THE bickering is back. The Liverpool fanbase truly divided once again. Bizarre accusations of ‘agendas’ have remerged and everyone is wondering what happens next at Anfield. Questions, questions, questions.
Emergency meetings are said to have taken place behind closed doors at Liverpool FC’s city centre offices (although the manager’s job is said not to be under threat). People are banging the drum for Jurgen Klopp and the bookies have slashed the odds on the German – and Rafael Benitez (as if) – taking over from Brendan Rodgers sometime soon.
Blame what you like, tabloid press, impatient fans, modern football…the clamour for crisis has been fed by what has been served up on the pitch in recent weeks: a grim gruel of toil and torture that is in stark contrast to last season’s feast of exhilaration and excitement.
The last three games – Aston Villa at Wembley, West Brom at The Hawthorns and Hull City at the KC stadium – have been uniformly depressing. Tactics have shifted, line ups have differed (perhaps too much) but the result has been the same: Liverpool look like a team that has lost its mojo. In fact, scrap that. Liverpool don’t look like a team: a midfield doing one thing and a striker doing another. A No.10 looking for movement and a striker wanting it into feet. Neither prepared to compromise — players not passing to each other; players not trusting each other, players trying to do it all on their own.
It’s not at the ‘lost the dressing room’ stage. Not yet. We can see sweat; the effort is clear, tools have not been downed. But the Reds are no longer sculpting a masterpiece. Instead they are chained by limitations, smashing rocks with no obvious end game while being bossed by inferior opponents. What’s the plan? What’s the system? Players either don’t know, don’t get it or aren’t sure while the manager looks grim faced, the walls closing, the fingers pointing.
The smell of blood is heavy in the air. Google Brendan Rodgers’ name and you see some of the heavy-hitters in the mainstream media labelling Liverpool’s season a failure, calling the campaign abysmal, asking where it all went wrong.
I just wonder if we’re getting a little carried away, particularly when it comes to the idea that one man in and one man out (the manager) can change everything. Anger, frustration and fists being driven into palms; all understandable. But there are also the cold, hard facts of the Premier League and Liverpool’s history of competing in it.
Or not really, as the case may be.
No-one needs reminding that it was the 25th anniversary of the last time Liverpool lifted the league title this week. In the 24 complete seasons that have followed the Reds have finished: 2, 6, 6, 8, 4, 3, 4, 3, 7, 4, 3, 2, 5, 4, 5, 3, 3, 4, 2, 7, 6, 8, 7 and 2. The average finish across the 24 campaigns is 4.5. Four second-placed finishes with 2009’s 86 points the best total achieved since *that* trophy ended up in *that* cabinet come May.
A sustained push, a relentless drive towards an inevitable 19th crown has never arrived in all that time; too many five-year plans, turning corners and boardroom disasters. And while it’s the desire of every supporter to see that concerted charge for the line the question has to be asked whether it’s realistic to expect it right now (or to expect it regularly) from the current set up, on and off the field. Is the manager getting it wrong? Are the owners getting it wrong? Is it all of the above? Or is it just all a bit Mission Impossible given what Liverpool are up against?
Rodgers’ faults and failures in a disappointing season are rightly being highlighted; the cult of the manager dictates this. Rigidly sticking with a system that didn’t work for too long earlier in the season was a mistake. Marginalising Lucas another. Mario Balotelli up front on his own didn’t work then and doesn’t work now (but imagine complaining about no goals when you won’t start a £16million £80k-a-week striker who some still think will come good). Attempting to be solid and sure didn’t result in a sea change in results but Rodgers didn’t have the players to replicate last season’s methods either (and plenty wanted the Reds to be defensively stronger). Real Madrid away was a mad line up (Rodgers may as well of punched himself in the face — same outcome).
Ultimately, it all added up to the manager fearing the sack in November. He may well feel the same way now. By all accounts Rodgers had three targets this season: qualify for the Champions League, reach the knockout phases of said competition and win silverware. He has failed on all counts. He’s done wrong. But he’s done right as well.
