A WIN at last. Two fantastic finishes from the much-missed Daniel Sturridge. Impressive midfield performances from the going now staying Lucas Leiva and stand-in skipper James Milner. Tireless running from Danny Ings. More magic from Phil Coutinho.
It might have ‘only been Aston Villa’ — a team in the bottom three with one win in seven that sold its best players in the summer — but Liverpool were desperate for a victory after more than a month without one. We got one. There were reasons to be cheerful on Saturday. And two of Liverpool’s top performers on the pitch were doing their bit off it as well.
Milner and Lucas both tried to tell the media that the players are behind Brendan Rodgers. That morale is good. That he hasn’t lost the dressing room and they’re fighting for him because they think he’s a good manager.
Job done then, on the field and with the media. Let’s all go home and have a bevvy.
And then he goes and spoils it all by saying something stupid like “hysteria”…
It was a brainless line to take by the manager. A mouth in overdrive. “More rabbit than Sainsbury’s,” as Chas and Dave once sang. A home win against a team Liverpool should be beating at home; a team that finished three points above the relegation zone last season and are tipped to be embroiled in another scrap this, is not the time to go all big bollocks. Not when that same team knocked a gutless Liverpool out of the FA Cup at the semi-final stage not so long ago. Because, you know, accusations of “short memories” and all that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9Qc8Lr7g-M
Let’s have it straight again. Rodgers is extremely lucky to still be the manager of Liverpool. Approaching lottery winner standards. He was lucky to start the season still in position after last season and after results and performances that have failed to convince this, most think he is a dead man walking; a manager sure to get the bullet the next time a bad result comes along. With a defence still playing like strangers, there’s no denying that it remains a possibility whenever the Reds take to the field right now.
At Anfield, boos have punctuated poor performances. For all the criticism of modern football, that’s not something we’re used to. The criticism that Rodgers told the world is “outside” is inside. Online, the vitriol directed his way is daily and endless. It’s from Liverpool fans. For many, he isn’t a great manager or a great man. And seemingly anything goes until the day he is told to pack his bags. Coming out swinging when you’re top of the league is one thing. Trying to float a boat on a sea of shite is quite another.
On Friday, Rodgers seemed to recognise all this. Knew he was in trouble. Understood why. Respected the owners if they said ‘enough is enough’. He seemed humble. Discussing how he could get the fans back onside in that press conference, he nailed it in one: “You do that by winning games and performing.”
Exactly right. This. This all day. So do that.
All that has come since is a win against a below average Premier League side. One that without any real inclination to attack scored two goals and could have had more. The ego should have stayed in its box, the inner chimp still in chains. A 3-2 win over Aston Villa is not the time to be taking on all-comers, particularly with a trip to Goodison, a fixture that went a long way to pushing Hodgson over the cliff and a venue where Rodgers is yet to taste victory as Liverpool manager, just days away.
When Rodgers was appointed, plenty of Reds held reservations about his pedigree to manage Liverpool. His CV didn’t impress, showing only a promotion to the Premier League as evidence of being a winner of sorts.
Then he started speaking. And he was slated for being a salesman, football’s answer to David Brent — full of management-speak and the rest, to put it mildly.
The dreadful Being Liverpool didn’t help matters, evidenced by the fact that it is still referenced to this day, more than three years later. The envelopes. The touchy-feely stuff. The picture of himself in his house. All that.
Ultimately, though, when Liverpool started winning games and performing, nobody gave a flying one. All the stuff that leaves a bitter taste in the mouth now — the abuse, getting personal, the online baiting of anyone seeking the smallest bit of balance in the debate about his performance as Liverpool manager — none of that existed when Liverpool scored goals left, right and centre and won games. There was nothing to get in a “frenzy” about. There was no need for “hysteria”. Not of the negative kind, anyway.
The Kop sang his name. Said he built a team like Shankly did. The fans held banners aloft. T-shirts appeared in shops and Rodgers was named manager of the year. “Who cares about Being Liverpool and CVs now?”, Rodgers could have rightly asked while flicking the Vs at the world.
Then it all went tits up. Liverpool stopped winning and stopped performing. The bullshit came to the fore again. When the Reds did find a period of form, Rodgers was too quick to blow his own trumpet. The press was full of the genius of his formation change and how it was discovered — briefed by the manager — only for Manchester United to slap the egg on his face the following weekend. The rest of the season was a write off. Liverpool were an awful watch and Rodgers looked like he had ran out of ideas. Stoke was the horse’s head in the bed moment. Only a matter of time.
And so the summer. The support staff were whacked instead. And keeping Rodgers in charge wasn’t the only obvious decision made during the close season. The manager made one himself. Basically, he decided to shut up for a bit. To wind his neck in and say little more than was necessary. And not before time. All the Balotelli stuff. The tales of pacing kitchens. It didn’t really wash when you’re going up and down the country watching Liverpool lie down for piss-poor sides that should be put to the sword no matter what stage of development the club is supposedly at.
It felt that during pre-season, and early into the new campaign, that there was a humble approach; a new focus. A recognition from Rodgers that things had gone wrong, that he’d been lucky to remain in position at Anfield, and that now it was time for getting things right on the pitch and worrying a bit less about public perception.
So there was less of the Talk Sport matey bollocks. Less of the cosy Sky chats. Fewer cringeworthy ‘jokes’. Press conferences seemed shorter and straighter. Answers played with a straight bat. More business-like.
Then came the important bit — the results and performances bit. An away win at Stoke courtesy of a world-class Coutinho goal. A fortunate 1-0 home win courtesy of an offside goal against promoted Bournemouth. A battling draw at Arsenal before a dreadful 0-3 capitulation to West Ham and a feeble failure at Old Trafford. Three 1-1 draws with Bordeaux, Norwich and League Two Carlisle and finally the win over Villa.
Liverpool haven’t convinced at either end of the pitch in the season so far. Formations have switched. The Lovren experiment failed. An identifiable pattern of play — an ‘identity’ — is yet to truly emerge. If there is “hysteria” by Brendan Rodgers’ standards it is because Liverpool have been poor. There’s been nothing to convince. Nothing to get excited about.
Aston Villa was the first Liverpool win over 90 minutes in seven matches. And while it was better, it wasn’t a signal for popping champagne corks. It was a start. A Saturday night with a smile on your face. A step in the right direction. A sign that Liverpool — maybe, just maybe — can turn all this around. So why didn’t the manager just say all that? Say it was a good win. Say it was great to have Sturridge back. Say Lucas and Milner were great and Ings’ work-rate is fantastic. And then go home. Leave the rest. Forget the other.
Early in the season it may be, but the “frenzy” that Rodgers referred to was born from frustration that this season very quickly felt like another campaign disappearing around the u-bend. And we’ve had quite enough of those for one lifetime, thanks very much. It’s also on the back of a season that ended in a way that Liverpool are unaccustomed to.
Most Liverpool fans know where the club is financially. Most Liverpool fans know that other clubs have better resources available to them — in terms of money, in terms of facilities, in terms of youth systems, in terms of stadiums. Most Liverpool fans are also more than aware that the club finished 7th, 6th, 8th and 7th before the run to second place that no-one predicted under Rodgers.
But then there was last season and the idea of par. We’re not after par. We’re not after OK. We’re not happy for Liverpool to roll over and die in Europe. We want Liverpool to fight. And we want Liverpool to be angry, to be pissed off, to be annoyed when they lose at home to Crystal Palace, or away to Stoke, or to West Ham at Anfield.
When that happens, we expect our ex players to say that’s not good enough in the media. Because we don’t think it’s good enough either. And as much as it saddens me to say, we expect boos from some if what they’re seeing in front of them doesn’t meet expectations. That’s the way it is.
Brendan Rodgers is already walking a tightrope, and he’s a strong wind from falling out of a job. He should fight Liverpool’s corner when he’s up there representing the club by all means. But his own fight for recognition isn’t going to be won via the media. It’s not politics. It’s not an election campaign. It’s not a sales pitch. We don’t want to hear that Rodgers is a better manager than the guy who almost won the league when we’re eighth in the league having scored only seven goals in seven matches.
We don’t want to hear insinuation about the players the club have bought, or their quality, either. Whoever signs the cheques has done so on £200million-plus in two summers. And by common consensus, the latest batch was of the manager’s choosing. So whatever “tools” Rodgers has, he should try to do the work and make less noise while doing so. Results and performances. Results and performances.
The team that come so close in 2013-4 is a long time ago now, ancient history. Luis Suarez is long gone. Steven Gerrard and Raheem Sterling are no longer. And who that team excited and when and where is now irrelevant. Liverpool fans, Liverpool ex players, whoever Rodgers is pointing the finger at regarding the ‘campaign’ to get him out, all will be silenced if he can do it again. We all want Liverpool to win. That’s it. Just win.
In the meantime, seven defeats in 16 league games and only 16 goals scored is grim reading. Not being able to beat League Two Carlisle United is embarrassing.
Suggesting another manager could do a better job with the same resources is not hysteria. It’s not a frenzy. It’s yearning for standards the club has traditionally set itself that we expect Liverpool to try to return to. When it goes wrong, the manager carries the can. Rodgers wants that to end?
“You do that by winning games and performing.”
