again the time thing is important here. Our current manager took over a very limited squad,that was on a sharp slide, we no longer compete with the elite in europe. He has had little money to improve the squad ,so he has had to work with what he has got. How can you even talk of playing real madrid and being a great football club when he is building from the bottom. Its just not fair on the man, it can take months just to get the team playing they way he wants it to. After Jan when he has signed his centre forward and maybe a proper attacker ,we will be on the up and up
This is what he took over. A team that finished 7th, that were semi-finalists in the europa league. A team that had one of the best in the world up front (torres), one of the best attacking midfielders (Gerrard), one of the best goalies (reina), one of the best defensive midfielders (Masch) in the world. How many teams can boast that quality. Teams like Tottenham certainly can't.
THen Hodgson also had several established internationals, like Kuyt, Maxi Rodriguez, Johnson, and a few other talented players like Aquilani who seems to be doing just fine in Italy, and Carra etc. He also had some promising youngsters in Kelly and Pacheco.
4 of the best players in the world in their positions, another 3-4 established internationals, and some experienced or promising youngsters. Only Man U or Chelsea could claim as much.
So stop trying to pull the wool over people's eyes. Hodgson was left with a very strong squad., and nowhere near 'building from the bottom'
