I know he's only been in the job a couple of weeks, but I am already getting the distinct impression that Roy Hodgson's reign at Anfield will end in tears.

However, before you Liverpool fans reach for your keyboards to start composing abusive e-mails, it is not tears of despair I am anticipating but tears of joy.

When Hodgson was appointed, I thought it was a bit of a masterstroke and, from the little I have seen of his methods and approach so far, I am increasingly convinced that is precisely what it is.

There were some fans, of course, who wanted Kenny Dalglish to return to the post he filled so successfully all those years ago. But turning back the clock rarely goes according to plan and does have a tendency to go horribly wrong. Just ask Marcello Lippi.

Others wanted another 'superstar' manager to succeed Rafa Benitez. But, quite apart from the fact that big name managers aren't going to want the job considering the financial constraints, I don't believe that would have been in the club's best interests anyway.

The simple truth is that Liverpool need to go back to basics. They need to rediscover the application and approach to football that made them so successful for so many years. They need to get back to their roots.

And Hodgson, in my mind, is undoubtedly the very best man for that job.

His signing of Joe Cole last week, for example, was a move of pure genius. His wages are steep, fair enough, but the value of getting your hands on an England international in the prime of his career should never be underestimated.

Hodgson has insisted he wants to sign British players to give Liverpool back some of the identity it has lost under half a decade of Spanish rule. And I think that is precisely what the doctor ordered.

The signing of Cole already seems to have persuaded Steven Gerrard that his future remains at Anfield. And it might just be enough to persuade Fernando Torres to do the same.

Cole moving north and effectively snubbing Arsenal and Tottenham Hostpur in the process also sends out a signal to the rest of the Premier League that Liverpool can still compete at the top end of the market, despite the severe financial limitations of the club's owners.

And Hodgson knows there is another key part to his first major signing - Cole is a crowd pleaser. His talent and flair are a joy to watch and when he is on form he is among the most skillful players in Europe.

After so many years of missing out on meaningful success, the Anfield faithful needed a player with the ability to put them on the edge of their seats, someone to get the juices flowing. He is as much a boost to fan morale as he is to the team itself.

Of course, Cole alone will not right all the wrongs at the club. There is a lot more work to be done to erase the memories of last season's disjointed campaign.

It was clear to everyone that Benitez and the plot were going their separate ways. Well everyone, that is, apart from the directors who rewarded his confused tactics and inability to motivate with a new and improved contract.

And a season playing under those conditions, when it was often obvious that the players didn't believe in what they were being asked to do, will have taken its toll on confidence levels.

But if there is one person who can rebuild that self-belief and get what is, on paper, a very good crop of players to raise their game each and every week, then Hodgson is that man. Just look what he did with Fulham, taking an unfancied team all the way to the Europa League final. And on a shoestring budget.

Possibly more important than that particular achievement was the way he got them playing in terms of style and spirit. Their football was very pleasing on the eye and the players showed a determination that was in stark contrast to Liverpool's subdued attitude.

I know it's too early to say anything for certain or make any confident predictions, but I really have a good feeling about Hodgson's calm and calculated Anfield revolution.

The ultimate success the club and its fans crave - a 19th league title - may be closer now that it has been for years.

And, at 12/1, I think it might just be worth a little flutter.

Let them in for free

The Football Association has announced it will cut ticket prices for England's friendly match against Hungary at Wembley next month.

According to Club England managing director Adrian Bevington, the move is the first step in the process of rebuilding the fans' trust following the debacle in South Africa.

"It may be the crowd for the Hungary game is low in comparison with other Wembley crowds. That's understandable. We fully understand the fans and the wider public anger and frustration," he said.

However, individual tickets for the match will still cost between £20 and £40 which, while cheap in comparison to normal, is hardly what you would call a giveaway.

If Mr Bevington really felt the fans' frustrations and if he really wanted to start making amends, then he and the FA should have gone a whole lot further.

Anybody who made the mistake of flying to South Africa to watch England play should be allowed in to Wembley completely free of charge.

Dedicated supporters spent thousands and thousands travelling to the World Cup, only to endure the worst campaign in the country's history. They deserve more than just a few pounds off the ticket price for what they went through.

It wouldn't be a cheap exercise, I admit. But maybe they could ask Fabio Capello to subsidise some of the cost. After all, despite being the person ultimately responsible for the failure, he still managed to hang on to his £15,000-a-day job.

It would, just like his performance in South Africa, be the least he could do.

Johann's no show

Okay, okay, I'm sorry.

As many of you have pointed out, Johann Cruyff didn't, as I suggested last week, lead Holland to the final of the World Cup in 1978. He had retired from international football a year earlier.

In my defence, however, I was only five when that took place and my memory of that year is, erm, a bit sketchy.

Interestingly, while taking a closer look at the subject, I discovered the real reason behind Cruyff's retirement from the international scene, which I found quite interesting.

It was believed, back then, that he quit as a sort of political protest over the military regime in power in Argentina at the time of the tournament.

However, Cruyff admitted recently that his family had been at the centre of a kidnap attempt in Barcelona in 1977 and that was the reason he decided to hang up his international boots.

You live and learn.

Your say

"Your column in today's Sunday Times is pretty much spot-on, by which I mean you can hardly blame Howard Webb for Holland not winning the World Cup. Well done.

I'm a Manchester United fan and Webb will never be my flavour of the month. But, in fairness to the man, he was faced with 20 outfield players determined to sail as close to illegality as possible.

"The Spanish were less physical but equally hell-bent on claiming unfair advantage at every opportunity, especially by going to ground. Webb bent over backwards to try to get the game to flow but no refereee in the world, not even Pierluigi Collina, could possibly get a flow going in a game where one lot decided to clog and the other to hassle/harry the referee to death."
Chris Ripard

sportscolumnist@timesofmalta.com