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Pic: David Rawcliffe-Propaganda Photo
Great Piece , BR needs to STFU and let the performances and results speak for themselves , it’s season 4 with seven transfer windows and 300m spent so there are no more excuses ..the buck stops with him end of.
End of?
I’m not defending Rodgers. If he doesn’t get the results he’ll go. But £300m and 7 transfer windows is just too simplistic.
Surely you’ve heard of the transfer committee? Not all the transfer windows are equal. It’s difficult to point the finger as we haven’t got all the information. If you don’t rate him, then that’s fine. But to throw random bits of information around followed by “end of” is just pointless.
Win over astonvilla was achieved without 4 of his biggest signings (benteke , firminio , lallana , lovren ) and with Lucas who was destined to be sold. How can Liverpool stay with a manager who can’t come up with a coherent transfer strategy .
Not sure what you trying to say, because what you’ve put comes across as confusing. Unless you’re being sarcastic then that’s fair enough.
His transfer strategy is incoherent becuase the manager isn’t playing injured players?
Quite. It’s as though his best teams, formations and playing styles are imposed on him by chance rather than his having an idea who his best players are or how they should play. This was the case in 13/14, he responded admirably then, he hasn’t since.
We look so much better without Benteke already. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. He won’t be able to blame the Committee if he fails.
SPOT ON.
Isn’t he ON the transfer committee? First say and last say was a Rodgers’ quote about transfers. He has scouts, statisticians and a chief exec with the purse strings. Sounds like literally EVERY club in the league. Managers give a list of players and positions they want to fill, scouts get reports, numbers get crunched, budgets get decided. You can call it a ‘transfer committee’ if you want but I swear I had that set up on Championship Manager for years.
You ask to replace Suarez, your best player by a country mile, with Sanchez or at least Wilfred Bony, and you are told to choose between Balotelli, Eto’o, or nothing.
Sounds like the same issue that Mourinho, Pellegrini, and Van Gaal have to face every window.
Chelsea have signed plenty of players Mourinho didn’t want, like Ballack and Shevchenko. You reckon Mancini and Pelligini have got everyone they wanted or not had players signed above their head? I am sure there are more we don’t know about too, at all clubs.
You use this same excuse for Rodgers’ 2014/15 performance in almost every comment you make. Sanchez didn’t want to come and Bony has done nothing at City, and Id suggest without Sturridge Boby would have been deployed exactly like Balotelli and would have been just as isolated and ineffective.
Why aren’t you telling us about Rodgers wanting Ashley Williams, Gylfy Sigurdsson and Clint Dempsey? What about the impact of Rodgers’ signings Lambert, Lovren, Lallana etc? They are all his men. Two were/are pathetic and one is worth nowhere near what we paid. Is it any wonder FSG are reticent to give Rodgers complete control of transfers with his record?
All managers make mistakes in buying players of course, but unlike most (think Rafa) Rodgers keeps them at the club and in the team just to be proven right, costing points, instead of realising his mistake and getting rid.
Enough of the excuses.
That is really an outrageous article to hinge what is effectively a rant around one word ‘hysteria’. Fact: there is a ridiculous amount of hysteria surrounding the situation – the debate is whether it is justified. However it is a press conference pointing at one game which w has won with £100m of the talent acquired unavailable. And Fact: if you compare to Chelsea etc. it’s a similar dysfunctional start. By all means trip out another ‘why Rodgers was never right for Liverpool’ story but for gods sake don’t build it around a word or phrase. That’s biased at best and, dare I say it, hysterical at worst.
Chelsea won the league last season.
Spot on!
There is a massive difference.
Great piece of writing.
That my friend is wonderful, Checkmate..
I’m not actually disagreeing with the general gist of the article (I am not a Rodgers apologist and was unhappy that he wasn’t replaced at the end of last year) I’m simply stating that to base an entire article around his use of the word hysteria was unnecessary. I thought he was reasonably fair with his conclusions and was also justified to observe that there is indeed a great deal,of hysteria abound. He is obliged to speak to the press and given he probably wishes he could just avoid doing so he makes a pretty good assessment of the game on its own merits.
And yes we were one Gerrard slip from securing the title, keeping Suarez and having the pleasure of venting our spleens at the Arrogant One.
The slip comment goes round and round. We threw away a 3-0 lead at Palace – another BR display of how not to defend among other defensive nightmares. I have backed BR all the way, that is up until last years Villa Semi – a disgrace. He is a fake. His excuses are those of a child pointing the finger and saying ‘it wasn’t me – it was the bigger boys’. BR will not turn this around. He is clueless.
We came 2nd and Rodgers won Manager of the Year, but that didn’t stop the long knives from coming out last December when we faltered after we were left unprepared for losing both Suarez and Sturridge. Not because Rodgers couldn’t identify someone of quality, but because FSG weren’t willing to turn Sanchez’s head or pay Bony more than 100K a week.
That situation has been rectified. The question becomes whether or not the atmosphere becomes too hysterical to allow him time to make use of the resources that were denied last season.
A 61% win ratio (44-15-12) record with Sturridge in the side seems to me enough to warrant time to see what develops on the pitch, particularly since we are just 2 points off a CL spot and have just brought in another 98 goals from over the last three seasons (49 from Benteke, 49 from Firmino).
A few questions:
You don’t think we realise many of those wins with Sturridge were also with Suarez in the team and that since his departure Rodgers’ percentage has plummeted?
You think this is a coincidence?
You think Suarez or Sturridge was more important to the number of wins?
Do we just put up with Rodgers if Sturridge gets injured again, which judging by his record is an absolute certainty?
Why is an injury to an injury plagued player an excuse? Injuries happen to good footballers at all clubs. Managers are expected to manage that situation. And not all are given the guts of 4 years and £300m to to build a squad capable of withstanding the obvious injuries of Sturridge.
Do you think no other managers can do well with a healthy Sturridge?
Do you think other managers might be able to do much better with the rest of the players when Sturridge is injured?
When Sturridge in the side last season as starter or sub, Rodgers had a record of 12-2-4.
With Suarez absent, but Sturridge in the side, Rodgers has a record of 19-4-5. During the 10 game ban, we had a more balanced side, scoring 19 and conceding just 6. Sturridge scores 11 goals in those 10 games. And in 13/14, Sturridge scored more first goals and other goals contributing directly to points than Suarez.
Of course you didnt answer the last two questions. Of course.
BR simply doesn’t have the ‘tools’.
Sorry Les but Darren from Thetford couldn’t have said it better than you. Gareth is simply articulating what a lot of us think and share when discussing Liverpool FC and Rodgers. I go to Anfield each week and get to about 8 or so aways so I know what the ‘frenzy’ is like. It’s a consensus that Rodgers is not the man we need, not based on what the internet says, not reading ex players polemics but based on sitting through interminable 90 minutes of dire football followed by the same tripe from Rodgers about working harder, more luck or whatever excuse he churns out. For him to come out and demand better tools, trot out his one very good season as proof of his management skills and blame ‘others’ for wanting him out was crass and undignified especially after the debacle of Carlise.
100% enough is enough. Ill frenzy the c u next Tuesday!
I’m so sick of people trying to reason or justify our poor form, inept defence, awful tactics and wasted millions by pointing to how Chelsea have started in the league. What has any other team, aside the ones we actually have played, got to do with the shambles we see before us. As unlikable as he is Jose Mourihno has pedigree, his team are currently premier league champions and will almost certainly finish at worst in 4th in the league. Can the same be said for Liverpool and Rodgers. Definitely not!
Dear god! Get your head out of Brendan’s bum lad. Gareth, you done well as always mate, a very reasoned and clear analysis of BR’s rampant bellendary.
Every manager of the teams he has mentioned has won something.
No it’s an article about Rodgers and his gaff laden, presumptuous, indiscreet and biased mouth and in that context it is absolutely bang on perfect.
I have to agree. This was one of the worst articles I’ve read on TAW and makes me wonder at the perspective. Where is it written that LFC have the right to be unbeatable. Players and managers make mistakes. So how did Man City lose 4-1 at Spurs with what they have spent. Hysteria has been building on and off for some time. It’s bordering on paranoia. Players need support and so too do managers.
There are ‘accounting periods’ in football as in any business and it is not now. I don’t care who manages LFC as long as the passion and the football are the focus. TAW needs to get real. Players will sometimes make mistakes. The focus should always simply be on us and our work at being individually and collectively at a performance level that scores more goals than we concede. Look at Arsenal’s performance at Leicester. Just like us in 2013/14.. Be unpredictable be exciting be adventurous but please Rodgers critics STFU. Keep supporting the team forget the manager. Next one will suffer the same media and fan witching. Thats Modern Football for you.
It’s definitely getting a lot harder to manage LFC as your under constant scrutiny.is it just?probably not but in these fickle times of instant gratification we need to show the rest of the league we are different and have a touch of class about us.the constant moaning does my head in.how many of you wanted lovren dropped for sakho?well,be careful what u wish for,sakho was absolutely dreadful on Sat and if that was lovren then I honestly believe he would never again wear the shirt as the vitriol would have been unbearable.my point is that whoever Rodgers sends out , they have to perform,if they don’t it’s the managers fault,when they play well it’s down to the players and not Rodgers.. U can’t have it both ways.
