RIGHT. Put this off for long enough now, time to do it.
Consider what follows an open letter of apology to Brendan Rodgers on behalf of, well, me basically but I’m sure that there were others with similar thoughts.
It seems ridiculous now and stands to show how foolish my judgement can be but I thought – and I haven’t thought this for a while now – that we had chosen the wrong man when Brendan was appointed Liverpool manager. I’ll get to exactly how foolish my judgement can be in a short while. You may never speak to me again.
I’d been very vocal on other forums (forums? Is that right? Should it be fora?) about my reservations, pointed out the managers that I thought we should have employed before Brendan, employed in his stead. Martinez, Laudrup, AVB – AV sodding B, ‘should have given Carra a chance’ I cried. I looked at opposition dugouts in the first season and I coveted the occupant. I was wrong and I’m sorry.
It took time for me to warm to Brendan. I’m not alone in this, I know I’m not alone in this, look at how long we took to find a convincing, sincere song which contained the words ‘Brendan’ and ‘Rodgers’. It may have been the fault of the woeful ‘This Is Anfield’ that he walked into on day one. It may have been the Brent-isms. It may have been the envelopes – ‘look Brendan, you can’t tell them to make sure their name isn’t in one of the envelopes, the names are already bloody in there, nothing they can do can change the names in the envelopes and we all know they’re empty anyway’ I screamed at the TV, incandescent in a manner befitting that guy that gave Davie Moyes a job.
It could have been the fact that he seemed an easy target for opposition fans; ‘he sounds like he’s underlined all the best bits from a coaching manual’ quipped my lovely bluenose wife. It may have been that, for the first time ever, we had a manager in charge at Liverpool who was younger than me but mostly it was the fact that he took over from Kenny.
I defined it this way; ‘it’s like your Mam has kicked your Dad out and you’ve got this new Stepdad and he seems like a really nice guy but he’s not your Dad.’
And I watched the early struggles with a team that wasn’t yet his and against a fixture list that appeared to have been designed by mischievous gods to test his mettle and I worried. I worried that we were never coming back.
But we came back. We came back. We turned the year. We turned into 2013 and we started playing football. Like, real football, the proper stuff, the stuff we used to play. And I realised that those early months had been a learning period; for the team, for Brendan for us. And still I didn’t warm to Brendan. Still he wasn’t Kenny.
I understood why Kenny had to go. Obviously I understood it. I didn’t like it but I understood it in the same way that I understood why Rafa had to go.
The madness that ate into Rafa’s latter days, the endless battles with the owners, the ‘focus on coaching my team’, I understood why all that had to end. I was actually – and this is it, this is the piece where you’ll start to hate me – supportive of the idea of appointing Roy Hodgson. “A calm hand at the tiller”, I argued. “An elder statesman. A voice of reason. Possibly a Paisley-esque figure at a time when we need older values.”
I know. I know. I hate myself for that sentence as well. I hated myself very quickly for ever having the thought, for linking the ever unworthy Roy with the saintly Sir Bob but don’t you see? This is how bad it had become. Brendan clearly wasn’t Roy, thank whichever god you hold dear, but he wasn’t Kenny. I didn’t know what he was.
And then, this season, something changed. The Brentisms disappeared. A confidence emerged. An authority. Somewhere along the way Brendan embraced madness and decided to share it with us.
He found new formations, he invented still newer formations to cope with issues of shortage of players and opposition tactics, he changed the concept of formations within football for all time.
We can no longer talk about 4-3-3s and 4-2-3-1s and 4-4-2s and holding midfielders with any authority. Formations are fluid concepts to Brendan Rodgers; creation and invention are everything.
In a season where we have seen Raheem Sterling play at the tip of a diamond, at the side of a diamond, as a forward, as an orthodox winger and as a makeshift right back IN THE SAME BLOODY GAME we have to accept that we can no longer speak of player’s positions in the manner that we once did.
Raheem Sterling then. Raheem Sterling. Raheem is the key to Brendan Rodgers in the way that Brendan Rodgers is the key to Raheem Sterling in the way that the Hull game is the key to both.
At Hull there were two players on the pitch who managed to outdo their compatriots in terms of the woeful inadequacy of their performance. Victor Moses (Jesus, Victor Moses – I thought he’d do well for us as well) and Raheem.
