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Roy Hodgson has admitted he wishes he had relied more heavily on Steven Gerrard during his troubled tenure as Liverpool manager.
The former Inter Milan chief was brought in to replace Anfield legend Rafa Benitez in summer 2010 but endured just six months in charge before being dismissed in January 2011. The club was on the market during his appointment, which sparked fury amongst numerous supporters.
Large sections of the Anfield faithful had wanted club legend Kenny Dalglish to succeed Benitez, and a difficult beginning to his Merseyside career left Hodgson battling against the odds throughout virtually his entire stint at the club.
There has even been speculation that Gerrard, who subsequently played under Hodgson for England, deliberately missed a spot-kick against Blackburn in January 2011 to help secure Hodgson's dismissal, allegations which have been comprehensively dismissed.
The veteran coach referenced his former skipper whilst explaining what he might have approached differently given another chance.
"I don't think I dealt with it very well," he told Gary Lineker on The Rest Is Football podcast as he reflected on his spell in charge.
"I think [Jamie] Carragher summed it up well. He said, 'You came in also wanting to coach us, we'd just been coached for three years by Benitez.'
"Maybe someone who came in with a softer, more human approach and less coaching-oriented [would have been better-suited]. But of course I'd had a lot of success during that period, so I think I didn't research mentally, 'Right, what is this job? What am I going into? What's it gonna need? What are they gonna expect? What will the players want?'".
"I just went in, 'Right, this is what I've been doing. It's been working, let's keep it going.' Which was obviously a mistake.
"But it's one of those mistakes I have to forgive myself in a way simply because I don't how I could have washed away the feelings and the work that had got me there."
Hodgson also reflected on the upheaval that ensued when Fenway Sports Group, previously called New England Sports Ventures, took control of Liverpool in late 2010. He disclosed that amongst the new ownership's initial moves was to seek feedback from fan groups about whether Hodgson was suitable for the role.
"And that was being backed up on the field because we weren't winning," he added. "The team actually wasn't really very good at that stage. We'd lost [Fernando] Torres [to Chelsea in January 2011]... who was left of that team? There was Jamie, I suppose. There was [Pepe] Reina, Steven, of course, was still there. But it wasn't the Liverpool team that had done so well [under Benitez]."
Asked what he would have done differently if he had a second chance at the Anfield role, the 78 year old replied: "I always thought Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard were on board what we were trying to do... but I might have tried to get more out of them.
"[Ask], 'Look, how has it been? What have you not liked? What do you think needs to be changed here?' And even get their ideas about some of the players. I did it very much as the old-fashioned manager-head coach, my responsibility, I've got to do it. I think I'd have done that."
Hodgson's struggles were made to appear even more inadequate after Dalglish took over and instantly extracted superior performances from the squad. The Scotsman elevated Liverpool from their relegation battle to secure sixth place and narrowly miss out on European qualification.
Gerrard particularly enjoyed a strong bond with Dalglish, describing it as a "dream come true" to play under one of his heroes. This connection was evident on the pitch as the Reds were quickly revitalised following Hodgson's abrupt departure.
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