How can we forget the manager? He buys the players, picks the teams, sends them out often clueless as to what they are doing. He is ruing players; Ibe, Llori – he cant hold onto any decent players and thinks nothing of spending £20m on a player and sending him out on loan. He thinks he is a football guru who can mold a winger into a defender, a forward into a midfield player…… Send in the clown, don’t worry hes here!
Hear hear!!! Rodgers is now walking the same line Roy Hodgson did. Playing shit football and talking shit in the media as well. The worst possible combination for any manager. If that continues then it is definitely time to go.
Is right Gareth!!!
The man needs to shut the fuck up and simply concentrate on winning games with decent to good performances nevermind trying to tell us at every fucking given opportunity how good a manager he is!!!
If he wins games with good performances he doesn’t need to tell us anything!
He has a strike force consisting of Sturridge, Benteke and Ings which isn’t too shabby. Supply them with chances and they will score but fucking do something quick about that defence. 3 at the back is a short term solution to a long term problem.
Rodgers didn’t tell anyone he was a good manager. He just said what he is trying to do and what the players are working hard at. Wenger has survived and stuck by his principles. Personally, I don’t think anyone managing Liverpool will succeed whilst there are so many idiots out there who just spout vitriol. Why would anyone put up with such crap when every defeat or poor performance hurts you and just gets the media and (so called ) fans on your back. I think its time to take up walking football instead of reading TAW as most of LFC commentators do not appear in touch with reality. It is so sad. But against AV the crowd seemed supportive so maybe there is hope? The loss of hope seems palpable.
really? this comment is ‘for-real?’
“But his own fight for recognition isn’t going to be won via the media. It’s not politics. It’s not an election campaign. It’s not a sales pitch.”
So ignore it. Why do you care so much about press conferences? You say he should be judged on results and then spend an entire article judging him on what he says in the media.
This isn’t Hodgson actively disparaging the city, the club and the fans; this is a manager fighting his corner and making sure his side of the story is heard. It’s his right to do that.
There are many people who’ve judged him from day one because of his demeanour and his words, not his football. It’s sad. Who cares if he’s the football equivalent of David Brent if he builds teams that play good football and do well in the league? He’s done it once, and his ability to do it again doesn’t rest on what he says in press conferences, it rests on what he can get out of the players, who are apparently behind him. Certainly the team on Saturday didn’t look like one that had “lost faith” in the manager.
The rush to judgement at the start of this season has been embarrassing, frankly. Hopefully we can put a few wins together and put this behind us.
Did you miss the end of last season? This season has been a continuation of the last. Since when is 3 full seasons in charge and 300 million pounds to spend not adequate time and money to allow supporters judge a manager. You might be happy with losing games 6-1 to stoke, or getting hammered at home to West ham or Palace but if thats the result of 3 years of tutelage under Rodgers then he can go now and take his hugely inflated bullshitting ego with him back to the small time where he belongs.
Concur entirely
“Judge me after three seasons.”
He never said that, it was made up by the Star I believe.
Check your facts.
I totally agree….well said…we need more like this……I’d stand next to you on the Kop anytime and support the side. As …I have done since 1962. Keep seeing the big picture. Who we are where we want to be!!
Really? its not just this season tho, is it? SG, LS, Sterling and Studge made the season we nearly won the league. SH was in, LS and RS were KKs men and he bought Studge, who had a cracking season feeding off RS and LS. The man is a scheister.
To be honest I couldn’t give a toss what Rodgers says to the media. We won. And the game itself was much more exciting than recent ordeals. That’s enough for me. More of the same.
exactly how i thought, Alex. we won and played some good football. everyone on the pitch fought for the win. what more can we ask?
keep going and result will follow, and naturally the positive vibes will be back.
” yearning for standards the club has traditionally set itself that we expect Liverpool to try to return to”
This. This all day.
Great article – you have developed into a pretty decent writer – your comments sum up exactly how I and I’m sure thousands of others feel.
I have to disagree on the point that I have seen numerous self proclaimed fans of Liverpool saying they want LFC to lose matches to be rid of Rogers sooner. Obviously, their definition of being a fan differs from my own however when people who associate themselves with the club are routing against them in order to see the manager removed that is an agenda and they are promoting it with hysteria.
I agree with pretty much everything Gareth states in the article above. Lots of horse**** coming out of BR’s mouth right now. However, can’t help but think it similar to the Mourinho crap that we hear so often. Most would agree he (Mourinho) does it to take the focus/attention off the players and on him OR to create a siege-mentality around the team allowing them to focus on playing rather than media attention.
As BR was previously Mourinho’s pupil, more of the same?
Maureen backs it up with trophies though
If the stamp on Henderson by Eto’o was punished, we probably would have had the points to win the league. If Costa’s stamp on Can went punished, we probably would have beaten them in the semi-final.
Ifs and buts, but Mourinho is definitely an eye poke of a human being. Can’t wait for his supporters to tire of him. Isn’t it fun to watch rival supporters turn on their manager? Imagine the blast that our rivals are having at the expense of our famous support. YNWA
spot on. Couldn’t have said it better myself. Liverpool are not England we need to be honest on where our manager and players are. Not given delusional lectures on how great we are doing. You are exactly right it sounds like our manager is a spin doctor
Super read.
Its hard to fathom how Rodgers hasn’t learned to keep his mouth closed by now. There seems to be a need to be proven right or have the last say. During our 13 game unbeaten run he tried to rub it in peoples faces who suggested we could do with a defensive coach. Soon after the defence was a shambles.
Clearly with short memory he was lauding our defence after 3 games this season. The second coming of Dejan Lovren even though it was clear to see that the only reason we hadnt conceded a goal was all down to one big fat helping of lady luck.
Rodgers is finally becoming the victim of his own decision making. Hes the one whose persisted with under performing players, hes the one that plays people out of position and hes the one to blow his trumpet every time we manage to take one step forward.
great article, but I’ll admit I don’t remember reading anything that followed the picture of the chap in the airbrushed Patrick Swayze t-shirt with the over-developed right forearm…
The idea that “anything the manager says to the press is meaningless” is and always has been bollocks. I disagreed with many members of TAW who said that last season (when he so often called us outstanding when we weren’t or talking about our great character when throwing away the lead to some Bulgarian pub team) so it’s nice to see Rodgers being taken on here for his embarrassing statements over the last few days.
I should never have to feel as a liverpool fan that I don’t want to hear our manager speak. I know it wouldn’t have been like that under Bill or Bob or Joe. It was never like that under Greame, Roy, Gerard, Rafa or Kenny. Even Hodgson had a comedy aspect to him. Not Rodgers though.
As I said on the match review thread, the man is beyond hope at this stage. He can’t help himself, always having to give himself credit, now it seems over the littlist of things. Imagine a Liverpool boss giving it the big “I am” after beating Villa. At home. By 1 goal. Expectations eh?
He’s always been remarkably insecure, hence his cowardice to Gerrard and never ending self praise to the media. This is ok if it doesnt seep into the football. It was always going to seep into the football. The team reflects the manager. Thats why there are so many formation alterations and changes to the style we play. Thats why we are gutless. Unfortunately with his insecurity comes, somewhat ironically, his arrogance. Trying two years running to make Lovren (his signing) the man at LCB over Sakho (committee signing) tells you that. Playing politics when he should be on the verge of the sack after the same decision cost so many points last season borders on both the obscene and delusional.
The last adjective is an affliction also shared by the remaining few (thankfully) who haven’t wised up to him yet. The fact some disagree with this article makes us aware of that. Chris asks”So what if he’s a David Brent?” Chris clearly didn’t watch the office because he doesn’t seem to be aware of Brent’s job performance, the fact his company had to downsize or that he was let go with a golden handshake – something Rodgers will experience soon.
But as much as the idiotic comments annoy me – and they do matter, to fans and perspective transfer targets too – it’s really another trait he shares with Brent that means he has to go, namely his inability to motivate his staff. Chris claims he hasn’t lost the dressingroom. Chris obviously didn’t watch us post United a few months ago. Everything about the 4-1 at Arsenal, 3-1 against Palace and 6-1 at Stoke screamed at him losing the players. Its the same this season although paper will cover the cracks for a small time. Milner gave an interview saying they were behind Rodgers. What a shock. Its almost as if Rodgers gave him a £7.8m signing on fee, £150k per week in wages, let him dictate where he was to be played and made him vice captain at a club where once you had to do your time to get close to the armband. Oh wait.
People are using Chelsea’s start as some sort of barometer. Melissa Reddy did it after defeat by West Ham. Lee does it above. It’s unreal. As if Mourinho and Rodgers are in any way comparable. Another thing thrown up is the financial disparity between us and Chelsea, City, United etc. As Gareth rightly points out in this very article, we know that. We don’t expect the title. We know 5th is par.
But we also know a few other things: We know Rodgers has been below par two out of three years, is on course to be below par again and absent the return of Suarez he has no idea how to get back to par. We know there is a massive financial disparity between ourselves and the likes of Everton and Southampton (something those still defending him ignore) but under Rodgers that doesn’t play out necessarily. And finally we know we expect our manager, boss of the 8th richest team in the world, to be above par. And not come out with utter nonsense to the press too many times. Alas….