There was a perception that both had wasted their last chance in the dark hour at the KC Stadium. Fans, many, many fans, would have been happy to see neither don a Liver Bird again.
Brendan knew better though. Brendan knew more than lesser minds like me, you, all of us. He starts Raheem in the next game and the lad does okay. And then the lad goes stratospheric and we are knee deep in the madness and the joy and the revelry and everything is gaining pace and we are charging and we are Liverpool again.
Something happened after the Hull game. God knows what but there was a switch thrown, there was a moment, there was enlightenment and I started to love Brendan.
And many of us started to love Brendan. And, in time, the songs started. And we appreciated what he had done, what he had created, how he had transformed players that he hadn’t wanted like Jordan Henderson, players that had been forgotten like Jon Flanagan and players who looked as though their potential had been wasted – either here or elsewhere – like Sturridge, like Coutinho, like Sterling into a team in every possible sense of the word.
It wasn’t just the team that transformed though. I swear that Brendan has grown at least a foot in stature. He has presence, he has authority, he belongs at Liverpool. He is at the start of a dynasty and he knows it. I think he may have known it all along. He is, by some margin, clearly the right man for the job. I doubted him but let’s be honest, I didn’t even understand the job that he intended to do. He has already done so much more than I, we, you, all of us, could have ever asked for
So I need to apologise to Brendan Rodgers. I’m sorry Brendan. I’m a fifty year old man who doubted. I don’t doubt any longer.
Whatever happens in the next three weeks, this is the most fun I’ve had in years.
Something definitely changed with Brendan this season. I wonder about the Dr Steve Peters effect?
I knew. I always knew. I saw him that first day and thought “Here’s the man that will make us champions”. That’s my story at least, and I’m sticking with it…. ;-)
Very brave to admit that you wanted rafa sacked and replaced by that old owl
Hodgson was never right to us, any fool would have seen that
I think we all forget that managers don’t pop out of a pod, readymade – they grow and evolve in the job, the same way players do over the course of their careers. The modern manager is under constant scrutiny and every utterance, every move is monitored, parsed, dissected – mistakes are bound the happen. BR has definitely grown in stature and the best thing about him is that he’s obviously not afraid to change his opinion as events require, nor is he afraid to admit his mistakes and learn from them.
Best of all, he ‘gets it’. Now all we need is the League Championship.
Well, you married a bluenose, so we can see there are blind spots in your selection process
Not sure anything changed with BR but a lot changed with his team. Think of your own careers and the learning curve when you all have switched companies or positions.
It takes quite a while. It takes a while to settle, but then it takes a bit more to excel.
He was not without mistakes that’s for sure. Minor mistakes in press conferences. (Nothing like the most recent unemployed one but mistakes nonetheless). I believe the team were 5th in the table last season when he spoke about “Going for the top.” Then picked up 1 point in the next three thereafter.
But he is a motivator of the highest quality and he instills confidence in these kids. That is his most important attribute.
They all believe they could climb Everest with no supplies. When they swap shirts I wouldn’t be surprised if the kids revealed a big S encaptured in that famous pentagon on their chests. That feeling of invincibility is key. And that, my friends, isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
I was in favour of him and I haven’t ever really told anyone. I tried once to a mate who only wanted Rafa back after Kenny and got shot down. I kept my mouth shut then. After a while, when it became obvious Brendan was doing a great job I still couldn’t say anything. I didn’t want to be saying I told you so etc.
I liked Brendan for a couple of reasons. The first was he had a plan. Swansea had a plan for each match. It was a smart plan. It wasn’t just line up neat, block shots and try to attack. It was a plan that made them greater than the sum of their parts and it was relatively attacking. This outweighed the unproven argument for me. Guardiola was unproven but he had a plan. Moyes was unproven but he just organises a defence.
The second reason I liked him was the main reason to discount the other candidates and to like him even more while he was our manager. He doesn’t make the same mistake over and over. Martinez was good at Wigan but every season they had the same problems. Laudrup has done the same ground hog day job with every team he’s every worked at. AVB lined up strange Chelsea teams. Rogers was on a trajectory of constant improvement. He’s proved it in the job. He’s fixed nearly every problem he’s come up against. Whether he’s created them or not.
