Brendan,
First of all, I’m a big fan. Let me put that front and centre. I think what you did with Liverpool Football Club last season was close to miraculous, and that the people who think it was all down to Luis Suarez don’t have a clue how football actually works.
This isn’t an attack letter, far from it. Look upon it more as something someone’s popped into the Anfield suggestion box.
Because, in truth, there are a couple of things that need to be said — starting with the Scouse elephant in the room.
I’m 32. I’ve grown up with Steven Gerrard as my idol. My abiding memories of life as a Liverpool fan are so entwined with our captain that I sometimes imagine I can feel his pain as well as share his glory.
The screamer against Olympiakos; the twirling arms of Istanbul, begging the Reds in the Attaturk to hold on to their belief; the kissing of the European Cup; the tears of joy and hope in the aftermath of the Manchester City game last season.
My point is that you cannot possibly hold Steven Gerrard in the same regard that I do. He has been Liverpool’s captain, saviour and my hero for the duration of my formative years.
So if your decision to play him come hell or high water is based on some misguided sense that it will prove to Liverpool fans you understand how important he is to them, you’re wasting your time.
Your insistence on playing Gerrard as a defensive midfielder is breaking my heart. Those glorious images of Steven Gerrard are being replaced. The last-minute equaliser he scored against West Ham in the FA Cup is fading. Instead I see him being bossed by Stewart fucking Downing. The shoulders that once carried Liverpool Football Club through tough times are now slumped, defeated and confused.
Steven Gerrard is not a defensive midfielder. If you want him on the pitch that’s understandable; he’s still one of the best players we’ve got. But please, please stop playing him in a position that seems to be slowly destroying him.
Gerrard isn’t solely responsibly for Liverpool’s woes, of course, and that brings me on to my second point: it’s ok to admit you’ve got weaknesses.
As much as I despise Alex Ferguson, there’s no question that he’s probably the second best manager in British history. His number one strength? Knowing his own weaknesses.
Liverpool have conceded 143 goals in all competitions under your management, Brendan. Perhaps it’s time to admit that you’re not great at organising a defence? Your declaration that you won’t be bringing in a defensive coach is…worrying.
Those two points can also be tied in with my next one: it’s ok to buy a defensive midfielder. I know you don’t seem to want to, but maybe you’ll do yourself and the team a favour if you just put the word out that you’d like a specialist player who can protect the defence and link with the attack?
Next up: it’s ok to drop players that aren’t performing. Seriously. Maybe you’re a massive fan of the way that Glen Johnson controls the ball beautifully before turning and running into a group of opposition players, or having a shot that goes nowhere near, you know, the target. But most people would consider that perhaps it’s time to put him out to pasture.
In a similar vain, it’s also not a problem if you want to substitute off the lads that seem to be struggling. Ok, so sometimes this would mean needing 11 substitutes, but work with me. The captain shouldn’t be above reproach. Surely it would be better to use him flat out for 60 than run him into the ground by playing him for every single 90, ever?
The defence is, whichever way you look at it, a problem. Why not explore the idea of playing the same players for a few games in a row? They’re struggling to communicate, so maybe a chance to get to know each other may not be a complete waste of time?
All of that links in with the notion that you might also want to reward players who do well. Can, for example, looked one of our best players against Real Madrid away and Chelsea at home. Moreno has been reasonably solid at left back — certainly better than GlenJo at any rate — and Toure has looked the business when he’s come in. Why not let them keep their place? Give them a sense that there’s something worth playing for.
I’ll tell you what else might be helpful too. Remembering who you are. Suarez was the best player in the world on form last season. Of course losing him and Daniel Sturridge is a big blow. But he wasn’t the man choosing different formations. He didn’t move from a 4-3-3 to a diamond, or get Raheem Sterling to be one of the best young players in Europe. That was you! You were an exciting, attacking and intelligent manager last season, always trying new things to outfox the opposition. You worked with what you had and did it incredibly successfully — you were the definition of pragmatism.