Following the early season mire Rodgers then masterminded a good run stretching three months and 13 games and the fairytale of a top four finish and an FA Cup win (on Steven Gerrard’s birthday) loomed large. Rodgers blowing his own trumpet a bit too loudly when nothing had been achieved was another mistake. Negative results followed positive headlines.
That dream of a grandstand finish now lies in tatters with a league table showing 10 defeats and Chelsea away still to come. Meanwhile, Aston Villa head back to Wembley at the Reds’ expense. Elsewhere, the captain is leaving for America — the Gerrard conundrum will soon no longer exist. Your best young player won’t sign a contract while others on the playing staff are left in limbo. And there is a cavalcade of awkward questions for manager and owners permanently being articulated on repeat from all angles. Rightly so. When there’s a collective shrug following failure then Liverpool really do have problems.
Rodgers hasn’t helped his own standing with his propensity for public bullshit. After a record summer transfer spend last summer, the quote about Tottenham’s spending and challenging for honours lingers like a fizzy fart after a heavy night on the ale. No manager hangs himself when put before the glare of the cameras, they back themselves — and why wouldn’t they? But there’s backing yourself and there’s talking bollocks. The performance at West Brom was not “outstanding” and it begged the question of how Rodgers will describe a showing if Liverpool do turn on the style again this season.
But let’s cut to the chase. Whoever the manager of Liverpool is next season he will want a striker or two beyond the trio of flops Balotelli, Rickie Lambert and Fabio Borini (who are all likely to leave if buyers can be found…good luck with that), Divock Origi (who is 20 and has never played in the Premier League) and Daniel Sturridge, whose injury troubles have limited him to just 19 appearances for club and country this season, scoring just five goals.
I recently wrote on what constitutes ‘par’ for Liverpool, with my point being that it’s not results alone that influence the feel-good factor around the club. It’s quality of performances, it’s entertainment, it’s faith that you’ve got the right man and a feeling the club is moving in the right direction. By my own subjective standards, I made it four really good performances from the Reds this season. It’s not enough. We need better players.
As others, including Paul Tomkins, have detailed in depth, income and spending power — on wages and transfer fees — play a huge part in getting better players to sign on the dotted line. They want big wages and big bonuses for themselves. And they want evidence of recent sustained ambition from the club not dewy-eyed stories of silver-laden past eras. As difficult as it is to write, the history we hold so dear to our hearts probably isn’t a deal clincher for someone born in 1995. Money is.
Throw in FSG’s transfer criteria and the fact that Liverpool have routinely missed out on top targets and it begs the question: what difference will any manager make to Liverpool right now? (and given their disadvantages in a far from level playing field, why do the club keep speaking so freely about transfer targets…).
A Klopp might give Liverpool more sex appeal. He could help to sell the club and may be a better draw for players. You’ll still have to pay those players the going rate for wages though and clubs won’t sell on the cheap. There might be the much celebrated bounce effect of a new manager. It would be exciting. No doubt we’d be wooed by Klopp’s charisma; he has the ‘feel’ of a Liverpool boss in waiting. But when we return to earth from all that and it’s same again off the pitch, then what? Klopp can point to a CV that includes major trophies, unlike Rodgers. But if he still has to work in the parameters of a transfer policy that basically means Liverpool can only target a player Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal don’t want, how much of a difference can he really make? Is he magic?
There’s another thing — what if Klopp doesn’t want it? Or any other big name boss? What if, after deciding to sack the current manager, instead we simply end up targeting Brendan Rodgers MkII – another ‘promising’ young manager who would arrive to learn on the job rather than lead from the off? Would everyone back that bloke? Would he be ‘Liverpool standard’?
Perhaps the shadowy transfer committee members were the subject of the emergency meeting. Perhaps Rodgers was after all and the wrong messages were leaked (or all the right ones if a smokescreen was the intention). Perhaps they are all in the firing line. Or maybe we’re just about to announce an official potato partnership. I can’t rule any of those options out. I don’t know.
I do know sacking Rodgers will cost a lot of money. It may well be the case that it is considered money well spent; a lot will depend on the unknowns that we can only guess at – do FSG still have faith in the manager (their manager; the man who satisfied their criteria)? Do the players still have faith in his methods? Is there anything in the continual players v manager row rumours that circulate? How have all Rodgers’ all too obvious frustrations with the transfer committee affected working relationships with the kingmakers?