I’m delighted he’s done well. (obviously) But I’m also delighted he’s proven me wrong too. Skrtle was gone in my eyes. Gerrard was fading fast. We needed a defensive midfielder. I was wrong on all those.
I’m glad I got that off my chest, and I’m sorry I’ve bored you here but at least I won’t bore anyone in the pub with my righteous proclamation.
I too doubted BR. I used to tear my hair out when the back four took 8 passes to get over the halfway line.
Now I am loving the sight of Sakho/Cissokho lolloping forward and practically “ole’ing” as Skrtel steps around an oncoming striker/midfielder.
Strange days have found us.
He’s incredible, he seems to take something away from every single game, usually 3 points (I’m here all week folks) but the way he’s adapted our shape and our style(s) of play. We’ve all questioned at least 3-4 decisions Rodgers has made since he came to Anfield and more often than not, we’ve been proven wrong by him.
Cannot wait to see him managing us in the CL, still early in his career but it feels like he’s got a spectacular career ahead of him
Excellent well written article. I always liked the guy, though I knew many who found him hard to take initially…someone i know didnt like him due the way he fondles players heads upon exiting pitch… Whatever has been your driver for that little percentage of uncertainty I think the guy is immense and he is authentic now but with the spirit of LFC firmly emblazoned in his soul.
I tell you with Brendan we’ve won the bloody lottery and feels like we’re on a spending spree high of a lifetime.
Poetic timing.
From the start BR said he understood what our club and our history was all about. I like Ian and many other reds have been sceptical but I believe know we will win the league and know I believe in Brendon.
Wasn’t it obvious from our form from Christmas onwards in 2013 until the end of the season that we had something special. I don’t understand why it took anyone so long to realise that.
It takes heart to admit such things. I quite enjoyed this article. I think we all doubted Rodgers a bit, some more than others. Early in the season, though, there were glimmers of hope. The results that were ground out against United at home then away to Villa. Then, December was upon us and, what was a slow simmer rolled to a boil. The mania became full-fledged, but it was there all along, just echoing in the distance. BR has been superb, as have the lads. It’s been a thing of symbiotic beauty thus far with all of the elements working in tandem. A rollicking good ride of a season, one of the few things that has given me an ounce of hope, at times.
I have always had confidence brendan was going to change liverpool’s fortunes for the better but I didn’t think it would happen so quickly vecause the amount of money other teams have spent. but as shown this season money isn’t everything in football. its about playing as a tea. playing for each other. that comes from a manager andthat is what brendan has installed. I always also had faith in henderson and sterling when many others were quick to criticise. some players can play out of position while others cannot. that is what brendan has got right. even if liverpool do not win the league at least we have taken man utds champions league place this year and more investment next year plus an improved stadium. good times
Good to see fans uniting. It was, of course sad to see Kenny relieved of his duties but we can all see that it was the right call now. He may have blown a lot of money but you can’t place value on the healing process that perhaps only Kenny could have undertaken. Now we’ve got the best young manager in the game, like Paul, I was supportive from day one. I’ve been yearning for a manager who will set us up to play our game regardless of the opposition or the circumstances. Brendan made it very clear from the start that he’d look to play relentless attacking football, to press and pass. That was enough for me. When he talked about the club I was sold. He got us: the fans, the city, the club. The only lesson he needed to learn was to talk less and use less bullshit bingo speech.
So, this should be a time for great joy. There are no more arguments to be had, nothing dividing us. We seem to have sensible owners, we have possibly the best young manager in the game which means we can move on from Rafa and Kenny; we’re grateful for all that they did but there’s no going back, and Stevie’s playing possibly the most consistent football of his career, in the right position for his age, with a smile on his face. What’s not to love?
FFS why put a pic of that old git in there…I had to scroll past like fk and nearly missed some of the article :P
I still wonder who advised FSG in 2012 to go for one of Martinez or Rodgers. Whoever it was deserves huge credit. Who’s to say how things would have gone with Martinez, but for me they are the top two managers in England right now. Rodgers’s ability to win or lose whilst maintaining a sense of class makes Mourinho’s petulance and childish antics look foolish. He has shown that winning and respect can go together in the modern game.
I’m proud to say that he’s our manager.
I’ve been thinking the same myself recently, but as you’re the first I’ve seen raise the question I thought I’d acknowledge it. Will we have to wait for John Henry’s biography for the answer? I hope not!