“I know it wouldn’t have been like that under Bill or Bob or Joe”
… You don’t though do you? Media surrounding football has risen to a crazy level that, of Liverpool’s crop, only Rafa, Kenny, Roy & Brendan have been in the harsh spotlight off. Smacks of rose-tinted glasses. This isn’t a defence of Rodgers, it’s a defence of managers in general. They could say the most generic, middle of the road statement and it would still be analysed and ripped apart because people need stuff to talk about.
And as for saying Brendan is worse with the press than Roy. Come off it. Yes, he may be bullish, arrogant and sometimes downright cringey, but he’s a man fighting for his job and the results. Roy disrespected his own club’s fans and the city. though)
I try to just ignore the media ‘frenzy’ (couldn’t resist) afterwards. There will be something that tarnishes your good mood if we win; whether it’s the manager, pundits or those mad ones on twitter. If your team won, enjoy it. Otherwise I fear there’s little joy you’ll get out of football.
We should try to be more honest with ourselves. If Brendan Rodgers answered simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to the questions put before him in press briefings and said not a word more, there is a contingent of our fan base that would criticise the ‘Y’ and the ‘N’ for being either capitalised or not. They’d spend endless hours on social media debating the subtle nuances of his monosyllables and whether they meant one thing or the other, or some shade of grey in between. If he smiled as he said it, they would criticise him because he has better teeth than they do. If he didn’t smile there would be comments galore about how he’s trying to hide his teeth because they’ve been criticised.
For every word the manager says, there are probably 5000 being written about what he said, and talked about in endless podcasts day after day, each one trying to be more clever than the others. We really should be more honest with ourselves about who’s talking too much and what’s being said.
DISCLAIMER: I am not a BR apologist and have no ‘agenda’. This is a neutral, unbiased observation of what I see, read and hear day in and day out. Gareth knows I have only respect for his talent as a writer and thinker because I’ve expressed it more than once.
Well said…spot on
If we are being honest, he did say what he said, not “Yes/No”. Before the season started people were pleased with he how he conducted himself in pressers.
What he’s said now easilly comes across as him accusing people who have loved the club for a long time before he arrved of being out to get him. As though his own performance had absolutely nothing to do with it.
There is a very recent pod in which Gareth and others lambast the club for not making enough public comments and allowing others to fill the void with conjecture and speculation, and yet here is an article eviscerating the manager for having the temerity to speak out and defend himself while his career is on the line.
I like Gareth’s stuff normally, but I’m afraid this is a bag of shite. To my mind it’s more evidence of what I already knew: that we’re at a stage where it pretty much doesn’t matter what the manager says or does any more; he’s going to be ripped to shreds by at least some elements of the fanbase regardless. Which is a shame, because whilst I’m one of those prepared to give him more time, I’m not totally impervious to good arguments against sticking with Rodgers. There are plenty of legitimate criticisms can be made, I just don’t think ‘he said “hysteria”‘ is one of them.
BTW, any fan who can, with a straight face, claim their enjoyment at a much needed and overdue win is spoiled by something the manager said after the game – as some have on here – probably needs to have a word with himself.
Rodgers was lucky to get the job & has been out of his depth the whole time. We had one beautiful season where his style (at the time) fitted perfectly with the attackers available but in reality a top manager would have won the league. His spending is unsustainable & maybe even already set us back years.
Not sure where you’ve got that from mate… We’ve been able to decrease our overall debt over the last three years… Sounds pretty sustainable to me. In fact, we need to be spending more if we want to compete (or ideally stop selling our stars)
Reality check — no manager at Liverpool has won the league for 25 years. So you must be saying that Rafa Benitez and Kenny Dalglish are/were not ‘top managers’.
Neither was arrogant or unpleasant. This guy is, as proven by the interview after Villa, hence why this article is spot on.
Rodgers isn’t unpleasant or any more arrogant than you.Paul
Some of our fans are hearing what they want to hear, not what is actually being said. And they aren’t correlating it to reality. Ask neutral people — football fans who are not direct rivals to LFC — to watch some of the pressers, and you will discover that they hear and interpret the words, attitude and motives in a different way. I read hundreds of calmly reasoned comments to this effect on a Guardian Comments thread attached to an article about our manager the other night, at the height of the post-Carlisle hysteria.
There’s an astonishing amount of arrogance and hypocrisy being expressed by people who can’t see it in themselves, while being quick to judge it in others. Few are exempt, including myself, but I ask myself every day whether I’m looking through a filter of bias or with my eyes wide open to reality.
There are thousands of fans who will analyse to death every stat, play, mistake, and referee decision, every nuance of every word said. None of it matters. The only thing that does is whether the players support their manager and coaches and one another, whether they develop and work as a cohesive team, whether they have the passion and backbone that drives them to be winners. Evidence appears to support the notion that they do and will. The battle should be on the pitch, not in the stands or on fan forums or social media. As fans our choice is clear to me — support the troops or make their fight harder by letting them fight alone. The former will likely lead to to success; the latter certainly to defeat.
what hmm? Kenny has won the League (aka the old First Division aka the modern EPL) and cup double in 86…so TECHNICALLY he has won it in the past 30 years.
Look you can’t win more games than you don’t with bad players.It’s very simple. Transfer committees and all that just help hide a managers shortcomings.Truth of the matter is FSGs hands are tied as long as this arrangement is in place otherwise they must admit the last 3 yrs were wasted.But all that said the buck stops with the manager. That’s the way it is and has to be.Rodgers brings in the players as far as I’m concerned and that’s where he has failed.Good players and performances then take care of themselves.Mignolet and Skrtle(although he didn’t buy the latter) have been directly responsible for half of the 100+ plus goals we have conceded in last 2 yrs.Any manager worth his salt has to see this?Confidence comes from strength clean sheets and leadership at the back.We have bugger all
I think you’ve captured the mood of many people brilliantly Gareth.
I was really annoyed this morning to hear further guff he had come out with with regard working with “world class players” now Sturridge saved his sorry backside on Saturday. What a slap in the face that is to all the other players in the squad, while at the same time an admission that has thrown away the best part of £300m – nice work if you can get it.
There must be some gullible people running the shop at LFC, they are the only ones that cannot see how dreadful the team has become. Shocking to watch, he is dreadful to listen too and cannot be taken seriously.
Well said!
I’m not anti Rodgers, I want him to do well as that means a lot more fun for us as fans, but his comments took the whole shine off a fortunate win and just raise further doubt’s against him for me.
Looking forward to this weeks podcasts!
Keep up the great work Gareth!!
And neither do any of you. HA HA. There was a guy on RAWK who had his UEFA badge. His name was Phase of Play. He knew and understood the game. Not only to diagnose the problem,but how to correct it in training. He taught about the game until he was bullied out of the forum. Almost 99% of the info on Liverpool forums is speculation. Its tiring. I want to learn about the beautiful game. Anybody know where. Not speculation and statistics.
To the Writer, Thank you for your hard work. I know this article means alot to you.
Brendon Rogers is the reason I’m a Liverpool Fan. I came to watch him build a team when he left Swansea. I have confidence he’ll get thru this.
If you dont believe in yourself, how can you expect anyone to believe in you.
Never lose your self confidence Brendan !
Steve in Savannah
Weird.
Yes. Brendan’s last name is spelled Rodgers.
This looks like another step towards the exit door for Brendan.
I can’t imagine FSG being too enamoured with the recent press conference and add that to our poor results and lacklustre performances…..well you can see the picture.
I was amazed he survived last year’s crap season with the humiliating end. I can only imagine that he is on probation this season and he gets low scores on the start we have made. To then start spouting the crap he has smacks of desperation.
He’s out of his depth and always has been. The 2013/14 team was flawed and it showed in the end (regardless of the wonderful attacking football). He is incapable of putting our defensive problems right and that will always be his achilles heal.
Brendan….it’s time to put up and shut up.
Chas and Dave also sang ‘Ain’t no pleasing you’. Pretty good song actually.
I think Rodgers knows whatever he says or does he can’t win and he’s thought ‘fuck it, there’s nothing to protect – I’ll say what I want and get it off my chest’. Though a stupid thing to say, especially the comparisons with City and Chelsea, I gleaned a bit of fight in his words.
We all need to be careful. In Chas and Dave’s song, nothing he does is good enough but he keeps on trying. In the end he knows he’ll never be appreciated and he just gets up and leaves.
Hopefully.
Ha yeah. Perfect scenario but think we’ve got more chance of turning water into wine.
Gertcha! (Ain’t no pleasing you is a great song).
In the words of Rihanna – BR needs to “Shut Up and Drive”.
Great read Robbo.
Superb article, the best I’ve read this campaign.
Harry Kane was at it as well, after finally scoring this weekend. Apparently doubters had been silenced, now he had managed to get a goal. I like to think that even I might score eventually, if I was playing up-front for a Premier League side. It could take 3 or 4 seasons, but I’m sure that I would eventually get an unmissable chance.
I’ve yet to hear any player or manager announce that his over-zealous supporters would be so good as to button their lips, following a rogue bad game/result.
Rodgers may well look upon Kane as one of his own.
Great article Gareth, that sort of articulate and composed reasoning is why I navigate over to this site.
I am of the opinion Rodgers speaks to the media in this manner because he knows it antagonizes his adversaries as well as sells himself to future would-be employers. It’s all about him. BRFC.
Typical small man syndrome. He tries to convince everyone that he is the dogs, but in psycho babble, that would indicate the opposite.
