JUST who does Roy Hodgson think he is?

Again he has been moaning about his dismissal from Blackburn Rovers.

Better managers than him have been sacked for far less reason and they have kept a dignified silence.

The one thing they have in common is that their "sackings" appeared harsh at the time but all are working again and doing OK.

Hodgson had probably one of the worst Premier League records of any manager if you take his last 40 games into account and his buying was abysmal.

Brian Little got the bullet at Villa for one bad buy - Stan Collymore. Hodgson made a whole team full of bad buys and I don't need to insult the Rovers followers by naming them all.

Hodgson received full payment of his remaining contract within a couple of weeks of his sacking - no argument, no hassle.

Not many "sacked" managers can claim that experience.

He now has to audacity to suggest there is "poison" behind the scenes at Ewood, that the players loved him - Sherwood apart - and that Jack Walker doesn't know what he is doing.

The only criticism of Jack Walker is that Hodgson was employed in the first place, and given so much money to waste and that he wasn't sacked before late November.

If Rovers go down, don't blame Jack Walker or the board. Certainly, don't blame Brian Kidd.

The blame lies on Hodgson's shoulders - the mess, lack of morale, infighting and the average players he left behind at Ewood will take years to sort out.

Hopefully Brian Kidd will be around long enough to do that.

Tomorrow's game against Everton is crucial. Brian Kidd and the team need massive support, despite the last three awful performances.

Don't let's see a pitiful gate of 20,000 made up of 8,000 from Merseyside.

C WHITESIDE, Biggar Village, Walney Island, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.