Hodgson left the Cottagers for Anfield in the summer after guiding the Londoners away from the drop zone and into Europe. The former Inter Milan chief replaced long-serving boss Rafa Benitez and while Reds fans initially welcomed the change, they are unhappy at the club's indifferent campaign to date. The ex-Fulham manager is under pressure to turn around the club's fortunes and Murphy believes that if he has more than one season to stamp his authority then fans will be rewarded. Murphy spent seven years as a player with the Merseysiders so knows the expectations at Anfield and he is backing Hodgson to bring success to the club. "If I was a betting man, I would guarantee they are going to finish in the top four," said Murphy. "The club is in a bit of a predicament, but you couldn't ask for a more humble gentleman to deal with that. "The dilemma for me came when I was getting calls from people at Liverpool asking me about Roy. I knew I could say nothing and they would still probably employ him. "But I was praising him because that's what he deserves, being honest and knowing that it would probably help them decide he was the right man. "I didn't want to see him go, but football success generally means that people move on. "The great thing for him was that he got to manage one of the great teams in Europe and Liverpool got one of the best coaches around. "I hear positive sounds coming out of the club about him. The people up there don't suffer fools. "You will get a more successful Liverpool there this season, but the fans are realistic at the moment about what's achievable. "Roy wants to be a success and success for Liverpool is competing with Manchester United and Chelsea. "He might need a bit longer than one season to do that, but he will bring them closer. I don't think the fans expect them to win the Premier League this season - they are more realistic than that. "I think some stability, getting back into the Champions League and getting extra money in is what's needed. Roy will do that. He's a winner."