He really thinks the good season was all down to him when it wasn’t.
A few years in the championship will do him good.
Thank you Gareth. Nail on head. Rodgers’ hubris is quite staggering. That is not fighting his corner, it is simply insulting our intelligence. Rodgers and Mourinho are really very similar except in the most important aspect, Jose is actually a winner and all the baggage can be tolerated because the man delivers. Rodgers has a similar size ego but without the results. So he must compensate through talk, talk, talk. He has been given amazing support by the media but that’s no surprise as he is English. Hodgson also benefitted from this favour. But at some point, the talk cannot be sustained by the reality, and the fans must be put out of their misery because it must be remembered that Rodgers is very well compensated and will be able to get other jobs maybe not at the same level as the Liverpool one but he won’t go hungry. FSG don’t seem to mind one way or the other they will make a healthy profit on their investment in LFC anyway. The only party adversely affected by Rodgers’ inflated opinion of his abilities are the fans. The sheer cheek of the man to reference Arsenal Chelsea and Man City while excusing the shenanigans on offer at Anfield beggars belief. We need more commentary like this article in the conversation because Rodgers needs to be reacquainted with reality, with which he seems to be out of touch.
Rodgers is as English as Rafa or Kenny. Makes a mockery of any point you are attempting to make.
It wasn’t just hysteria, it was “high-steria”. I have never heard the word pronounced his way. Is this how it’s pronounced in NI? I used to disagree with all the Brent criticism stuff, that he talks too much- maybe it’s because I’ve been brought up in a sales environment but the sales speak bollarks just washed over me – but the continual bigging himself up is poor. I think he’d been reading Red or Dead when he went on about the salt & pepper pots and pacing the kitchen, rather than simply praise the players. The winning run immediately came to an end. This latest self preservation/promotion is sadly not surprising. Well done Gareth, great article.
I thought that, he’s so superior he even decides how words, that can only possibly have one pronunciation, should in fact be pronounced. He’s actually an idiot of the highest order and every single press conference has now slid in to a hint laden critique of why he knows best and reminders of the now aged good times, provided courtesy Suarez and Sturridge. Lose 3-1 to United and it’s I enjoyed it more when we won here 0-3 and on and on and on….
Seriously?! Accents are now a problem lol!
I had the same feeling re Red or Dead.
@Ironhayden , you are taking the piss now, aren’t you?
Chris Bascombe got it right in his latest piece:
“No Liverpool manager has ever been sacked for anything other than results. Never. This club hates sacking managers….If John W. Henry makes a change it will have nothing to do with the yahoos stalking him and his wife on Twitter, nor will he care for the thoughts of any ex-player or journalist. The Liverpool owner, like the FSG President Michael Gordon, is a stats man. It’s the numbers game that will decide Rodgers’ short-term and long-term fate.”
It also won’t have anything to do with whether fans feel particularly entertained during games or not. Though heaven knows we ALL (every Premier League fan) want Liverpool to play exciting attacking football.
So, currently 8th, 2 points behind 4th, 31 league games to play. That’s all.
Good stuff Ellie …bring on Sion and Everton……just go for it.
Why are you linking to a Chris bascome article here?
Because it has nothing to do with who wrote it! There’s truth in the words if you read them with an open mind. But hang on, our fans are often not able to do that.
And to the comment below: FSG is not obsessed like many of our fans with micro-analysing each mistake in a particular game and losing their minds because of one week’s result. They bought into a long-term plan and they’re sticking to it for now. They will look at the bigger picture and the trend — after 10 games, at Christmas before the next transfer window opens, depending on how it goes, when it makes sense to them to implement a change if that’s what they believe is necessary to meet their objectives. Fume on. Nothing any fan or group of fans say will alter that. They’ve proven both at Fenway Park and in Liverpool that they are cool-headed and unemotional.
Lol Bascombe is another of. Rodgers sycophantic toads. If Rodgers was judged on results he would be out of of Anfield like shit off a shovel
What do you think is most likely to happen? Us catching up to Arsenal, United, City…or Chelsea making 4th ahead of us? Everyone that keeps referencing how we are only x amount of points from 4this kidding themselves. Yourll are the same people that will defend Rodgers with the ”par” argument come end of the season
1 result against a bang piss poor side and BR comes out with his garbage get rid of the fraud before city gets klopp !!
Well I’m happy to revisit my assessment given what is almost a 20-1 bias favourable to not only the theme (which I’d agreed with) but also the context (use of word hysteria) being levelled by the author. Fascinating and I wonder if a somewhat unique insight to Liverpool supporters. It doesn’t surprise me however why we will always be looked at by our supporter counterparts as still living in the past and unable to accept that we have no God given right to return there. I mean come on are we really going to just heap our 25 year permanent frustration upon BR AND IN THIS WAY. The social media vitriol is nothing short of a disgrace and ironic that we get our tits twisted by a single word but allow the SCUM who target a man and his family with gay abandon to crack on unabashed.
Shame on you Liverpool shame on you
Fantastic article Gareth.
Fair, balanced and to the point.
Goodison could be Rodgers’ Waterloo.
So pleased i’m a TAW subscriber.
Keep up the great work!
Every game may be make or break for fans but maybe not FSG. Unless 4th place looks too big a challenge before Jan I can’t see them acting. Rodgers may be to some a big defeat away from the sack and Everton’s impending defeat at WB makes that one a hell of a challenge…..but hey this PL is a crazy house and results are amazing…oh shit Everton have just scored 2-1….somehow I don’t want the blues to lose this one…just sunday’s
Nice one Gareth,nice one,son.Nice one Gareth,lets have another one
It sounds to me like Rodgers is getting his retaliation in early, as in he knows he’s getting the sack and as he thinks people are more likely to take him seriously after a win he might as well prepare his defence for when he inevitably gets the bullet. Hence “the people with an agenda are out to get me. I nearly won the league you know” so that he can say when the time comes “see, I told you. This proves i’m right” never mind the results and performances, record defeats etc. If that’s the case then I don’t blame him really, he’ll have to blag another job. All pure speculation of course but we have to read between the lines don’t we? As a great man once said “football is a lie”
I love the tone of Gareth’s writing when there’s a need for righteous anger. Feel as though he speaks for me.
I’ve always wanted Brendan to succeed from the start (I wasn’t happy with the treatment of Kenny but that didn’t stop me defending Rodgers as far back as the Being Liverpool embarrassment. Not his fault the club are cringeworthy knobheads who thought any of it was a good idea in the first place.) and that hasn’t changed but as one of the modern, media-savvy young managers he really hasn’t helped himself this week.
Managers spouting shite is part of the job description at this point and as long as you’re not Hodgson at Liverpool levels of How To Lose Friends and Alienate People no one should be too arsed but it’s just poor psychology from Brendan. Adding to all the negative attention surrounding you from a position of weakness is something Dalglish and Benitez would have been battered for; “being frosty with the media” and “cracking up” would have been the respective shouts.
The ‘we’ve only lost the same amount in all comps as x, y and z’ is intelligence insulting bollocks as well. We haven’t been losing 2-1 to Juventus in the champions league, we’ve been getting leathered by West Ham at home and getting taken to pens by Carlisle with a strong team out. And I’d still be too drunk to care if we’d have had Chelsea’s start having won the title in May. Any disappointment is in context of the performances and following on from last season, not just in some knee-jerk results vacuum and what gets me is that he knows that, so stop treating us like we’re fucking soft and concentrate most of your efforts on keeping Sturridge fit for next Sunday.
Spot on Gareth. If ever there was a weekend to choose one’s words carefully it was this one. He’s made himself look like a bumptious tit again deflecting attention from the win to his own insecurity. A truly gauche, witless and self-defeating performance. Maladroit.
Chill. Just ignore that comment he made to the press. I thought what the politics and what the media report is unimportant and that BR should be judged on results. The writer of this article can’t have it both ways! (Though I can see where he’s coming from and it was an enjoyable read – thanks Gareth). Get behind BR for now. If the results aren’t good – he’ll get sacked. Don’t resort to Man u’s desperate level, akin to the hysteria around Moyes.
I have just watched ‘The Damned United’ on TV. Leeds in their pomp were feared but respected, and their fans didn’t give a shit if they were also hated.
Liverpool in our pomp were feared, respected, not hated (except down the East Lancs), but we were also admired, which Leeds never were.
Now we are not feared, respected, admired or even hated,
We are DERIDED.
And that hurts. That effing hurts. There is one massive reason, and that reason is the focus of this article.
Egos go with the territory. Mourino, Ferguson, Clough (“Muhammad Ali has met me.”). Brendan Rodgers has an ego equal to all three, but not even a spoonful of their individual football knowledge or imagination. And he won’t have a spoonful of their success.
Good point Kevin.
Can’t disagree Kevin. Read the book if you get a chance. Much better than the film.
And yet Mourinho came to Anfield playing for a 0-0, knowing that we were clearly the better side and he had already thrown away the title by dropping points to bottom 10 sides in the weeks preceding.
Despite vastly outspending everyone bar Man City, Mourinho couldn’t do it with Torres and an aging Eto’o. Still, the transfer committee thought that Eto’o would be an acceptable replacement for Suarez after denying Rodgers his first two – possibly three – choices (Sanchez, Bony, and supposedly Martinez, as well).