Remember the laughs? Remember the joking around? Where’s all that gone? You look tense, mate. You look like you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders. I know it must be difficult, but you’ve got to try to get the fun back.
To phrase it another way, rediscover the pragmatism. The majority of intelligent football fans know that all managers will go through tough spots. They aren’t going to want their manager sacked at the first sign of trouble. Unless they’re Chelsea fans. But fans do want to see the manager trying different things to get out of the slump.
I sometimes play Scrabble with my girlfriend. I’ll get letters like Q I R and S. There’ll be a cracking place to put it on the board, with the Q on a triple letter score. The problem is that QIRS isn’t a word. Neither is any other combination of those letters. Yet still I play them, over and over again, in the hope that at some point it will magically work and I’ll have a cracking score.
The issue, of course, is that it’s never going to work. Really I should just move on and try something different. Like not playing Balotelli up front on his own.
Last season, as well as the fun, you were also all about looking at things just one game at a time. Win the game in front of you and then worry about the next one. What’s happened to that this season? I know there are more games to worry about, but you’ve got a squad! That’s what they’re there for! Figure out your best team and stick to it. Then when someone gets injured or fatigued, bring in a replacement. Perhaps you don’t trust your squad?
Which brings me on to what I think will be my final point, Brendan. Fans don’t give a shit who signed which player. We really don’t care. Maybe there’s a power struggle going on behind the scenes at Anfield. Maybe you feel you’ve got something to prove to John W Henry and the big boys at the top. But as fans we just want to see the team win. If the transfer committee suggested Alberto Moreno and you don’t want to play him as a gesture of your power to them, you’re cutting off your nose to spite your face. You’ll win no respect from the fanbase that way.
Arrogance can be a good thing. Fergie had it in bagfuls. Mourinho’s got so much it flows out of his eyes and straight into the brain of any journalist who writes about him. But arrogance can also be misplaced. If you think continually refusing to give players a chance just because you didn’t sign them is the right kind of arrogance, you’re dead wrong.
You’re the man to take us forward. But you need to remember what it was that made us so successful last season. Suarez? Sturridge? Of course they made a big difference. But they weren’t the key ingredient. That was you.
You can carry on doing the same thing over and over again if you’d like, but the result will be similar to sleeping with a foot outside of duvet. It might seem ok to begin with, but after a while you’ll start to feel bizarrely unsettled and eventually a monster will grab your foot and drag you away.
So mix things up! Try something new! Admit your own weaknesses and lose the worst side of your arrogance. At the moment we’re only going backward, so surely things won’t get any worse?
Oh, and for the love of all things holy will you get Colin Pascoe to put on some bloody trousers? It was -2 degrees in Sofia and he was sat there with a pair of shorts on like he was about to take a stroll down Bondi Beach! He’s nearly 50 for Christ’s sake, he’ll catch his death!
I think that’s it. I might have missed something, but I reckon there’s plenty there for you to crack on with. When all’s said and done we all want the same thing – success for Liverpool Football Club. You won’t earn bonus points if we’re successful because you stuck stubbornly to your guns over issues that seemed relatively simple to fix for most. You’ll only win the plaudits if you adapt and change.
Something you showed last season that you’re eminently good at.
Pics: David Rawcliffe
Bob on, that. Get it sent.
Great! At last someone who’s come out and said something sensible about Brendan & Lfc. Sick to death of reading moronic quotes off of football manager wannabes that think the way to right everything that’s going wrong is to ‘fuck Rodgers off’. Enjoy the podcasts lads (& ladies). Thanks, keep up the good work.
QIS is a valid scrabble word. The advice is spot on though
If there was place on the board where there was a U and an E or a T already in the right place, then you could have ‘Squire’. Or ‘Squirt’.
There is probably a profound analogy in there somewhere. About having ONE really good letter, a few half decent flexible but average depbnedable ones, and a couple of decidedly shite ones already in place, that you COULD in fact make a match winning word.*
But i’m so shocked at reading that you are only 32 that i cant find it. You must have had a hard life or worry a lot about scrabble.