Good point. I feel exactly the same way. Rodgers and Martinez are a breath of fresh air after the toxic Ferguson, the bitter Mourinho and the sour Wenger. Wenger’s not as bad as the other two, and he’s improved markedly since Ferguson retired, but, Rodgers is more decent and professional than the three of them. Here’s hoping Jose’s offered a job in Spain or Italy soon.
Many people would echo your initial scepticism and feelings (excepting the Hodgson clanger) and should applaud the apology.
Being from the USA and Massachusetts to be exact home of the world champs Red Soxs I had faith in him because I had faith FSG. My club of choice is Everton and I’m thrilled with Martinez and happy for Liverpool that they have Rodgers.
Cracking read. When Brendan Rodgers took the helm at Anfield, I heard him speak at his press confidence and I thought to myself, ‘there is something about Brendan’ I didn’t want to tell anyone as I thought they would just laugh at me. Even after our poor start, Brendan continued to speak well but the team were not getting the results but still I thought there is something about Brendan but yet I still wouldn’t tell anyone this. Come early 2013, we saw a marked change in our play and indeed results, I started telling people ‘there is something about Brendan’ but they were not interested, they laughed but every week I would tell them ‘there is something about Brendan’. Move on to this season and people started coming back to me and saying I know what you mean, ‘there is something about Brendan’ This season has been the most enjoyable in 25 years, yes I remember our super team of 88 but I was 9. I am now 35 and never have I before wanted our next game to be now right now! I just can’t wait for LFC to play their next game – why is this? Well it’s all down to Brendan Rodgers. ‘There is something about Brendan’ and although we say it to ourselves we LFC fans know what it is. Thank you Brendan Rodgers for in stilling belief in my team for the first time in years and giving us the most enjoyable journey in decades.
Cracking read. When Brendan Rodgers took the helm at Anfield, I heard him speak at his press conference and I thought to myself, ‘there is something about Brendan’ I didn’t want to tell anyone as I thought they would just laugh at me. Even after our poor start, Brendan continued to speak well but the team were not getting the results but still I thought ‘there is something about Brendan’ but yet I still wouldn’t tell anyone this. Come early 2013, we saw a marked change in our play and indeed results, I started telling people ‘there is something about Brendan’ but they were not interested, they laughed but every week I would tell them ‘there is something about Brendan’. Move on to this season and people started coming back to me and saying I know what you mean, ‘there is something about Brendan’ This season has been the most enjoyable in 25 years, yes I remember our super team of 88 but I was 9. I am now 35 and never have I before wanted our next game to be now right now! I just can’t wait for LFC to play their next game – why is this? Well it’s all down to Brendan Rodgers. ‘There is something about Brendan’ and although we say it to ourselves we LFC fans know what it is. Thank you Brendan Rodgers for in stilling belief in my team for the first time in years and giving us the most enjoyable journey in decades.
I doubted Brendan at first too because I thought his real success story was with Swansea although I admired the brand of football Swansea played under BR. But I must confess he has suprised and surpassed my expectations. Not only is he a tactical genius as he showed against man u and Southampton but he’s humble with it as well. My favourite quote of his was when he referred to LFC as a foal in the title race, playing on mourinho’s quip about horses needing milk – sense of humour to add to the wonderful mix as well. I hope we go all the way and win the title after the 24 year wait
The article seems to miss the cause of the switch being changed in Liverpool’s play. I believe it was poor Lucas getting hurt and Steve Gerrard being moved into his spot. We have not looked back since.
Perhaps you mean it thus: Had Lucas not gotten hurt, BR would not have had good reason to try Gerrard in that spot, and Gerrard would not have gotten the kinks out of his system (mostly psychological, he’s always been physically capable of playing in that spot) and blossomed in that spot (and with him the entire team).
Lucas, before his latest injury, and even more before his previous thigh and knee injuries, being so good and steady in the spot where Gerrard now plays, BR would likely not have ‘dared’ experiment with Gerrard in lieu of a still available Lucas in that spot. Of course, now, after Gerrard has made the position his own, and does the shielding tactical stuff at nearly the same level of a Lucas at his best whilst doing some ‘Gerrard’ stuff obviously much better than Lucas, BR is unlikely to choose to plug Lucas back in (now) Gerrard’s spot and play Gerrard differently.
