SO, what was all the fuss about again? He won’t want it to become a feature of his Anfield career, but Roy Hodgson will be delighted to have been proven so gloriously wrong last night.

Concerned his squad were ill-prepared and having not envisaged a more difficult start to his new era, the Liverpool manager saw such fears misplaced as his makeshift team successfully negotiated a banana skin in Macedonia.

Two goals from a resurgent David Ngog earned the visitors a comfortable 2-0 win against minnows FK Rabotnicki to bring qualification for the Europa League proper a significant step nearer.

Of course, that Liverpool even found themselves scrapping it out in Skopje while the rest of the Premier League continues to gear itself up for the new campaign was a further reminder of last season’s underwhelming efforts.

But as an early marker, it was an encouraging one for Hodgson. It extends the positive vibes that have resonated in recent weeks, from Joe Cole’s signing, Steven Gerrard reaffirming his Anfield commitment and Fernando Torres apparently ready to follow suit.

Curious, then, that Hodgson should have prefaced last night’s game with such a gloomy assessment during a tetchy media conference.

Despite those reservations, the manager had been encouraged by the showing of an experimental, young team in last week’s friendlies against Grasshopper and Kaiserslautern, the bulk of which was entrusted with ensuring a winning start for the 62-year-old.

And none impressed more than Ngog, whose impressive double strike was a gentle prod in the ribs to his new manager of his presence.

Ngog, perhaps more than anyone, had unfairly come to symbolise the shortcomings of the previous Anfield regime last season when asked to fill the Torres-sized hole in Liverpool’s attack.

However, the French striker, often criticised for being too lightweight for English football, has visibly bulked up during the summer, and has already signalled his intention to make the grade at Anfield.