittedly, the Mail seem to be playing fast and loose with their sources, but it wouldn’t surprise me if there were some truth in its claims.

Johnson arrived last year from Portsmouth and set Liverpool back a startling £18 million. It’s fair to say that he’s a shadow of his former self. At one stage he looked like one of the best right backs in the world, now Hodgson doesn’t seem capable of getting the best out of him. Whilst it’s difficult to claim that Johnson has been an unqualified Liverpool success, perhaps some of the blame for his failings lies with Roy Hodgson.

To be clear – I’m not by any means saying that players shouldn’t be open to criticism. It’s the fact that Liverpool’s dirty laundry was aired in public that I find frustrating. Hodgson’s handling of the media is almost as stifling for Liverpool as his negative tactics on the pitch. Who will Hodgson point the finger of blame at next? Why is Roy being so aggressive off the pitch and adopting such tentative tactics on it? This can only be viewed as further proof that Hodgson isn’t cut out to be Liverpool manager.

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