*ok, isnt that Liverpools last season?
*dependable. I’m crap at scrabble.
Would you be allowed words like squirt in scrabble?
All of that. 100%. Maybe not the bit where the monster grabs your foot like but everything else.
Very well pointed Adam in these troubled times Thanks mate.
Any intelligent supporter and a lot of professionals in the game say Saurez was key last season. To suggest otherwise is lunacy. With Rodgers lack of experience, it is easy to see why so many have no blind faith in him. He should be given the same chance Dalglish got. No more, No less….
Actually, if it wasn’t for Brendan Rodgers’ stunning ability to manage Suárez last season he would have been gone sooner, and LFC would never have leaped from 7th to 2nd in one season, giving fans the hope they haven’t had for years.
And many professionals in the game, including former LFC players, are saying also that Rodgers is the man to lead Liverpool forward and that he should be given time.
What Ellie said.
Suarez scored 11 goal the season before Rodgers took over. And his management of Suarez’s sulks at the beginning of last season was spot, and Suarez responded to it.
I suppose it was a case of both Rodgers and Suarez did well last season but you can’t really coach the stuff Suarez was doing. He’s just a phenomenal player. I don’t think that much has changed this season. You have to look at the goals we conceded last season – it was a lot. The only difference is we’ve taken the goals out of the side and we’ve taken out the catalysts that allowed the like of Sterling and Henderson to shine. I’ve just heard Rodgers pre Stoke interview and I’m even more desperate for him to succeed but in 30 years (if I’m still here) I’ll still think back to last season as the season of Luis Suarez.
Yes. This.
Outstanding balanced article wasn’t going to read it at first thought it might be the majority of rubbish on twitter at the moment calling for Rogers head because if results and his so called ego but with no real alternative/solutions for what it’s worth I believe he’s gained enough credit from last season to be given this season at least, some mistakes have been made but I believe he’ll learn from these and there’ll be silverware at the end of the season. YNWA
Yes, spot on. BR does need to remember what made LFC into the best attacking Reds side since the late 80s and remind himself that he was a major part in it, switching formations during games, outfoxing the opposition, getting at them and blowing them away within first 20 mins, getting everyone up for it etc etc. He was the architect and he needs to remember that and rediscover his mojo.
But he also needs to look at what isn’t happening this season that worked less than 6 footballing months ago. The lack of pace and movement up front is killing the creativity of the midfielders (Hendo’s goal last night was first time since Spurs game in August that the Reds have scored a goal anywhere near reminiscent of last season). Mario isn’t the type of player who would have flourished last season, and he won’t this season either. The defence / goalkeeper needs stability and consistency but only with the right personnel – so look at the two games this season where LFC have truly looked somewhere close to comfortable at the back (Madrid and Ludogorets away) and use that as a blueprint. Steven Gerrard further forward worked better last night – stick with it and have a different holding midfielder, because it works.
BR has credit in the bank from last season, and no-one wants the Spurs situation where they have a new manager every six months. So hopefully this is the start of the road to Damascus…and we’re all onboard.
As for Fergie being the second best manager in British history, if being behind Shanks, Paisley, Brian Clough and Matt Busby makes him second best, then I demand a recount. Easy to be ‘top manager’ when you have millions of pounds to build a team. Busby, Paisley, Shankly & Clough built team after team after team (dynasties) on a shoestring. Just my opinion….
Well said. Don’t care how many titles Ferguson won, he’s not 1/10th the man Shankly was. And Mourinho isn’t fit to clean the dirt off the bottom of Shankly’s shoes.
Hear hear!
Pragmatism
If I get a ‘Q’ early in the game, without a ‘U’, then its a better game if:
I see if I can find out any combinations without the ‘U’.
Chill. There are 4 ‘U’s it might come good while I’m playing some good stuff elsewhere on the field.
Be prepared to take a hit for the good of the game ( admit its taking too long and put it back in the bag)
On the point about not playing players he didn’t fancy. Rodgers is no fool. He knows this is sending a big message to FSG about who should have control over transfers. The risk he’s taking is massive. FSG are as likely to sack him as back him. Power struggles usually end up being won by the ones holding the most power.
