Hodgson Taunts Riijkard Over Sacking

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has aimed a sarcastic barb at Frank Rijkaard, claiming the Dutchman "must be a great manager" to have been sacked from Galatasaray and the speculation linking Rijkaard to Hodgson's job is being manufactured by his agent. Hodgson's Liverpool sit in the Premier League relegation zone after a disastrous start to the new season and former Barcelona boss Rijkaard's dismissal from Turkish giants Galatasaray has seen him touted as a possible replacement for Hodgson, should Liverpool's new owners opt for a change in manager. But Hodgson insists he is taking the stories with a pinch of salt, claiming he withstood similar gossip about his position in his time at Italian giants Inter Milan. "I understand Rijkaard has just been sacked from Galatasaray - he must be a great manager to have been sacked by Galatasaray,'' Hodgson told The People. "What you are talking about is Frank Rijkaard's agent who is putting his name around. "It's all speculation. I had two and a half years of that kind of thing at Inter Milan when every day there would be stuff in the newspapers that someone was going to get my job. It ended up with my being offered a new contract when I left for Blackburn! If I took two and a half years of that in Milan then I can take two and a half years of it here at Liverpool - don't worry about that.''