When Lucas first became long-term unavailable through injury, the presence of a healthy and in form Allen, who knew BR’s system by heart, immediately suggested that it would be HE (Allen) and not Gerrard who would step in Lucas’s shoes and role. I hasten to add that it was ONLY Gerrard, and not right away, who has been able to play in what used to be Lucas’s spot and role better than Allen did (and probably, by now, better than the post-injury Lucas COULD).
I wouldn’t bet the proverbial farm on this, but Allen was not fully available to step into Lucas’s position when/after Lucas got injured again most recently. The proverbial stars, therefore, seemed to have aligned for BR to attempt to effect what he tells us has been his plan for Stevie G. all along. We can only take him at his word. I am not sure it was. He discovered it in the process, as a result of the growth he’s undergone, and of which he is most capable, unlike that vile, vile man the OP actually thought, at some point in his life, was the right choice after Rafa was sacked.
We were playing great football long before Gerrard went to DM. 5-0 at White Hart Lane anyone?
However, the move (before Lucas got injured by the way) was just another important tweak to perfect the team. For various reasons, the double pivot of Gerrard and Lucas wasn’t a smooth operation, and BR had Theuns to make a momunetal change.
Theuns = the guts
Stupid predictive text!
I believed.
I remember having so many ridiculous debates on the LFC website’s “Kop” during the first three-four months of last year’s season, trying to defend Brendan. Everyone was focused on our place in the table, how we were on pace to be relegated, how we had never been ranked so low, etc. I kept pointing out that we were playing better football – trying at least – and that we’d had such bad luck. I kept trying to point to the fact that we were leading the League in hitting the woodwork, that it had been a sad error that let City walk out of Anfield with anything, that United was gifted a win at Anfield, that a few inches to the left or the right here here and there and we would have been in it for Champions League or at least Europa.
In the second half of the season it should have been especially obvious to everyone how much the team had progressed. We would have finished 5th had the second half counted as the whole. And that’s including another self-induced draw against City. We could have finished fourth, had it not been for glaring mistakes.
More importantly, we still didn’t have our chemistry down, but Sturridge and Coutinho were terrific. And the other sign that great things were to come? Hendo transformed from shy and awkward to a machine in that last month.
I was disappointed by our transfer choices, and I thought they could impact our quest for Champions League (never, never did I dream of winning the Premier League!), but I didn’t doubt Brendan.
I knew from the very first press conference. When he brought back the red nets, the old sign. I may be the only person in the world who didn’t find the documentary cringeworthy. For me he came across as sincere and a man with integrity and belief in his vision. His achievements at Swansea speak for themselves. Promotion and a top ten finish the season after with a largely similar squad? No one really understands how good a manager Brendan Rodgers is. I feel like in all the madness no one is recognising we went from SEVENTH to being favourites for the title with 3 to go…
I loved the documentary, and so did every Red Down Under that I know. Of course, you get a few cheesy moments when the camera is stuck in everyone’s face, but I blamed the producer and editorial team for that.
Well written apology, I had goosebumps somewhere in the article :) YNWA
You had me at “Hello”.Then lost me when you bracketed Hodgson with Paisley.I can think of 200 million reasons why those two names would never sit well in the same book never mind the same sentence.
But anyway,I think I know what you mean.Brendan seemed to have big ideas about himself.His talk about false number nines and reverse wingers had me worried.I thought he was talking about the centre forward putting his shirt on upside down.Or the winger tackling his own full-back!
How wrong can you be?Not only has he produced the most exciting and dynamic football in years but he’s also conducted himself in a most professional way in the media.
He makes Mourinho look like some kind of snake oil salesman or one of those 3 darts for a pound stalls in a cheap fun fair.
But he’s done it with integrity and class and set a new bench mark.I think that we are also fortunate that we’ve got Martinez in the opposition camp who seems to be cut from the same cloth.
Happy days!
Hi all Liverpool fans.Nobody talks about John W Henry. He was the man who hired Brandon.He was a man with vision
But for us Liverpool fans there is one thing to go for the title this year.Great respect for the players because they are the one who will achieve it.We will wait to see them to win and bring us the happiness .YNWA
Who’s Brandon?