SPOT.ON!
Your advice for Colin Pascoe was particularly good! Lol!
Excellent article. It sums up exactly how I feel but I hadn’t realised that’s how I felt until I read it, if that makes sense. It’s all so confusing at the minute it’s hard to know where you’re at. My buzzword at the minute regarding Rodgers is nicked from one of Gareth’s articles – he’s not helping himself (is buzzphrase a word?) It annoys me that he’s leaving himself open to this criticism. I honestly expected more from him. I noticed I’m referring to him as Rodgers too, last season it was Brendan. One thing I have to differ on is, for me, last season was all about Luis Suarez but then I’d also agree I probably am one those who don’t have a clue about how football actually works. The thing is though, what I lack on the technical side I make up for in knowing what I see – and I know what I saw. I can’t help feeling that belief is being reinforced with each game at the minute. Rodgers looked like he’d snapped out of it a bit last night. He was more animated on the line and very positive in his press conference. I suppose it’s how you interpret it though. Kicking the water bottles down the line can be seen as a bit desperate and his press conference can be seen as verging on the ridiculous. I’ll go for the first two. It’s a damn sight better than the Palace game.
Anyway, good humorous article, well written. Let’s hope he turns it around for everyone’s sake.
Oh no! Not another cheap shot at Gerrard.And a few other cheap shots scattered around as well.
Are you sure you haven’t lifted this from the Daily Mail?
Here’s a little bit of fact.Footballers nowadays are monitored on everything they do.The distances they run in games,their tackles,pass completion,passing accuracy and success,areas of influence,involvement,their exertions in training and their recovery times.Their fitness capability is measured to the Nth degree.And all this is done before they even sign for a Club.And you can take it that these players have the necessary ability to kick a ball in the general direction of where they want it to go also.
So what is it?Why do they sometimes move to a New Club and all these things get left behind?
Is it anything to with trying to adapt to yet another fool-proof plan for success.Being told to start all over again and follow some kind of homespun mantra.
Or is that a clue and the only thing you can’t measure nowadays is belief and commitment.And without that you get nowhere!
Yes Brian, and much of that information is shared in the public domain. Gerrard’s figures are down on last season. The manager himself moved him in the last game. It’s not a ‘cheap shot’. The lad’s a Liverpool legend but it’s perfectly fair to discuss his position and his contribution when he’s approaching his 35th birthday.
“Gerrard’s figures are down on last season.”
Are anyone’s up? Genuine question. I was wondering about the monitoring aspect of all this and whether there was actually any data to support the notion that Gerrard’s “legs have gone” when that didn’t seem to be the consensus only a few months ago.
I’m all for Gerrard moving from to whatever position best suits his qualities and most benefits the team, but I do think this “sad to see him being passed by asthmatic sloths” thing has been overdone. The team has spectacularly underperformed and he is part of that and carries his share of the responsibility. But the key phrase there is “his share”, and I think the criticism has tipped at times into scapegoat territory where even the failings of others – and how many have played well this season? – are laid at his door.
Brownie, Gerrard’s legs have been gone for two to thee seasons, hence the trying to find a place on the field where he isn’t exposed. It worked towards the end of last season but now opponents have worked it out. It’s amazing it took so long as Paul Lambert worked it out withing two weeks but I guess opposition managers and players had their hands full dealing with Suarez last season. None of this is his fault, it’s just something that happens with age and injuries. Denying it doesn’t help anyone: just watch him run – can’t you see how laboured he is? I re-watched some footage of he and Torres in their prime, it’s heartbreaking, like watching a Ali v Liston compared with Ali v Holmes.