“Couldn’t do it”
It was his first year back in charge so it wasnt his team. Yet he came a close third in the league, only 4 points off the champions and was a Hazard mistake away from a champions league final appearence. He played a mixture of youth and reserves against us at Anfield with the semi final second leg 3 days away.
If this is a manager “not doing it” I’ll gladly take it at LFC any time soon.
Honestky lads, the comparisons with Mourinho need to stop. It’s embarrassing to read.
Yeah, it wasn’t his team – with Willian and Salah, it was our team! Mourinho spends 105M that season on the likes of Schurrle, Matic, etc. but it is not his team somehow. Nevermind that Chelsea had spent 92M, 89M, and 95M in the previous seasons – how is he supposed to work with that rubbish!?! And that’s not talking about the massive disparity in the wage bill that Chelsea offers.
You go far out of your way to forgive for Mourinho for dropping points to bottom of the table sides to throw away the league in the business end, but you clearly feel the need to write at length to lacerate our own manager Rodgers for being “below par.”
And it’s ironic that Chris (for it is he) should be such a staunch defender of Mourinho here, and yet somehow conveniently ignore what Mourinho has to say about Rodgers, which is that he thinks he is one of the best young coaches around. When it comes to Rodgers, Chris (for it is he) drops Mourinho like a stone and instead defers to such tactical geniuses as John Madejski. Weird, eh?
Chris/Velimir/Padraig/CrazyBob you mean.
So let me get this straight, you are criticising a proven winner and champion in Mourinho because he spent 105m in his first season at a club and came a close 3rd in the league and reached the semi final of the champions league…….but you defend Rodgers, someone who has won the sum total of fuck all, had 117m to spend in his third year at a club and came a distant 6th in the league and got embarrassed in the group stages of the champions league?
#apologistlogic #entrenchingmediocrity
PS: 3rd is par for Chelsea because their wagebill (192m) is only 3rd behind both Utd (215m) and City (205m) but lets bot allow little things like facts get in the way of your narrative.
Every single article on here for the last 2 months has been followed with a string of comments criticizing the manager, often with little or no relevance to the actual article in question. Plenty of them accusing TAW of being too soft on him, toeing the party line and being in his pocket.
The first time I see ANY comments supporting the manager….is on an article criticizing him.
Can’t win lads.
About the article…..it is exactly the conversation I and nearly every Liverpool fan I know has been having over the last month. Even for those of us who baulk at the idea at sacking a manager in September, Carlisle felt like a final straw.
Villa was a good, not great win, against a team that have beaten us easily a few too many times recently. Great to see Studge banging them in again. I was feeling relief rather than anything else. So when I saw what Brendan had said, my heart sank. It all felt a bit Ted Crilly getting the Golden Cleric. If he’d have done it after having beaten Villa AND Sion AND Everton, I still wouldn’t like it, but I’d have understood. But no. He just can’t help himself.
Thankfully it looks as though the players either still believe in him, or don’t hate him enough to stop trying, so I haven’t given up hope of him turning this season around. But please, just wind yer neck in lad.
Spot on Gareth, great article.
Let’s not forget the 2nd place occurred because of appalling cup results that left us with no cup games, no European football due to the poor previous season, David Moyes at Man United, Mourinho in his 1st season and Wenger having his wobble. With just 1 game per week and a small squad Rodgers had neither to negotiate midweek European, cup or squad rotation. He simply picked Suarez and hoped he could score or create more than the 50 goals clueless Rodgers shit tactics conceded.
Pellegrini won the League and the League cup that season. Whist in ‘in 1st season transition’. Quite how Rodgers was voted ‘Manager of the season’ I do not know and I don’t know how he has the shame to continually remind the world about it.
Yes Gareth we all want Liverpool to win, but i swear part of me never wants to see the day Rodgers actually wins a trophy.
Imagine his rabbit then. ………..
Good read that. Brendan does need to keep his thoughts about himself to himself. Talk about the team etc & the fans when in fromt of the press. He’s out of his depth now anyway and its only a matter of when not if he gets the sack. Although that means the usual rebuilding process with a new manager etc, which I’m a bit over now tbh, BUT at least it might give us something to shout about…
UP THE REDS ! YNWA.
Exactly. I too was grudgingly beginning to think if the players can speak up for rodgers who are WE (all of us on the outside) to condemn the man. And then he says there be a conspiracy and other assorted nonsense and made me begin to think again if klopp is not such a bad idea after all. In fact I have written here in the past FOREIGN managers get a bad deal and NOBODY supports them when things go wrong, and yet rodgers despite the media handling him with kid gloves and plenty of support still feels wronged? are you kidding me? So he has a huge ego plus hes sensitive as well..poor boy. Really all the good vibes have dissapated and ALSO all that other rubbish about him pomposuly stating “oh i can manage big players , i just need tools..” blah blah….WHY MAN WHY? just more talk from the short man WITH NOTHING to back it up. I despair, really i do. I want to support rodgers so bad for the sake of LFC and to keep some stability going but the man is making it very hard, cant deliver on the field and runs his mouth off every single time he opens it. Just for his arrogance i would like to see him go. Besdies, unless he beats NEVERTON and spurs, ITS STILL NOT GOOD ENUFF.
Furthermore, I blame FSG 100 percent for this mess. They had a chance to make a clean break and start afresh ibn the summer. It was the right time to do, with little drama, plenty of time and without any “frenzy” instead they kept this tactical genius and now look at the mess we are in. Now again LFC is being trolled, laughed at by every clown in the world because mike Gorden didnt have the footballs to be ruthless and do what he had to.
We’re being laughed at and trolled because of how ridiculous the fans on social media are behaving. Take the blinders off and read the comments on here with an open mind. See how silly, emotional and irrational most of them are.
Neil Atkinson (@Knox_Harrington) just posted on Twitter, “How about, lads, we just not be a gang of dreadful, boorish arseholes?”
Says it all.
At last at last at last
Lol @ we are being laughed at because the fans are shite on Social media…..lad….go to bed…Right now, we are as good as United were under Moyes, and if fans bother u more than that..then you sir, are worse than the fans u speak of
So is Gareth a dreadful boorish arsehole for writing above what the majority believe? Because you are slagging people off who agree with Gareth, despite your usual arse licking of him (and every author) above. It’s your usual inconsistency and hypocrisy.
It’s also lovely that all your opinions and the opinions of those you agree with are all “open minded, non biased and calmly reasoned” while those you disagree with are “silly, emotional, irrational, arrogant and hearing what they want to hear with no correlation to reality.”
With tautology like this you can never ever be wrong, regardless of the evidence of results and performances. Sound.
Your opinion is the same now as it has always been despite our relegation form under Rodgers over the last 18 games and you still only refer to nutcases on twitter when discussing those with legitimate criticisms of Rodgers. Yet you claim to be unbiased and without agenda? Very sound.
Thanks for proving my point.
Can’t answer anything put to you so you resort to this sort of immature nonsense.
Just a heads up for everyone else – Neil’s tweet was in the context of a Julie Dicaro article on how women in sport are discussed on social media. Any suggestion or hint that it was linked to LFC fans and Rodgers is a fabrication, something I exposed Ellie for last week when she claimed Klopp had said it was his career goal to manage Bayern Munich, which he certainly did not say.
Maybe Ellie just thinks you’re a cunt, Chris? Purely supposition on my part, but it’s possible.
Why have you called me Chris? Weird. Why are you defending someone who I’ve exposed as a liar and a hypocrite? Why are you getting involved in a conversation that has nothing to do with you? How is Ellie thinking Im a cunt relevant at all to my question to her, given that she hints those who agree with Gareth are boorish arseholes yet above she praised him?
I know that you didnt like I pointed out you’ve been wrong about everything for over a year but calling me a cunt is a joke. There was a warning on here in the last week about personal abuse – maybe you should heed it.
If this is all you have to offer you should go back to not posting, given no-one wants to read abuse in some sort of personal vendetta on a forum (seriously what age are you?) or the opinions of one proven wrong so much so often. We know that’s why you’re posting so little, as you are embarrassed. I would be too. The manager makes your opinion laughable each and every month he’s at the club. And your ridiculous inability to seperate hero worship of Gerrard and the reality of said players ability at 34 years old was excruciating too. You know it and I know it. You know you were wrong and still you lack what little amount of courage it would take to say so.
If I have to read another of your posts I’d put a gun between my eyes and pull the trigger so in future I’ll skip over your posts and not reply to whatever comedy opinion you’ve given. And unlike you, when I say I won’t respond to someone again, I keep my word.
To reply to David Brown below — I don’t use or think in words like that but if I did… ;-)
Jeepers, Chrissy boy, don’t shoot the messenger. Just putting it out there. You know, for discussion purposes.
“I keep my word.”
Right, Chris, which is why you’ve crawled out from your rock having stated months ago that you were done with TAW, never to return. I bought bunting and everything, and now here you are again after a a summer of teaching Guardiola all you know, the pub bore pummelling everyone with your inexhaustible rectitude.
Different monicker; same egomaniacal bilge.
If you really believe that then you need more help than I could possibly formulate into a reply:)
Ellie practice wot u preach? You say social media fans are disgraceful yet u call them arseholes? How nice. Fact is Rodgers not fans is the problem. The little mans mouth keeps writing checks neither himself nor his team can cash.