The “he needs time” argument isn’t one. Rodgers has had three years. He’s been a Liverpool manager longer than Joe Fagan and has took charge of more games than Hodgson and Dalglish (second spell) combined. Questioning his suitability for the position from here on in isn’t unfair. What’s best for Liverpool is what matters.
On the other hand, it may be considered that the £10million or so it would cost to buy out a deal signed less than 12 months ago would simply be better invested in a player that could make the difference instead of a manager who might not. If Rodgers simply had a better squad at his disposal would he get better results? Last season says yes.
Current expected summer arrivals are Origi, Danny Ings and James Milner. Solid. OK. Par? But where’s the difference maker? Where’s the player who doesn’t allow Tony Pulis to Tony Pulis us? Where’s the player who stops Steve Bruce from Steve Brucing us and wins the game at Wembley?
Last season raised the bar for Liverpool. Brendan Rodgers LMA Manager of the Year was hot property after taking little fancied Liverpool to within a whisker of the title. The rollercoaster ride convinced many ‘we were back’. With Champions League football to follow and a boss now with a reputation for squeezing the best out of young players we would fly again this season, right?
Take a look at the list again above: second followed by sixth. Second followed by fifth. Second followed by seventh. Perhaps none of this is easy. The weight of expectation at Liverpool hangs heavier than anywhere else in the league. But we’ve spent major dough under Rodgers’ reign on 23 new players, right? And much of it questionably, right? All clubs and every manager regularly get transfers wrong. And the club wasn’t shopping in the same shops as richer rivals that sit above us in the table. That remains the case. This smart way, the FSG way, the Moneyball way — how’s that going? Sometimes there isn’t a secret and you simply have to acquiesce. Pay the money, John. Cough up, Tom.
Last season Liverpool played less games than the other teams in and around them in the top four. The Reds were also fortunate with injuries in that more often than not the best players — and players who could score goals — were available. The top 10 for appearances among outfield players in 2013-14 reads: Henderson, Gerrard, Skrtel, Sterling, Suarez, Coutinho, Sturridge, Johnson, Leiva, Allen. Loads of goals. Suarez having his best season as a professional footballer (33 in 39 for club and country), Gerrard influential (16 in 51 for Liverpool and England), Sturridge proving his worth (28 in 42).
This season it reads: Henderson, Sterling, Coutinho, Skrtel, Moreno, Lallana, Gerrard, Can, Lovren, Markovic. Where are the goals? Gerrard is leaving (10 in 37), Sterling is in dispute with the club (12 in 56 for club and country), Sturridge has missed most of the season (five goals in 19 appearances). Daniel Sturridge, Mario Balotelli, Rickie Lambert and Fabio Borini have scored eight Premier League goals between them this season.
SUBSCRIBE: The Anfield Wrap’s TAW Player is now live – exclusive content for subscribers
Many now want — and demand — blood and say new blood in the gaffer’s spot in the dugout is the answer. A fresh face will cure all our ills, seems to be the message. Where does that certainty come from? Liverpool have lots of puzzles to solve — is Brendan Rodgers the best available manager for the job? Is the transfer committee working? Is it time to return to the original plan after Dalglish was fired — a true director of football model rather than one by stealth (by committee)? Why can’t the club clinch deals for top targets? Is the notion of ‘value’ too idealistic? Is the stats-based program reportedly feeding transfer target lists a success? What strikers can Liverpool put on the pitch next season?
No wonder we’re arguing, look at all the questions. Imagine making the decisions. The manager problem is a club problem. A squad problem. An owners problem. An ambition problem. A buying and selling problem. And if it was easily solved there wouldn’t be a 25-year gap in the ‘champions’ column would there?
This time next year, Rodders. This time next year. FSG it’s over to you. All the best.
READ: KLOPP FOR THE KOP – WHY WOULDN’T YOU?