I was asking what the stats say, that’s all. We can all see what in front of us, but the issue is that whilst we’re watching the same footage, we’re obviously processing the pictures differently. What I see is a 34 year old guy who clearly can’t do the job he once did, but is not a cripple and still has something to offer. Every time a player goes by Gerrard we get the “it’s so sad to see” crap, as if that doesn’t happen to anyone else except Gerrard; as if it didn’t happen to Lucas for Ludo’s first goal on Wednesday, for example. It’s like Lineker says: once you get past 32, you’re not allowed to just have a bad game, or even sequence of bad games without it being because “the legs have gone”.
To repeat for the avoidance of doubt, I’m not saying that Gerrard should play every minute of every match, whether as the DM or anything else. I strongly suspect he might be missing tomorrow given that would be 3 days in 7 games. I just haven’t jumped on the “Gerrard’s totally kaput / Gerrard offers nothing” bandwagon. Not because I’m blinded by loyalty to our talisman and captain, but because I just don’t see it.
Let’s take one thing you and I agree on: we’ve been shit in transition play for 2 years. That implicitly means that your DM and defence are being repeatedly exposed due to the team shape or lack of one in front of them. So whoever plays for us in that position right now is going to have his hands full. With Gerrard as the DM, I think we’ve conceded and average of 1.5 goals a game this season. With Lucas as the DM (Middlesbrough, Madrid and Ludo), we’ve conceded 1.66 per game. So what does that prove? Two-thirds of fuck all, that’s what, but the point is that there is no clear evidence that we are any more secure with Lucas at the DM position or Gerrard or anyone else. Which is precisely what you’d expect if you believe the source of our problems is the transition. Unless you’ve got a Makele in his prime, your DM and defence in general are going to be routed.
I’m not even typing this stuff to make a case of Gerrard at DM. I’m typing it to show how I think that particular nugget has been well and truly overdone.
We’ve all got opinions Brownie and who’s to say who is right or wrong when it can’t be measured but I’m confident in saying there’s actually quite a lot you’re not seeing. It’s great to be positive and I always enjoy reading your comments because I often need the lift and it’s a refreshing change from a lot of the rubbish I read. I agree with the author though. I don’t want to be feeling the way I do about Gerrard at the minute. I want to remember him for the player he was. If you’re not seeing it then fine but it’s becoming an embarrassment. Although I hate the expression in relation to Gerrard, if you don’t think his legs have gone then you’re simply not looking.
Well the point of the stats is that he’s essentially unable to compete at top level any longer. He was slow last season but was still able to put in the yards, now he’s slow and struggling to put in the yards, and you have to if you’re playing at the base, because the way we’re set up leaves the deep-lying midfielder horribly exposed. That would be less of a problem if Gerrard read the game well (remember Paisley’s nugget about Hansen) but he doesn’t, at least not defensively, and I don’t think he ever will, sadly, as I’d hoped he’d see out his career at CB.
I don’t blame all the team’s problems on Gerrard though I do blame a lot of them on Rodgers’ obsession with accommodating Gerrard at the expense of a holder or ball winner at the base of midfield. It’s the accommodation that’s the problem, because it impacts upon the shape of the whole team, whether its as a holder or further up the pitch.
As for Lineker and the ‘it’s sad to see’ crap: red herrings I’m afraid. It is sad to see, not because it doesn’t happen to others: it does, but not as often. But it’s sad because he seems unable to adjust his game mentally despite having all the tools to play anywhere on the pitch: he has a fine range of passing, he’s always been able to tackle (he’s not Scholes), is good in the air and has good forward vision. But he has so little defensive game awareness, it’s frightening. And that’s what Carra’s referring to. It’s nothing to do with age, in reality, but everything to do with how one adjusts one’s game. He did well last season with Suarez and Sturridge to hit, not so well this, with Balo or Lambert to hit.
The Lucas stats? 3 games? He isn’t the best holder in the game, the amount of times he pulls people down outside the area is testimony to that, but picking 3 games? Very unscientific, particularly as none of the games have been in Brendan’s preferred starting eleven.
Tell me what he offers the current team*, Brownie, because I have to say, I can’t see what it is.
