ROY HODGSON takes his seat in the home dugout for the first time at Anfield this evening aiming to extend an enviable record.

After all, the new Liverpool manager has yet to taste defeat at the famous old ground.

Having previously made just three visits in opposition, it’s hardly the most extensive sample on which to base any significant portents.

But it would be a major surprise if that statistic is altered when Liverpool aim to defend a 2-0 lead in tonight’s Europa League third qualifying second leg against Macedonian minnows FK Rabotnicki.

A “soft” debut, says Hodgson, ahead of the more testing challenge of the Premier League opener against Arsenal on August 15.

However, the opening weeks of his Anfield tenure have been anything but comfortable.

Since taking over from Rafael Benitez, the new manager has been busily fighting fires, trying to persuade the club’s leading players the future remains bright amid a backdrop of growing uncertainty in the boardroom.

So far, so good. Javier Mascherano may be something of a lost cause, but both Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard have reaffirmed their commitment while Joe Cole may yet prove the summer’s most astute purchase.

The increasingly likelihood American co-owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks could be usurped from power in coming weeks, with Chinese businessman Kenny Huang heading the battle take control, means there may be a jovial atmosphere at Anfield tonight.

But for Hodgson, the club’s future lies not with exotic businessmen from far-flung lands, but with more recognisable figures on the pitch.

“Football is about teams and players; it’s not about managers and administrators,” he says.

“Sometimes, because of the enormous hype about football, everyone gets their fair share of headlines and glory but what interests me at Liverpool and I’m sure interests the fans is what the 11 to 14 players who pull on the shirt every game do.”