READ: BRENDAN RODGERS AND JURGEN KLOPP: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
[rpfc_recent_posts_from_category meta=”true”]
Pics: David Rawcliffe-Propaganda-Photo
The question I have is what if FSG aren’t willing to spend money to make LFC a top 4 club and are content with us being a 5th/6th place club? If that’s the case then there’s really nothing we can do
what you mean like the 120 million £ they bankrolled in the summer? Short memories!!
They bankrolled about 1/4 of that amount.
Less than Evertons net spend, and only marginally more than Leicester, West Ham and Hulls.
Bullshit, you are clearly completly clueless, Liverpool have the highest 4th net spend in the PL this season Behind United,Arsenal and City..
Marginally more than liecester, bla, bla bla, absolute nonsense…
That wasnt my point though, was it?
My point was the owners havent bankrolled a £120m spend as the previous poster said. Its about £30m net.
Leicester, WHU and Hull all spent £25m net.
Im not Rodgers biggest fan – and certainly not when it comes to his record in he transfer market – but a change in approach from the owners is required before we all start screaming for a change in manager.
Three letters: FFP.
A very well reasoned piece.
Only one thing I’d add. While Rodgers was indeed FSG’s man, in hiring him they also had to sacrifice the model that they were intent on implementing at LFC – the so-called ‘continental’ model of Director of Football alongside a Head Coach.
Dortmund, of course, have just such a model (albeit titled Sporting Director). So I do wonder whether Klopp would have extra appeal to FSG as it would give them the opportunity to not only replace Rodgers with a highly respected young manager, but also one that is happy to operate under the DoF structure.
This would mean not only replacing the manager, but facilitating a major overhaul of LFC. And the challenge of finding the right man for the all-important Director of Football role!
Yet given the well-publicised shortcomings of the present structure, maybe this root and branch change is becoming more appealing by the day. Not just to FSG, but also the fans.
Just more excuses just like the motor Brenda
Not entirely sure who I’m making excuses for…
My point is that if FSG are convinced that the present structure of the club (including the transfer committee) is not fit for purpose, they might be keen to return to their original plan for a DoF.
In this scenario, it’s not just results on the pitch that are going to cause problems for Rodgers, it’s also his unwillingness to work under a DoF.
In the meantime, Klopp is a free agent and has experience working with a Sporting Director. It would certainly make him more attractive to FSG.
The present structure is a glorified scouting team. A couple of scouts, a guy who collates and presents stats, a head coach WHO OVERSEES EVERY DEAL, and a guy who negotiates the deal. Pretty standard in my opinion. Just that no club is pompous or American enough to calling it a committee.
Why do these articles never acknowledge that Klopp has been successful under far more stringent transfer conditions than Rodgers?
He’s delivered trophies and generated enormous profits for the club thus proving it is possible to square the circle.
It spoils the apologist theme and the illusion that Neymar is queuing up to sign for us if only we would match his wages. We used to MAKE marquee players. Alonso, Mascherano, Reina, Torres, Agger, Suarez. I wonder how marquee are Allen, Lovren, Borini, Origi, Markovic going to become? Answers please Brendan.
It is also a league with only one financial powerhouse. We have 3 and Arsenal, who have qualified for the Champions League basically since Wenger arrived. Dortmund benefited from a Bayern transition and couldn’t cope when they lost their two top strikers. We essentially lost Sturridge and Suarez simultaneously, but we are better placed than Dortmund.
With Sturridge available, Rodgers dismantled Dortmund in pre-season. It is not his fault that he was forced to choose between Balotelli or old man Eto’o. Most top players were unavailable to him for financial reasons, others like Shaqiri were not allowed to leave at the time. And LFC couldn’t get Remy insured with his 3 failed medicals.
When Suarez was banned, but Sturridge was available, Rodgers was still able to thrive. In those 10 games, we banged in 19 goals and allowed 4 for a record of 7-2-1. And now “supporters” are calling him a clown.
On the other hand, it may be considered that the £10million or so it would cost to buy out a deal signed less than 12 months ago would simply be better invested in a player that could make the difference instead of a manager who might not. If Rodgers simply had a better squad at his disposal would he get better results? Last season says yes.
