How quickly the wheel can turn!

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.

Javier Mascherano's drawn out transfer saga appears to be nearing an end as his club Liverpool have entered talks with Barcelona.

The Argentinean was left out of his side's recent 3-0 defeat to Manchester City as his manager, Roy Hodgson, decided the midfielder wasn't in the right frame of mind.

It is believed that Barca had a bid of £16million rejected by the Merseyside club, who are holding out for nearer £25million. Barcelona shouldn't be surprised by the price tag as Mascherano has proven himself as one of the world's best ball winning midfielders of recent years.

The Argentina captain has made it known that he is looking to leave England and move to the warmer climes of Spain or Italy. He has assured Liverpool fans it has nothing to do with the club and was based purely on his wish to move from England.

Barcelona are looking to fill the void in their midfield left by Yaya Toure's departure to Manchester City. They are hoping to claim the La Liga title ahead of rivals Real Madrid again this season and the Spanish La Liga betting odds suggest they could be successful. Mascherano would be a perfect replacement for Toure as both like to sit in front of their defence and break up the opposition's play.

Mascherano has played nearly 100 games in his three years at Liverpool since joining from West Ham after his brief spell in London. It was widely believed the 26 year old would follow his former manager Rafa Benitez to Inter Milan but it appears now that last season's La Liga champions Barca are leading the chase. Hodgson will be hoping to resolve the player's future as soon as possible and not let the situation drag on.

When Rafa Benitez was sacked as Manager of Liverpool FC at the start of June it looked set to be a bleak Summer for the fans up on Merseyside; fast forward a couple of months and with the new season about to get underway it appears the fortunes of the club are set to take another upward curve. Benitez has been replaced with Roy Hodgson who has managed to bring the good feeling back to the club before a single ball has been kicked in vein at Anfield this season.

Hodgson has so far proven to be the ideal replacement for Benitez, he is an honest man that seems to be talking nothing but sense at the moment as he looks to prove a success in what he described as the ‘biggest job in club football'. Now, it would be foolish to think that Hodgson can take the team to the Premier League title this season, but few would be surprised to see Liverpool back in the Premier League top four  come May and a return to Champions League football for 2011/2012. Hodgson has kept hold of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres which in itself is a major coup, both were linked with moves away from Anfield and with no Champions League football at the club this season and few would have blamed either if they had moved on. It is quite simple with regard to Liverpool when looking at their chances, if Gerrard and Torres stay fit and on form this season they will be a match for any team in England or Europe and a top four finish would be the minimum ask.

Hodgson pulled off another big transfer in his first month in the job as he signed Joe Cole on a free transfer; Cole is an experienced player who is used to winning trophies at the very highest level. He will be more than happy to share the burden with Torres and Gerrard which will prove crucial to their potential success this season; he should be able to add a new dimension to the team in attack and will surely relish the chance to player with Torres and vice-versa.

Hodgson of course will know that he does still need to strengthen the overall feel of the squad that was found so lacking last season, much of that though will depend on any impending takeover at the club. A number of consortiums have expressed their interest in Liverpool and it will be crucial that the right one is accepted, the debt will need to be cleared while a new stadium is paramount to the future success of the club. If the right man can come into Anfield and back Hodgson then it looks as though Liverpool could once again be right back towards the top of the Premier League. The fans will only be too aware of how damaging the wrong owners can be so they will be hoping the right decision is made, any new owner will need to be aware of the history of the club as well as understanding how Liverpool FC run their affairs off the pitch and behind closed doors.

What the Anfield faithful can look forward to most in 2010/2011 is  consistency both on the pitch and in the dugout! One of the biggest criticisms during Benitez's tenure was the Spaniards lack of respect for the league, relying heavily on squad rotation and prioritising his players for European games. With this came constant speculation of Benitez's future at the club, something that will not be the case under Hodgson and Liverpool fans can enjoy the tribulations of the well publicised media drive sack race from a distance. On the pitch, the wait for a 19th title may exceed 21 years but for the first season in many, Liverpool fans have reason to be optimistic.

It will not be easy though with the old big four of Liverpool, Arsenal, Man United and Chelsea now infiltrated by Spurs and big spending Man City, while Aston Villa and Everton should also be watched very carefully once again. With Roy Hodgson at the helm though there is just a feeling around Anfield and amongst supporters that last season was a mere blip and that the good times could be on their way back to the club.

Football is a funny old game isn't it?

This weekend in the English Premier League referees were once again under the spotlight, most noticeable Mike Riley who ruled over the clash between Chelsea and Liverpool.

Riley was widely condemned for sending off Chelsea's Frank Lampard for what seemed a run-of-the-mill tackle on Liverpool's Xavi Alonso. While the sending off was a bad call, everyone makes mistakes and Lampard was exceptional in how he handled the situation, walking off the pitch without causing a fuss.

As expected, Chelsea challenged the red card and it was rightly rescinded. Lampard is now free to play in Chelsea's next game.

While all this is very fair, it is what has happened over the last two days that is most baffling.

Liverpool came to town on the 16^th December, 2005 and brought their undoubted ability with them. The Reds were riding high in the league table and were expecting all three points.

I was with my second "pro" club at the time after my initial two years in the South African National First Division with PE Technikon had resulted in relegation in May 2003 at just 18 years of age.

After two hard years of training, I let my hair down for a while before getting back into football in March 2004 with Caledonians, an amateur club in Port Elizabeth. It was a great year for me and I was chosen as the clubs most improved player for 2004. At the end of the season, I decided not to pursue a "pro" club but head for university instead.

Six month's into university and my feet were getting restless. A perceived lack of form had seen me lose my place at Callies and I wasn't enjoying my football anymore.

For the first time in my life however, I was determined to prove people wrong.