* By current team I mean a team without Sturridge and I want to know what he offers that others don’t i.e. why is he being picked ahead of Lallana, Coutinho, Can, Borini – does he offer more than they do with Lambert and Balo to work with?
I completely respect the fact that you and Paul are calling it as you’re seeing it, Robin. It’s clear we all want what’s best for the club and as supporters of LFC we grow up understanding that no-one is bigger than the club. I can promise you if I thought we’d be better off without Gerrard I’d call it that way, but I can’t force myself to say something I don’t believe.
I think we should nail the “legs have gone” thing. “Gone” in terms of doing what? Doing the box-to-box thing? Agreed, no argument. Too far gone to paly a role in this Liverpool team? Sorry, you guys must be seeing something in the other squad members that I’m just not seeing. This isn’t the 08/09 vintage I’m trying to shoehorn a 34 year old Gerrard into. It’s a misfiring, underperforming squad of decent players, promising players and some mediocre ones.
And the only people using the word “embarrassment” are Liverpool fans. There are pundits like Carra who are arguing Gerrard should move from the DM role, and whilst I’d never expect Carra to refer to Gerrard as “an embarrassment”, it’s clear to me that this ‘Gerrard question’ is one that has got into the minds of some of our fans in a way it really hasn’t with anyone else. It’s understandable we would be more concerned with our performance than anyone else, but in times like this there is a temptation to look for – if not scapegoats – then simple answers. This is my explanation for the ‘pin it on Gerrard’ mindset.
Anyway, like you say, it’s all about opinions.
Mate, it’s like watching me after the first 5 minutes on the astro. I think you raise a valid point though about the other squad members and (in your earlier posts) that Lucas probably isn’t the definitive answer to this issue. It’s not about box to box though, for me, it’s about getting across to close the man down. We’re supposed to be a pressing team. Lucas is more effective whether he’s got mistakes in him or not. I think Gerrard does have a big part to play still but playing 90 minutes twice a week is counter productive. I think it’s ‘horrible’ to watch is probably a better term that it’s ’embarrassing’ to watch. My biggest concern is we’re doing absolutely shit at minute. It can’t get any worse. Surely, now would be a good time to look to the future.
Paul, is there a link to the stats somewhere? I’ve looked in the usual places but can’t find them. I’m not contesting what you say – I’m genuinely interested to see what the data says.
If we agree that the transition is a massive problem, then a degree of slack needs to be cut for whoever is unfortunate enough to be in that DM role. In this side playing the way we play, it’s got to be the most thankless job in the team. Gerrard may well not be the best person to fill that role when we’re not scoring freely and – more pertinently – he has no targets to hit, but in all the criticism there’s been of Gerrard in that role there’s nary an acknowledgement from his detractors about our transition problems that would be affecting ANYONE playing there. The point about the Lucas stats wasn’t that they proved he is just as ineffective as Gerrard, rather that on the admittedly few occasion we took Gerrard out of the DM position it hasn’t actually improved things…in fact things are marginally worse. And without addressing the transition problems, it wouldn’t matter whether we were talking about Lucas being in that role for 3 games or 33.
I know you don’t like me talking about it, but there is a Sturridge factor here. His first two injuries were supposed to keep him out for only 3 weeks a piece, and on two occasions Rodgers has been a matter of days away from welcoming Sturridge back to the team. This more than anything explains the absence of a wholesale system change since he first got crocked. If Rodgers had known in September that Sturridge was out for the next 4/5 months, he would have had no choice but to change things around and that may very well have included moving Gerrard from the DM role, and/or introducing a Balotelli + 1 instead of using the Italian on his own. I think this business of expecting Sturridge back much earlier than we’re getting him explains why Rodgers has persisted with Gerrard in the DM role for as long as he has (because he always intended to revert to this system when Sturridge returned). And I acknowledged a few days back that with one up top, the opposition are 10 yards further up the pitch and Gerrard will naturally struggle to make use of his passing to launch attacks, or at least get us on the front foot. If Rodgers is going to persist with 1 up, then I wouldn’t play Gerrard as the DM either. But with Sturridge and Balotelli up top, or Sturridge and a pushed on Sterling, then I probably would. Two up top forces the opposition ten/fifteen yards further back, we start from a more advanced base and Gerrard now has targets to hit.