Sorry, absolute nonsense…No way was our squad better last season!! Are you serious? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAHHAHAHAHAHA
Only Suarez left, we have added many quality additions that BR has failed misrabley to use, you are telling me Moreno (europa league winner) Lallana (PL team of the season) Lovren,(PL 2nd best defender last season) Markovic (Europe’s U21 Golden Boy) and Emre (Bayern munich has a buy back clause enough said)…COme on mate, wake up and smell the coffee.. we are where we are because Brenda is the most arrogant fool you will ever meet, playing most all players out of position and not using Strikers, Lambert and Borini maybe Shite but they have played a combined of like 7 full matches.. Its nonsense, you are telling me aslong as Brendan doesnt have a Suarez that is what we should expect? I cringe and cry, not one team in the league have a Suarez. Maybe City in Aguero but he is more injury prone than Sturridge..Lambert,Borini,Balotelli scored like 40 goals last season, BR is clueless and useless using Sterling upfront all season where the kid has wasted 15 goals at least..No wonder he doesn’t want to sign with Brendan here, he has played him every where apart from GK and CB and the fans are turning on Sterling when they obviously should turn on the man who has stopped his development by playing him 4 positions each game! BR is the worst manager at Liverpool after Roy Hodgson..Sorry, Benitez,Daglish,Houllier all of them brough trophies and Benitez and Houllier could have achieved much more with Liverpool under our current owners instead of the dross they had back then..
For me the club’s problem has been the transfer committee. Obviously transfers have not been on the level the club should aspire to (keeping in mind that this season’s transfers could not be blamed being an undoubtedly young prospects, but of course i’m talking about the big name a child could see we are missing…Ballo, Lambo and Lovren are mistakes everyone makes). The other thing is that nobody knows who is responsible with the transfers and also the loads of promising talk about a player prior to our failure to sign him. Until now its the policy, not the lack of money invested… when you distribute more of your budged to wages instead of fees, you get fewer but better players.Simple as that.Full stop!
My Rodgers problem – for fuck sake, don’t sulk on the pitch,lad! I don’t have any other explanation for playing Ballo alone with Coutinho not knowing what to do behind him, than showing the upper levels of management what had been provided for the challenge that this season brought. Johnson played, the future in Can – played out of position (wonder what he had learned this year that will prove useful the next one…playing CB with 5 others on the wage bill?) – and basically giving Markovic reasons to doubt himself on every occasion. I really like Brendan but this season’s madness is not what LFC deserve.Its deja vu! Spiral out for God sake!
The thing I want from a hypothetical replacement for Rodgers is balls. Not the theater of media aftermath too little too late garbage. Brendan was at the club when all this transfers were made last summer, wasn’t he? Remind me the the thing that came out in the press as a condition Rodgers gave when appointed…Don’t care about Klopp’s charisma, I want him if he has the courage needed to manage our club!
Another reasoned sensible piece by the boy Roberts if only more fans could have his sense and perspective.
End of day we have 5th highest turnover, 5th highest wage bill and will likely finish 5th. Expectations probably too high after last year and obviously recruitment has been mixed bag. But that has been born out of a need to operate to a different model than the financial top 4.
Buying young players with potential and, ideally, high resale value seems as good as any but obviously involves more gambles. I’m still confident Moreno, markovic and Can will prove good buys.
Sure Rodgers can be blindingly positive but surely there are worse things to be?
Thought should not be given to solely getting rid of Rodgers but we do owe it to ourselves to consider if someone can be better placed to take us forward.
The thing that nags me (and I guess most supporters) is whether Rodgers is capable of leading us to silverware.
He has no past performance to suggest so whereas Klopp does.
If we were managerless this summer and the two options were Rodgers and Klopp then it’s no contest for me – Klopp everytime.
It’s funny but I really can’t put my finger on how I feel about all this. On the one hand I think there’s problems with every aspect of the club and on the other I don’t think we’re a million miles away from being a good team and well run in all departments. Same with Rodgers, on the one hand I think he’s shown enough that with the right tools he could do well. Then on the other I think it’s unacceptable what’s gone on this month. I’ll be honest I watched the West Brom game thinking top 4 had already gone. At the whistle I just shrugged. I couldn’t believe it when I looked at the table the other night and realised we’d have have been right in it had we won the last 2. He looks gone and we can’t be having this every 6 months.
