Not so long ago, it appeared that Liverpool had finally moved forward after a horrendous summer that saw the club lurch from crisis to crisis.

But with Joe Cole already descending from the heavens and rejoining the mere mortals of Merseyside after a sending off and a missed penalty - and Javier Mascherano now on his way out of the club - Roy Hodgson must already be thinking of packing his bags and leaving a club which is seemingly always in a perpetual state of self-destruction.

Having seen off the threat of a mass exodus earlier in the summer by securing the future of Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard, Hodgson must have been caught blindsided by the decision of Dirk Kuyt to announce he wants to join Mascherano and jump ship. Although Kuyt has since committed himself to the Liverpool cause, it isn't exactly the most stabilising rumour to hit the dressing room and may have a ripple effect on the English Premiership betting.

With fans already suggesting that Hodgson will be under pressure unless his side are in the mix for the European places sooner rather than later, and the club still looking for a new owner, there must be concerns that the new man in charge will want someone to manage the club who they have chosen, thus representing a threat to Hodgson's job security.

With Hodgson clearly a man who will not be bossed around by interfering owners, and with his new club in dire need of a takeover to help secure a successful future, it is not the most unlikely scenario in the world that a new takeover may result in Hodgson's exit.