Jamie Carragher has denied that his former team-mate Steven Gerrard intentionally missed a penalty in order to get Roy Hodgson sacked as Liverpool boss in 2011.
Hodgson was in charge of the Reds between July 2010 and January 2011, enduring a woeful spell in charge.
There was a period of the 2010-11 season when Liverpool were being realistically considered as relegation candidates.
The 75-year-old only won one of his first eight Premier League games in charge, with a 2-0 defeat against city rivals Everton adding to the pressure.
It was a woeful spell, to say the least. The Reds failed to beat Sunderland, Blackpool and Wolves at Anfield and were sat 12th in the league at the time of Hodgson’s dismissal.
Hodgson’s final game in charge was a 3-1 defeat away to Blackburn Rovers – who Liverpool actually managed to beat earlier that season.
The former Fulham manager’s captain, Gerrard, had a chance to score from the penalty spot, but, his miss ended up looking like the final nail in the coffin of Hodgson’s Liverpool career.
In an uncharacteristic shot by the club legend, he blazed it over the bar when he could have halved the deficit at Ewood Park.
There have been theories that Gerrard missed the target on purpose in order to get Hodgson dismissed from his nightmare spell.
Gerrard’s vice-captain at the time, Carragher, has said this was not the case, profusely denying those rumours.
The former defender also said he “felt sorry” for Hodgson, who was the “wrong appointment” for the Reds.
“No, that is not true,” Carragher said on The Diary of a CEO podcast. “Nothing like that. I felt sorry for him [Hodgson].
“Roy had a tough time at the club. He just wasn’t the right manager for the club and they moved him on after about six months.
“He just didn’t get the club, he didn’t say the right things in the press. He was too defensive for Liverpool. Not just for Liverpool but any top club.”
Carragher added: “He had success in his career playing that way and he wasn’t going to change that when he was in his sixties – it was just the wrong appointment.”
Hodgson was replaced by Kenny Dalglish, who took charge of the Anfield club for the second time.
Dalglish impressed in steadying the ship after a turbulent first half to the season, guiding the Reds to League Cup success in February 2012 after being appointed as permanent boss in the summer prior.
Hodgson retired (we think, anyway) from management in May after a stint in charge of Watford, who were relegated last term.
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