This is his end. Rafa’s “facts”, Kenny’s toxic pressers thanks to Suarez, Woy as soon as he opened his mouth, and now this. Rodgers thinks he’s won the title from a single win over Villa having just failed to beat a division 4 side in mid-week. Take away the four points dodgy refereeing as gifted us, and we’re in the shit.
Don’t forget, this is the Rodgers that was putting himself in the shop window by gracing our club with his magnificent presence when he took on the job Martinez turned down.
Gah! Not the “facts” embarrassment, the “Do as I’m told” crap.
Its interesting that after the win no-one mentions Sakhos poor defending for the second goal, Cans poor defending for the first goal and any other pieces of poor play fom us.
Its all about Sturridge (a positive we can cling to) and Rodgers post game press conference.
Seems to me that Rodgers has pulled this from page 1 paragraph 1 of the football managers handbook – the best way to deflect any deficiencies in the team and to focus purely on the positive side of things is for the manager to move the focus from negative game issues to a negative non football issue.
Good piece Gareth.
Regards the ‘briefings’ I was convinced then and still am now that someone very close to the manager was the one behind the ‘Man City are sniffing round Brendan’ rumour that came out late last season and which some contributors used as an excuse why he shouldnt be sacked.
Maybe i’m naive about this, but leave the briefings and concentrate on the win.
The first four paragraphs were absolutely fine, right until Gareth went and dropped Frank Sinatra into it, for some unknown reason.
Then it just went a bit, well you know.. “Hysterical”..
People have wanted Brenden Rodgers out of the door since he first walked through it, people have taken to social media to attack the fella with mock accounts and they’ve chosen to verbally abuse him whilst on the touchline. He’s continuously asked the same stupid questions by reporters until they get their quote and people like Gareth throw their toys out of the cot and go running off to mummy because someone used the word “hysteria”.
There is a hysteria and it’s fucking embarrassing. Our twitter following is embarrassing (Gareth brought it up) and our home support can be just as embarrassing (who are ya). Tell you what though – I bet the away lads in the park end chant his name if we go on to beat Everton.
So without typing out word for word what the manager of our club actually said, here it is in short:
He was positive about the players and talked about confidence. Quality of the two Daniels and how Sturridge makes the difference being world class.
Asked about the recent scrutiny – he goes on to matter-of-factly say that there’s a hysteria around the club, which goes with the territory as it’s a massive club, but he has been surprised because compared to the other big teams we’re not that bad (losing 2 games is similar to utd and spurs) he mentions the performances have been below par though for a huge, iconic club but also that the scrutiny has only brought the players and management closer together..
Finishes with…We’re working very hard and integrating players back in. Very proud of players today.
And from that interview there is guess what..?? More fucking Hysteria.
Gareth’s hysteria in this particular article even goes to the depths of reminding people all about David Brent, being Liverpool, the envelopes bah blah blah
And then the crux of the piece seems to hinge on this:
“Most Liverpool fans know where the club is financially. Most Liverpool fans know that other clubs have better resources available to them — in terms of money, in terms of facilities, in terms of youth systems, in terms of stadiums. Most Liverpool fans are also more than aware that the club finished 7th, 6th, 8th and 7th before the run to second place that no-one predicted under Rodgers.
But then there was last season and the idea of par. We’re not after par. We’re not after OK. We’re not happy for Liverpool to roll over and die in Europe. We want Liverpool to fight. And we want Liverpool to be angry, to be pissed off, to be annoyed when they lose at home to Crystal Palace, or away to Stoke, or to West Ham at Anfield.”
In short – we struggle to compete with those rich clubs around us and if we don’t get our winning ways of the 70s & 80s back we’ll scream and scream hysterically until it happens – feel free to boo by the way…
How about chanelling that anger into closing ranks and actually supporting the manager.?
Just to top the article off:
“standards the club has traditionally set itself that we expect Liverpool to try to return to. When it goes wrong, the manager carries the can.”
Its telling that Brenden has one of his close friends around him at the moment in Malky Mackay – what’s a shame is that he doesn’t seem to be able to count on a support group that should know better about leaving people to walk alone.
Solidarnosc
There are enough in the media and down the road that want to put the boot in.
Judge Brenden on his results of course – but do it fairly – not after seven games when he’s had massive injuries and lost big players.
Judge him after half the season if you must when he’s at least had a fair crack of the whip with is own squad.
Stop judging him on every word that comes out of his mouth just because they don’t fit your agenda.
Agenda? There isn’t one.
There isn’t an agenda from some of our supporters out there..?
Then we’ll have to agree to disagree.
From some, maybe there is. Speaking for us.
There are plenty who have wanted BR out the door since before this season started. (Gareth one of them) Plenty others who have wanted him out since the start of his tenure.
Most of them cant actually bring up any suitable names as a replacement mind you – they just trott out Klopp – because he’s out of work.
For the record, I don’t think TAW has an agenda that comes through at all. FWIW
Mav….you say people can’t bring up any suitable names as a replacement….then say they mention Klopp. So they do know a suitable replacement then? Or if not, why is Klopp not a suitable replacement?
I’ve seen Ancelotti’s name mentioned – is he not suitable? Probably the second best manager alive?
I’ve seen de Boer’s name linked for the summer, along with Cocu, Simeone and Emery. Are they not suitable? They’ve all been put forward in various places at various times as replacements. Even Rafa was.
I’ve just given 7 names there. Each and every one of them have proven to be winners and better managers than Brendan Rodgers. So remind us again how most can’t bring up suitable names as a replacement.
You’d do yourself and your arguments a favour by not building strawmen and attacking the opposing sides’ strongest arguments…unless of course you agree with those arguments or can’t find any reason to disagree with them.
Why do we always get fans who take things too far. Its about the club, not any one individual. It’s not seven games, the form has been poor since United at home last year.
We’ve become a club who has accepted mediocrity and you get fans like yourself, endorsing it. FSG are slowly eroding us, the manager is out of his depth. Gareth is spot on, theres no fight anymore at the club, only acceptance.
Fans who take things too far I agree with but not for the same reasons.
If you want to blame someone for the demise of LFC, then you are on the right track when you mention FSG because this clubs management has been nothing short of shambolic for years now.
Brendan Rodgers is just a focus point for everyone to vent at – he isn’t the one that has made the club mediocre.
Jesus, how long have been following TAW? Have you noticed that they’re supposed to have a pro-Rodgers agenda, or so some would have it. Maybe, y’know, they haven’t got an agenda. Maybe like most rational supporters (not the lunatic fringe on either side) they tell it as they see it and the seeing it changes every now and then.
There does come a tipping point for supporters; it can be a foolish interview, a draw with Carlisle United, a 6-1 thrashing at Stoke or, in my case going down without a fight at Old Trafford. That tipping point is usually the result of cumulative failings or feelings. The interview has annoyed a lot of reasonable people precisely because it plays into the hands of those who’ve never liked him and/or won’t give him credit for anything. Me, I don’t want to see the Kop flicking the v’s at him, I don’t want opposing fans singing ‘sacked in the morning’ at him. FSG could and should have nipped this in the bud. He may yet turn it around and I’ll respect him if he does, but I can’t see it.
Relax Mav don go gettin all excited now, wouldn’t want someone to say u sound a mite hi-sterical hoho! C’mon now what’d days want tho seriously? Hold brods hand? The job he and every other manager is based on one word RESULTS. All this is nothing new so why are u so shocked? When u laugh the world laughs with you, when u cry you cry alone. Every man and his dog loves a winner. BROD is not a winner, hes more avb than ancelotti. Everything about him is mediocre. This is not personal opinion it’s FACT. What has he won of note? Nothing. What has he done of note? Nothing… Well OK he DID restore the red nets at anfield. KUDOS brendon:)
haha, yeah no need for getting over excited.
I dont have a problem with “holding brods hand” if that means supporting the manager until such a time when he can be fairly judged – and for me that time hasn’t come yet.
I’m not going to convince the likes of Michael Pearson on here who are dead set against him but I don’t see whay people should be called “delusional” or “bellends” because they are trying to support the manager.
You’re right – it is based on results and at the moment we are potentially one result off top four, thats just how tight the table is at the moment. If we beat Everton and get a bit of momentum now that DS is back then who knows…
If we dont’t and by Christmas we are lanuishing in mid table then big decisions will have to be made – but not now, not after 7 games of this season.
Saying what has he won of any note is akin to saying he should never have had the job in the first place – but he did get the job on the merit that he is a forward thinking positive coach who works well with young players on a budget. We are not going to compete with the likes of Chelsea and City on their budgets so we have to try somthing different. He brought Suarez on and got the best out of SG, has made mistakes but this season will be the telling one..
He doesnt look like he’s lost the players to me and I’ll aay it again. Beat them at the woodshed and I bet his name gets sung.
‘Agenda this, agenda that’. As Liverpool fans we’re all stuck in this agenda vortex of which we’ll seemingly never escape. Fed up with it.
Mav, this is one of the best things I’ve read in a comment thread in the past 2 years, obviously written by a fan who has his head screwed on straight. As I said above, many fans are hearing what they want to hear, not what is actually being said. Thank you.
Mac, I was referring to your comment posted September 29 at 10:52 am. The threading on TAW article comments is a bit dodgy.
