Roy Hodgson says he will never resign as Liverpool manager

Posted Friday, October 22, 2010 by theguardian.com

Roy Hodgson says he will never resign as Liverpool manager
The Liverpool coach Roy Hodgson takes in his team's draw at Napoli.

Roy Hodgson said he would never resign as Liverpool manager after his makeshift team drew with Napoli in a performance that proved, he claimed, "this club is not dead". The Liverpool manager also expressed concern for supporters attacked by Ultras before the Europa League tie in Italy.

Speculation that Hodgson had contemplated quitting Anfield three months into his reign was rife before the goalless stalemate in Naples. The 63-year-old has had a torrid start on Merseyside but, despite last week's change of ownership, the departure of Christian Purslow as managing director and the club being 19th in the Premier League, Hodgson remained defiant. "I've heard the ridiculous rumours but I can tell you there is not an iota of truth in any of them," the Liverpool manager said. "The simple answer is I have never considered resigning and I never will."

A greater concern was the violence that led to six people having to go to hospital before the game and other Liverpool supporters being attacked outside the stadium. "I must say I am faintly amused to have been asked by Italian journalists yesterday about whether I was worried about drunken English supporters causing trouble in Naples," Hodgson said. "They are peaceful people who have come here to watch the game and have ended up in hospital having been stabbed.

"These supporters have done a fantastic job. It is always tough knowing they are coming to a potentially dangerous situation and I just want to say how grateful we are for their support. It is very sad that some were attacked and some of them seriously and I can only offer them our sympathy and hope that they recover soon."

Liverpool's performance was a marked improvement on recent displays, despite several star names being left at home, giving Hodgson welcome respite ahead of Sunday's league game with Blackburn Rovers. "There are a lot of positives," he added. "It is a good point, a point people did not think we would be capable of getting with the team we put out. But the team proved people wrong. The players stepped up to the plate and it was a performance that showed the club is not dead."

Frank Rijkaard's agent, meanwhile, has admitted his client is in the market for a quick return to the game following his departure from Galatasaray. Perry Overeem, whose client was a 5-2 favourite to succeed Hodgson today, said: "He will return into football that is for sure. The question is when and where and that will not be answered now. It was only on Wednesday that the situation changed at Galatasaray and we are working on making sure that everything is sorted out there.

"We haven't been approached by anybody official [at Liverpool] yet and to me the current coach is still working with the support of Liverpool. Let us all wait and see what happens."