As for the Coutinho, Borini and Lallana point…you must be seeing things I’m not (again :-)). All three are decent players and Coutinho especially is capable of touching greatness, but right now each is just as likely to have a game pass him by as he is to take it by the scruff of the neck. Can you genuinely say otherwise? I said a few days back that you could pick 47 different teams from our EPL squad and there probably wouldn’t be a cigarette paper between any of them. Therein lies the problem; there is no alternative 11 that doesn’t include Gerrard that screams “PICK ME”. He’s still our best passer of the ball, and he’s still the player the opposition worry about the most. Every time you mention Lambert sticking Agbonlahor on him, or Allardyce putting Downing on him, you make that very point. If Gerrard’s “legs have gone” and he’s a completely spent force, then as the opposition manager you don’t need a contingency plan for him. The very fact Lambert and Allardyce did what they did demonstrates that they see Gerrard posing a threat even if you don’t.
In summary, I probably agree that Rodgers has over-used Gerrard (although I understand why in desperate times he wanted Gerrard out there. The paradox here is that if we’d been doing much better, I strongly suspect Gerrard would have been rested from time to time before now). I also accept that – set up the way we are and with Sturridge out – Rodgers should have mixed things up a bit more in the DM role, at a minimum alternating Lucas and Gerrard. But as for Gerrard not being worth a place in the team – *this team*, ffs – nah. Not a chance in hell.
Mate, it’s not that I don’t like you talking about the Sturridge factor but that Sturridge is out until the new year and we have to win games now!
I’m with Robin, btw. How can Brendan chanter on about the pressing game then play someone who can’t press? It makes no sense whatsoever. Particularly as we have to give Lambert a run now – that’s two who can’t press!
Let’s see how the others do without Gerrard lumbering about; they did ok last season. You’re right that no-one’s made a compelling case to replace him this season, (except Lucas) but they haven’t been given a chance with a decent setup/striker. Lambert’s made to play on is own btw, don’t know what the lads were talking about on the podcast, he’s used to playing in a 4-3-3. Should be played as a pivot with quick lads running off him.
http://tomkinstimes.com/2014/11/why-liverpool-never-win-the-league/
I found this a sobering but good article which needs to be read, Gives an idea of the constraints FSG are under and reasons for transfer strategy, places maybe too much faith, pressure on Brendon or indeed any other manager.
Although many problems I believe stem from never signing a sweeper keeper and one that fits his philosophy from the beginning of Rogers reign.
The current progression average of lfc with brendan in charge is 8.4 after 2.5 seasons and 9 if divided by 2.3 (7th+2nd+12th currently) no trophies and over £230 million spent gross. Are we really to believe that this is a winning coach if more time is afforded !
Congratulations, you managed to add three numbers and divide by another.
Fully agree with this article. But it’s like saying “Brendan, I won’t call for your sacking on Twitter, as long as you do X, Y and Z”.
The problem is that Brendan is not even attempting to try X, Y and Z. He didn’t try it in September. Maybe he’ll try it in October? No, he didn’t, but hopefully he’s now seen the error of his ways and will try it in November. It’s been 3 months of shite now. A seemingly intelligent manager sticking to principles and ideas that are clearly not working. How many more games do we give him to realise his errors and find a winning formula?
Playing Gerrard too much, playing Balotelli up front on his own, persisting with Lovren and his basic errors while isolating Toure and Sakho (before injury) in the process, playing Glen Johnson. And much worse than all that, we now have players like Sterling and Henderson who look a shadow of themselves compared to last season.
I’m all for giving Rodgers time, but the attractive Poetry In Motion football from last season seems to have been ruined by dressing room biases and backroom politics, and as the manager of this great football club, he needs to be strong enough to stand up and be the man to fix it.