Grrrr… Above meant for Mav (not Mac). Autocorrect on my iPhone is wank.
Agreed.
WELL PLAYED SIR. FUCKING FRAME THIS AND STICK IT IN HIS OFFICE!
First time on here as I’m usually reading RAWK articles that are just as barmy as those on here.as a fan for 40 yrs I’ve seen it all on all different levels,in lots of different leagues.there was a time when we prided ourselves on our total loyalty to the club,manager and players.however all that we should be proud of is pissed down the drain by vacuous fans with their fickle wants and needs.as has been said already on here,we have no divine right to win anything,the damage was done a long time ago by owners who stood still while others bought into the new order of how clubs had to modernise.we didn’t,we lost our way and have been on life support since 1991.yeah we rally every now and then but ultimately we fail.I’m really flabbergasted at how quickly we turn on our manager when you don’t get the results u want,do u think Rodgers and the players just laugh it off and carry on as if nothing’s happened?seriously lads,I played at a certain level of football but it hurt when we lost and would do so for days,so imagine been in the spotlight 24/7 and having to deal with all the shite and bullshit speculation that goes with every utterance from u.just give it a rest and start to get behind the team.when we had that amazing season two yrs ago it was all down to Suarez,as if Brendan had fcukall to do with it.that was two seasons ago,not yesterday but not ancient history either.he’s a very good coach Gerrard said as much often enough but maybe he’s not cut out for management,there is a big difference.I’m still 100% behind him and the team simply because I’m tired of us turning into Newcastle utd fans.I don’t want another change and another two years of rebuilding that all new manager s seem to want .beat the toffees and go again the following game vrs spurs and so on.
Credit for your post. Well thought out unlike Some rants. A good case for the defense. Won’t change my mind but well written nonetheless.
Rodgers brown noses and grovels publicly with FSG, the owners who turned this once great club into the biggest most profitable mid table burger franchise ever laughed at. Rodgers could not care less about the Support, the city or the club. He is here for the money.
This is why he is despised by so many. He is a mid table mouthpiece
There’s some real unusual thought processes on this thread, I must say.
This thread. The ground. The dugout. The pitch. Whatever table the transfer committee sit round.
Everyone’s slowly losing it (up to and including myself). I’d find it all hilarious if it was another team.
Five thirty in the morning here, reading comments over coffee before work. Well in Gareth! Poked a hornets nest here didn’t you? You have to admit Brendan is entertaining, it reminds me of the movie “Network”.
Who is the Peter Finch character? Brendan or Gareth? Or the posters?
I’m mad as hell…….
I’m gonna be shouting that from me window next week if we shit the derby.
We are currently 1 point better off then this time last year but two positions worse off (meaning the table is much more unsettled then last year) and +4 points better off based on same fixtures last year (not including newly promoted teams).
Surely this is a sign of improvement right? We are still within reasonable point difference from the top and definitely within top four. A couple more points and we are not far off the 2 ppg we need for top four either!
People are a tad blinded i think at the moment – i guess people are willing to risk the unknown then put their faith in the manager and the players!
‘People are a tad blinded i think at the moment’ I guess you are including yourself here as it has been purgatory watching LFC since the start of the 14/15, I can only remember 3-4 good performances in that time. In a way who the manager is becomes irrelevant if fans cannot see improvement or a reason to believe. Fans dont want to see a different formation every week we want consistency and belief in the players and the system.
Brendan is the manager so the buck stops with him. He knew what FSG wanted and being new to footy i assume they sold their vision to him while he sold his to them. I am particularly concerned by our treatment of Europe, what is our aim? Treating it like he does we will just fall at the first hurdle every time whats the point? He should be treating it as a learning curve if he truly wants to be a great manager.
I cant stand the man but I love LFC so despite my feelings I actually do want him to do well and prove me wrong.
PS. Agenda? This is one of the very few times I have seen Brendan called on here.
That’s what did for me Kevin. As I’ve said before it was the agony of sitting amongst Newcastle fans last season when we were so dire that the Geordies were laughing at us. I have never experienced that even when the Owl was manager.
The comments thread on this article is longer than Purple Ackie’s c…
…charge sheet.
Christ, that’s a lorra comments.
Ken Charmer, you’re just as vitriolic as the anti-Rodgers fans on here. And many of them weren’t anti the fella, they’re just bored of the poor results, undercooked performances and unnecessary comments on the back of one semi-decent result.
It’s really very simple, surely. Just play better, more often. I was a fan of Brenda’s, I really was. But the consistent lack of SPUNK in big games just screams ‘time to reconsider’. Capitulation to Utd (twice), HUll, Palace. West Ham, Arsenal, Stoke and THAT semi-final. And that struggle against Carlisle.
Losing isn’t the only worry – it’s the manner of these losses.
We often went to OT under Rafa and Houllier and got beat. But often, those wins were Lord Voldemort’s smash-and-grabs. At least we left with pride, self esteem intact, even though we may’ve been bruised by the result. But too often, the performances have been so pathetic, we’ve just felt numb. And that’s simply unacceptable.
Stop spouting horseshite, Brendon. There’s no conspiracy in the media.
Just Win. Win and play well. Or, lose, draw – but play with pride, and hope, and passion, and INTENT.
Great read, Gareth lad.
I feel concern for the intensity of vitriolic anger and hatred spewed by Kloppmaniacs, especially when talk of guns and topping themselves to be spared from reading random Internet comments enters in. If Pep doesn’t renew his contract and Juërgen goes to Bayern on a 3- to 5-year contract (since he’s being publicly tipped for the job by several well-respected persons connected to the Bundesliga), how will the Kloppmaniacs cope with their damaged pride after digging themselves in so deep? Nothing directly to do with Gareth’s article per se, but since it has come up here in the associated comments it is cause for concern, knowing such people might be sitting near our or our friends’ children at games.
Why do you read it?
Because it was directed specifically at me, Paul.
The reference to the gun was a reference to a conversation the deluded one and I had a while ago. Completely understandable that it went over your head though.
“Kloppmaniacs” – those who recognise Klopp is superior manager to Rodgers by looking at his medals won at a lesser club with less time and money, ie. evidence of his superiority
Such evidence and truth is foreign to those who have been shown to make up lies to denigrate Klopp in a pathetic effort to support a proven failure in Rodgers.
To offend one or two fans is unfortunate.To offend so many is downright carelessness!
99% of the Kloppites are just people who are harmlessly enthused for a man who they harmlessly dream could be their saviour. No complaint really about that. We all have our dreams and hopes. But there is that smallish percentage that has been relentlessly stalking JWH and Linda on social media and has engaged in using abusive, targeted, and uncivil language toward other fans who disagree with them in various media. I am merely expressing my concern. Defence of that sort of behaviour also raises doubts.
Wholeheartedly agree.
It’s a difficult thing to judge as, being fans of LFC, we are naturally closer to events, but I’m increasingly of the view that we attract both the best *and the worst* fans in football.
I wish I could get an hour of private discussion with John Henry and Tom Werner. Truth be told, Shankly’s statement of football being simple, being complicated by fools, I am beginning to get clarity on. If you think football is complicated and difficult, try astro-physics, or engineering maths…
FSG might mean well, trying as much as possible not to interfere with the day-to-day running of the club by leaving it to the “professionals”. Problem is, the “professionals” in charge are way below the league of modern football realities. Check this, Arsenal is headed by Ivan Gazidis, Bayern Munich by Rummenigge, Chelsea by Abramovich and his cohorts, just to mention a few…these people are ones that live, breathe football with several years of cognate experience…add the fact that they have world-class managers to steer their ship and you begin to realize the enourmity of the task Brendan Rodgers is fazed with…
There needs to be a total overhaul of personnel starting from the MD/CEO through to the technical staffs at the club. This is no fault of Rodgers, as much as I do not rate him as a manager capable of taking LFC forward, he did not appoint himself to be LFC manager, another amongst the many faults of FSG…
The following I believe will place LFC back on the right path to re-establishing dominance not only in English football, but in Eiropean football as well:
1. Recruit a fine football executive/ an ex-LFC player savvy enough to take on the role (there are several of them out there)
2. Recruit a savvy DoF to handle player acquisitions
3. Overhaul the scouting team
4. Bring in a world-class manager(one which will attract world-class talent)
5. Set high standards/targets for the manager and the club as a whole with dire consequences if targets are not achieved…
Then we can begin to realize the LFC we dream about…
Brendan Rodgers might be a good manager, but events over the last 15 months has shown he is not good enough for LFC…Wenger has leeway at Arsenal after having won 3 league titles and 6 FA cups, Mourinho can survive a disastrous season after having won 3 league titles, FA, and Capital One cups…Brendan Rodgers has never won any silverware in his career as a manager, so i do not blame him for his low ambition and all, I blame the ignoramuses that appointed him…
“Wenger has leeway at Arsenal after having won 3 league titles and 6 FA cups”
You reckon? Pay a visit to arseblog.com or any Arsenal blog, or listen to any footy phone-in and witness just how much “leeway” Wenger is being granted by the north London angry squad.
Yeah, I know. Mental, isn’t it? From the outside looking in it’s so easy to see how *some fans* of *some clubs* just have no frickin’ perspective at all.
{…can you guess where I’m going with this?}