The other thing I’m torn between is Rodgers press conferences / quotes in articles I’ve read. On the one hand I can see it as FSG have said you don’t deserve to be sacked and we’ll get you some quality in the summer yet on the other hand I wonder is Rodgers deluded or fears for his job to such an extent he’s dropping FSG in the shit by making promises for them about the summer plans. I certainly think he’s deviated from the FSG ‘yes man’.
What I think will happen is he’ll stay, have £50m or £60m plus sales to spend and Klopp will go to City for their new project.
I’m not that bothered whether Rodgers is manager or not next season. I’ll support either decision. Not through blind faith, only that I can see merit in both.
**Transfer spend worked out off the top of my head but based on we seem to spend £40m net a season. I don’t think people are necessarily looking for profit out of LFC at this stage and the money goes back in and is spent in line with FFP. So, with the extra £10m from the CL, plus the extra TV money I’m plumping for 50 or 60m. Not sure what we could raise in sales but probably £20m. I just don’t believe that Ings, Milner and Origi are the extent of our ambition (although, I appreciate the article didn’t say that either).
The par spend thing is Rodgers and his supporters biggest ally ( well that and the Transfer Committee).
Since Paul Tomkins put out the ‘par’ and ‘average spend v average position’ treatise, it’s getting used as a ‘We should only expect 5th therefore Rodgers has produced an average season and so deserves time because he has not failed, as we are par, average, where we should be etc etc.
It’s amazing how many outs Brendan has been given by various sections, yet Benitez was given short shrift by a fair part of our support whilst dealing with Parry, Ayre, Broughton, Purslow and the Cowboy Twins. Apparently then, being 2nd the year before was not good enough to give him any benefit, apparently it WAS all about what was going on, on the pitch.
Sorry I’m just ranting now but I hate this bloody par argument, hate it. Its the ultimate get out.
Exactly. Every defence has a massive hole in it that’s simply ignored. I can’t get past the thought that he had £120M to bring in half of Suarez’s goals and sort out the defence and STILL afford to drop two places with our blessing and unless Man U totally fuck it up, will have failed every single one of our pre-season objectives.
Let’s keep to the fact as opposed to the myths.
Brendan’s myths:
> Young and progressive Improves young players he got us secondplays entertaining, attacking football< – he did play some fascinating stuff last season. Or, it was Suarez + inspired and helped by him Sturridge, Sterling, Coutinho… Brendan was smart enough to step away and not interfere with his "death by football" crap, and just let them play, only to quickly grab all plaudits and make everyone believe that it was HIS BRAND OF FOOTBALL. The question is: if it is his brand of football, then what's the brand of football we played before Suarez had made that decision that he was going to win the league for 'the Stebie', and after he left?
These are Myths that have been created by Brendan and his pet Merseyside media, because if you ask people like Marcotti, like Rory Smith and few more, they have never been totally convinced by him, or his declarations.
Someone delete this post, I did something wrong with > characters, and it all went tits up.
Let’s keep to the fact as opposed to the myths.
Brendan’s myths:
– Young and progressive – He is on paper. But the fact is, he is too rigid and dogmatic and slow to learn.
Improves young players – Who has he improved bar Raheem Sterling and Henderson? And don’t, just don’t give me that he improved Suarez. It was SUAREZ who improved the team. Not only by his goals. He was a leader in the team, leader by example, he taught them little things and tricks that they now have been coach out of gradually by Brendan Rodgers.
Young players: Borini, Assaidi, Suso, Moses, Sahin, Luis Alberto, Brad Smith, Martin Kelly, Markovic, Manquillo, Moreno, Coutinho, and now the same Raheem and Jordon Ibe… some are no longer around, some have stagnated or set back in their development… and now Rodgers, who was hired specifically to make them into stars, is turning his back on them and wants “marquee signings”.
The first ‘Marquee signing’ should be a new manager, if that’s the way to go then.