Well written article. At starting of the season i’m skeptical about Liverpool about the depth of the the squad, how to they play without Suarez, how they manage aging Stevie, how to play with injury plague Lucas, and well the defenses,they lost Caragher captain reliable. As the season going BR certainly know his team well. Liverpool truely show the world they can beat the world with their football philosophy. Nice job BR, well done. You bring the best of the team, and show the fan you can win with your football. p/s I’m asian, I’m good with math but my english suck.
Ironically, it was the Being Liverpool series that made me believe in him, despite the Brentisms. I think it was his eye to eye confrontation with Sterling: “you know what you said”, and his ability to grab someone by the back of the neck and say, in essence, you’re playing like shite but I believe in you. So yeah, I believed very early on.
No need to apologise yet. As long as he keeps fielding Joe Allen (his Achilles heel to me), Liverpool will never reach its potential and Rodgers will never become a legend.
There’s always one …
We’re top of the league and you are still having a go Allen, why don’t you give it a rest?
The two most impressive midfield displays of the season for me were Spurs and City (in the first half) away with a midfield full of short passing and movement with Lucas, Allen and Henderson. Definitely didn’t look like an Achilles heel to me.
All I can truthfully say is that after all the previous disappointments there was a “let’s wait ans see attitude. I admired what he had done at Swansea but I thought this is a different kettle of fish. All I can do now is revel in the excellent job he has done and enjoy the rest of the ride
I had high hopes with Hodgson too, until the season started, saw the quality of our football and heard his defeatist comments before and after matches. He was not fit to be our manager. But with Rodgers, I had good vibes because of his positive attitude, humility, the way he managed Swansea, his respect for LFC, history and fans and his willingness to improve the club from the base itself
I’ve been watching Liverpool for over 40 years – often from a distance – and I can’t remember a season like the one we’re all currently enjoying. The sense of adventure that flows through this team is remarkable – and the excitement, the skill levels and the lack of negativity reminds me of the total confidence of the vintage Liverpool and the glory days of the 77-78 season. They inspire the emotions too – I was watching the Norwich game on my PC from afar and when Raheem scored the first I had some dust in my eyes..
I must be honest – I too thought that Brendan was a cloned product of some big bucks managerial academy and – what do I know – I convinced myself that Uncle Roy was the man for the job. However, that notion didn’t last long! *
What Brendan has achieved is nothing short of astonishing.. He’s given the players belief, total confidence in their own ability to win, and they’re playing with a tactical freedom and fluidity that stands them apart in the Premier League. Brendan is chalk and cheese from egotistical Mourinho – unlike Me-Me-Mourinho, he’s clearly an honest man. In Brendan, we have a manager and a leader to be proud of.. He’s not one to send out his assistant to face the press if LFC lose (as Ferguson used to..)
One last thing – I would love to read this 180 page document that Brendan submitted.. maybe one day it will emerge in print. Are there any other managers out there capable of having thoughts on the game that would need 180 pages to express them?
Can’t wait for Sunday and as someone above mentioned, the ECL!
I think we’re at the start of something really special.
YNWA..
I was disappointed when Rafa was not appointed coz I thought he could achieve instant results working in a calmer environment compared to the Hicks and Gillet fiasco. Once Brendan was appointed I was resigned to a lost season. Early in that season I began to have doubts when he didn’t seem to get it right and Liverpool was losing games that they should have one. The turning point to me was 2013 after acquisition of Sturridge and Coutinho. Then came the re-positioning of Gerrard who was becoming a glaring liability in the attacking role. Everything fell into place after that and now we can say “Hail King Brendan!” Its been an incredible journey.
Brilliant article, mate. Got goose bumps all the way through.
Although I was always fond of BR, even while at Swansea, I couldn’t have imagined in my wildest dreams that he’d transform our team to the degree he has.
I loved this paragraph, read it three times over!
“In a season where we have seen Raheem Sterling play at the tip of a diamond, at the side of a diamond, as a forward, as an orthodox winger and as a makeshift right back IN THE SAME BLOODY GAME we have to accept that we can no longer speak of player’s positions in the manner that we once did.”
I too felt the same when he was appointed..although i faith blindly to any player or manager related with liverpool,,,i had doubts in one corner of my mind over brendan….but as u said…we were wrong…and there is only one Brendan Rodgers…
Something i like about Rodgers is that when a player is injured/susoended it feels like he has a ready made replacement in the squad prepared to fill the slot and do an outstanding job for the team,Henderson out, rotate, Lucas in and the ship seems steady. takes tactical nous and good man management to do this.
