LIVERPOOL v BLACKPOOL:JAMIE CARRAGHER said yesterday that the Liverpool board must not jeopardise the club's long-term future by rushing the takeover process simply to appease disillusioned members of the Anfield dressing room.

Liverpool’s poor start under Roy Hodgson has come against the familiar backdrop of uncertainty at ownership level, with Tom Hicks and George Gillett having to repay loans of at least €272 million to the Royal Bank of Scotland before October 15th and fellow directors – including the chairman, Martin Broughton, the managing director, Christian Purslow, and the commercial director, Ian Ayre – resistant to further refinancing by either of the American co-owners.

Hicks is continuing to search for a financial rescue package that would enable him to retain control at Anfield beyond October 15th while Broughton has gone almost six months without securing a buyer willing to meet the Americans’ asking price.

But despite the inevitable impact on the Liverpool squad, and doubts over whether the club can compete for major honours while the saga drags on, Carragher believes the board cannot allow players’ ambitions to influence a decision on the ownership.

The Liverpool vice-captain said: “We went away in Europe to a difficult place like Utrecht, got a valuable point and people are still asking questions and disappointed because they expect Liverpool to win. Obviously the stuff off the pitch is not really helping us and maybe it’s putting even more focus on the team and giving us even less time to settle down together. I don’t think it helps much on the pitch.

“The ownership situation is not something that is going to be sorted out quickly, you cannot put a deadline or time scale on it. It is a massive decision for the club. It’s not about the players who are here now. We are looking 20 or 30 years down the line.

“It’s got nothing to do with keeping players who are here now happy. It’s about the future of our club, for our children. There is also the stadium to think about. It is a decision that we have to get right.”

Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard were both persuaded to remain with Liverpool by Hodgson and Purslow this summer, although no suitable offers arrived for the pair.

Liverpool, who host Blackpool at Anfield tomorrow, have made a faltering start under the former Fulham manager but Carragher believes Hodgson deserves the same period of grace given to his predecessors Rafael Benitez and Gerard Houllier.

“We’re only seven or eight games into a new regime if you like, and I have been here before with new managers,” the defender said. “The first season has been a difficult one in terms of getting new ideas across and really I don’t see why people think this will be any different.

“It’s not an instant fix, it’s difficult in the Premier League, it’s about results and, if you’re not winning, there’s always going to be pressure. But people have short memories. They forget that when Rafa Benitez first came, when Gerard Houllier first came, their first seasons were very difficult. We had players there from the last regime and a different manager.

“It was not their team, they made new signings and it takes a long time. People really should allow the manager some time to put his own imprint on the team.

“I think Roy should be given the same time as Rafa and Gerard were given. We have got new players, the manager is trying new ideas. Every manager has his own ideas and we have to get used to them. We have only just started with a new manager. It’s hardly the time to be judged.”

Hodgson has appeared increasingly disgruntled in public recently but Carragher says there is no sign of pressure internally, although he accepts restrictions in the transfer market have had an effect.

“Roy is fine in the dressingroom. He might get angry with some of your questions but he has probably had a lot worse, at Inter Milan for instance,” Carragher said. “I am sure he’s used to the pressure and the spotlight. He’s not really that different from the previous manager.

“I don’t think there’s that much difference in football. The main thing is probably signing as good a player as possible – I think that is what makes the real difference .”

Guardian Service