– He got us second – yes, he did, when there was a very tangible opportunity to get the 1st. He blew it, being carried away by how great he is.
– Plays entertaining, attacking football – he did play some fascinating stuff last season. Or, it was Suarez + inspired and helped by him Sturridge, Sterling, Coutinho… Brendan was smart enough to step away and not interfere with his “death by football” crap, and just let them play, only to quickly grab all plaudits and make everyone believe that it was HIS BRAND OF FOOTBALL. The question is: if it is his brand of football, then what’s the brand of football we played before Suarez had made that decision that he was going to win the league for ‘the Stebie’, and after he left?
These are Myths that have been created by Brendan and his pet Merseyside media, because if you ask people like Marcotti, like Rory Smith and few more, they have never been totally convinced by him, or his declarations.
Spot on.
Short Memories!
you were ALL singing in every pub in Liverpool a year ago ‘Brendan Rodgers Liverpool We’re on our way to glory’
Sounding like Newcastle fans now
All BR did last season was base a team around a super players strengths, and played DS in his best position. Suarez made BR and DS look great. He lent everyone some rose tinted spectacles for a season.
Rodgers is a blogger who waffles far too much. He clearly needs to climb down from his high horse before being able to move on to the next stage. As it is he has the charisma of a smarmy politician who likes the sound of his own voice too much.
Its well documented which buys are his, and which are those of the committee. …and its clear to see who has chosen the better players, by a country mile in fact.
If it wasn’t for that new contract , I’m sure he’d be given the shove this summer. As it is, we’ll have to endure another mediocre season, until FSG realise that its a little too early in BR’s career for him to be a top top manager. A good stint at newcastle will do him good.
Sacking Brendan Rogers?. We started this season so badly, by 23 Nov … 12 games we were W 4 D 2 L 6 ….. dreadful start !! Now after 34 games we are W 17 D 7 L 10 ……. we have lost just 4 games in 22 matches in the league since. We started this season (less Suarez) on the basis of last season, but with a load of new players, and only Sturridge for first 3 prem games and started badly . We lost 6 games last season to come 2nd. We were W 26 D 6 L 6. We’ve had no real attack all season. What I’m trying to say is that, despite the stuttering season of nearly’s, a few changes in the early results plus a fit striker could have made all the difference. It doesn’t necessarily need major changes…. and maybe not Brendan right now.
If he stays, it’ll have to under a DOF: a great coach but a questionable man-manager who should not be allowed near the transfer market
These apologist arguments are starting to annoy me. People tend to forget that we went for Mhkitaryan. He blanked us. We went for Costa. He blanked us. We went for Willian. He blanked us. We went for Falcao. He blanked us. We went for Sanchez. He blanked us. At some point you have to recognise that this ‘transfer policy’ is not a matter of choice but reality. We HAVE to work within this structure because world class players go to the elite club. We are no longer that. World class players have shown this time and time again. It doesn’t matter how much money FSG offer, they won’t come. So the plan HAS to be finding emerging star players as we did with Torres, Alonso and Suarez and building from them. Instead Rodgers chose the likes of Allen, Markovic and Lovren. That’s the problem right there. You also fail to mention FFP. By law we cannot justify a ridiculous City like splurge on highly paid mercenaries. We need to buy emerging stars that can earn their way to big contracts. FSG have proven that they will give that. They gave Stevie G a bumper contract when he was still worth it. Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge, Jordan Henderson, Phillipe Coutinho, all got given major new contracts and pay rises so to me FSG are running the club responsibly and within the FFP rules. The question lies with why is so much of their money being spent on such poor prospects. The pertinent question for me is if Chelsea refused to buy Markovic for a £12M buy out clause, why would you go and spend £20M on him? And how much does his agent Pini Zahavi earn out of the deal? FSG cannot be the scapegoats for running the club responsibly within the rules and reality.