He understands the Liverpool way,the culture and the city.
Nice article.
I genuinely liked Brendan from day one. I didn’t see the ‘Brentisms’. I saw a guy trying really hard to prove he was the right man while knowing that there was a long road ahead. That first press conference he did he said all the right things. He sounded like a Liverpool manager. But the cynics spoke of ‘talking the talk’.
The improvements have been clear throughout. The shedding of the wage bill. The change in attitude from players. The style of play.
I just felt he was the right man to take us forward. Now don’t get me wrong I didn’t expect us to be challenging for the title this year, but I felt that Brendan was the man to get us there over the years.
Nearly two years ago he talked like a Liverpool manager. Now he has proven that he is a Liverpool manager. We need to hold onto this guy because he is very very special.
Good article, cheers.
I always supported Rodgers from the off, purely because he is Liverpool manager and so that’s what I do. They all get the benefit of the doubt to begin with from me (yes, even Hodgson, though it swiftly evaporated) because if they do well then the club does well.
With hindsight, he was always going to struggle initially
a) Replacing the club’s greatest living legend
b) Trying to change the style of the team whilst having little time to coach, thanks to the Europa League.
c) Being bloody Liverpool!
I’ve always liked what he has tried to do, and how he had us playing, but I had doubts that he could kick on, I think virtually all of us did.
Yet here we are. However the season ultimately ends, this has been the club’s best performance in the Premier League in my opinion, even if we finish 3rd. What Rodgers has achieved, in view of the amount of competition at the top end of the league is truly unrivalled.
Excellent read that.
I’ll stand by you – side by side – on one account: I thought hiring Roy Hodgson was a decent idea at the time…yes, we can laugh about it now…
Brendan though. What a man. I love him, and I honestly did from day 1. Well, maybe I didn’t love him, but I believed him and trusted him. Thought his Swansea team was magnificent to watch, and after reading about him and listening to some interviews I knew this was the type of manager we needed to take us forward. Stop looking towards the past for solutions. Embrace the future. A fresh start. Year zero.
I didn’t care about the envelopes, I didn’t care about the socalled ‘Brent-isms’, I didn’t care that people said he talked too much; and I certainly didn’t care about the painting. Because the message was what I wanted to hear. He communicated with us, he told us about his plans and his vision. Directly and indirectly, there it was: ‘This is what I’m gonna do. Just give me a slice of patience and I’ll fix this.’
And then he did it. He fixed us. As you say, Ian: Whatever happens the next three weeks, it’s been a blast. Football has never been more fun than it is now.
Any chance you could help Man U with their search for a new manager?
With your history of picking winning managers you could use your skills to all LFC fans advantage!
3 more games to go!
I think the bottom line is, we have good owners who may not be football people but they know sports management. They will have done far more research into filling the vacancy than we will ever know. As for Brendan, I think he is learning every day, and will get better and better, there will be hiccups along the way, but to think we almost went out of business 4 years ago, we have come along way. Lets get behind everything liverpool, and push them over the line, we are the best team in the league by miles. Ynwa.
Re the envelopes you have obviously not heard o Schrodinger’s cat. Can an unopened envelope contain everyone’s name and no ones?
Martinez was my 1st choice (wanted no part of AVB), but I was definitely pro the Rodgers appointment. Getting one of the new generation of managers seemed like a forward move.
Its interesting that Man United are seemingly above such a move even now. Chelsea and City dont think in those terms, Tottenham got their fingers burnt, and Arsenal are still holding on to a stale older dynasty.
Advantage Liverpool.
Still don’t rate him. Think this years been a fluke. All the other big teams have new managers and/or aging teams. Next year we will be down to 7th.
You can’t be serious??
BRENDAN RODGERS WILL takes to every top of the world he’s greatest
I get that people didnt rate him. Thats their choice.
What I didn’t get was the abuse from longtime reds who should have known better. Some of the shit directed at him simply because he came in after Kenny was unwarranted.
Those people must feel pretty foolish right now.
Christ, you’re not great at predictions are you? Don’t EVER give me your Lottery numbers. Thanks.