I am just growing weary of Rodgers’ “politics”. Football has changed indeed but I still prefer my manager to do more and talk less. I truly long for Bob Paisley. Wish you were here Bob …
Ah, the great Bob Paisley who wouldn’t recognise a ‘low block’ just a defensive team that needed to be outwitted. A Bob Paisley who bought players because he wanted them, fitted his plan and then got rid as he wanted them to have their last legs with somebody else. A Bob Paisley who would balk at having his name in the same sentence as ‘tactical genius’. The question should be ‘Why did FSG appoint a narcissist without any record of success?’
“Daniel Sturridge, Mario Balotelli, Rickie Lambert and Fabio Borini have scored eight Premier League goals between them this season.”
Messi, Suarez and Ronaldo scored 8 this weekend.
“Pay the money, John. Cough up, Tom.”
See above!
How sad have we become. I have been following Liverpool for 41 years seeing Shankly’s parting triumph, Paisley’s genius, Fagan’s treble before Kenny won the double. Since then a lack of vision from our ownership has left us trailing in the wake of clubs who have exploited the modern day money first world of football. Liverpool F.C.’s business management post John Smith played on sentiment and passed glories to hide a lack of ambition and investment in both the team and the infrastructure of the club before disastrously selling to Hicks & Gillett who took us to the brink of bankruptcy just 5 years ago. Our successes achieved up to the end of the Benitez reign have been in spite of the contribution from the ownership. The ridiculous appointment of Hodgson hopefully bookending 21 years of malaise. For all FSG’s perceived faults at least they are a business that exist to run successful sports clubs and understand that for a modern sport club to be successful it requires them to have stability and compete with their piers on revenue generation as a starting point. I believe they are taking the right steps to give the club the best chance to compete whilst understanding the clubs traditions and hope that with the long overdue ground expansion will achieve this with fair ticket pricing. They have also managed to keep themselves out of the limelight for the last 5 years a good trait of ownership. Shankly’s team and his legacy was based on socialist principles, a collective working as hard as they can for a common purpose. I believe Rogers has a similar philosophy making the team stronger than the some of it’s parts. Last season’s team is one of the most entertaining sides I have ever watched and the closest to the collective philosophy since Kenny’s team of the late 80s; Rafa’s runners up side of 08 09 was on the right track but undermined by the ownership. People do have short memories as Brenden said post QPR, I guess the people currently shouting for Rogers head would have been holding Shankly out banners when he failed to get immediate promotion to the 1st division or when he failed to win a competitive trophy for 6 seasons, if he was around now you would probably be all over social media accusing him of being an arrogant fantasist. Teams can take time to build and mistakes will be made in the process, it was true then and it is today, even Bob Paisley bought the odd dud player. A want it all now attitude is just self destructive. Brenden Rogers is no Roy Hodgson he deserves some time just for last season alone. When Liverpool win the league again I want the cameras to concentrate on the team, the manager and the fans, not a dubious Russian oligarch, as seen yesterday or a member of a middle eastern dictatorial royal family. If you want that go and support someone else. I am not from Liverpool I have always lived in the south. It was my dad who greatly admired Bill Shankly that got me obsessed with Liverpool. My first game at Anfield was in 1976 I was 9 years old and stood in the Paddock, when the teams came onto the pitch a women standing next to me with a big smile and no teeth gave me a nudge and pointed to the swaying mass of red and white that was the Kop. I have never seen anything greater before or since, the sense of being together in a common cause was overwhelming; Liverpool 5 Stoke 3 plus the game being shown on match of the day that night and goading the Stoke team at the M62 services on the way home made the experience all the more perfect. I have been attending games ever since a proud season ticket holder. Over the subsequent years the City of Liverpool and Liverpool F.C. have had to deal with difficult issues, Thatcher, Heysel, Hillsborough, Hicks & Gillett, through all of them the community and the football club supporters have been strong and together being a force for good. However some of the issues have driven divisions into the supporter base. Please for the sake of the football club and unparallelled community spirit connected to it, which now crosses the globe and that I have loved for over 40 years think about the collective. Go and watch a film of 30,000 reds on the Kop and think about how we can get just a little bit closer to that again. I my opinion we came close last year; the team, the manager and the supporters all pulling in the same direction. Don’t throw it away on a want it now mentality following media led agendas. Support the team collectively its the Liverpool way.