I’d love to think he was that man. But – like most other reds I know – I’m dreading seeing that same old teamsheet on Saturday.
if we’re being honest with ourselves, we will admit that Stevie hasn’t been that great for the last 5 seasons. and yet he keeps getting rewarded with new contracts! i call him the Teflon Man these days. :-(
Why stop at 5? Surely it’s at least 8?
Apart from QI and QIS, the best Scrabble Q word is QAT. Ping me on Words with Friends if you want to have a go — username EllieTrev
Brilliant article, Adam. From the heart, with the right amount of perspective and witty humour. Thanks.
One can hold all the Qs in the world, but if they are oblivious to the Qis and Qats and the sQuires staring at them, pretty soon it will be game over. Was Suarez Rodgers’ Q last season? Rodgers might have missed a seven letter word that could have won us the league I guess. Such a pity.
What is worrying now would be identifying who is our Q this season. Or is there no more Q? But unlike scrabble, clubs can buy their Q’s. Did we see a smudge on an O and thought it was a Q and bought it hurriedly? Some people need to have his eyes checked then. Anyhow, it still says that a Q is important to win in football. And Suarez was the Q last season. Or are suggesting that Rodgers did not need a Q last season, but somehow Rodgers is not Rodgers anymore. That he changed into an inept manager overnight.
More worrying would be if there is actually a power struggle and Rodgers is willing to sacrifice our club’s success for his own personal agenda to keep power. If that is really the case, he needs to go. I am hoping that he is just learning how to mill himself a Q out of the many Os we currently have in the team, and arranging the letters in his hand to come up with a seen letter word and we start heading into the right direction starting this weekend.
All he’s holding at the moment are Vowels and L’s. which is great if you are playing Welsh scrabble. But its probably why Lallana hasn’t worked out so well.
Maybe you need to replace Mignolet with Kuszczak, and sack rogers and bring in Queiroz.
I declare a scrabble analogy overload.
Ha! You may have stumbled on to something there! Quieroz would be a great defensive coach.
Great piece. Appealing to the love we have for Liverpool as a collective. He’ll figure it out. We just need to support him right now…or until FSG sack him, kidding. Come on You Redmen, and by association Rodgers.
Best line: “It might seem ok to begin with, but after a while you’ll start to feel bizarrely unsettled and eventually a monster will grab your foot and drag you away”
The team lacks confidence!
They’ve lacked it since crystal palace.
They had it for 5 mins in Sofia, Allen and Henderson pressing, releasing sterling, job done.
Then they all got scared that the goalkeeper, defence, ball would let them down so they stopped pressing high up cos they were so paranoid about the counter attack.
They need consecutive wins, which at the moment is a wonderful dream and on my Christmas list but unfortunately not even one win seems likely
Plenty of good stuff in the article.
I just find it depressing to see internet based tittle-tattle about behind the scenes power games being given another run out. Just because we may not think any given Rodgers team selection makes sense, it doesn’t mean there is some dark Machiavellian motive behind it.
Rodgers gets slated for persevering with Lovren and it is put down to him being a Rodgers’ pick and Sakho (injured!) being a “committee” (a committee that Rodgers is part of) pick. And we know this how? Because some ITKs on Twitter say it is? Rodgers gets slated for signing Lambert and he then gets slated for persevering with Balotelli over Lambert, despite the fact that Balotelli was supposedly not his choice.
I certainly don’t see any darker motive in the choice of Johnson over Moreno for some matches. It looks like Rodgers has three fit full backs who he has some sort of faith in, and he needs to pick the team that he thinks will work for each game through a busy schedule.
I’ve been wondering the same thing, Graeme. It seems a lot of people somehow know “stuff” about what’s happening behind the scenes. Presumably they can’t tell us how they know this “stuff” or they’d have to kill us.
Or if the club found out certain people within it are feeding information to people on the outside (for example a journo known for having connections at the club and who rarely gets stories wrong) then the likelihood is there would be negative consequences for those certain people.
And it’s not as if people within all football clubs don’t deliberately leak a bit of info here or there to serve their own selfish purposes.
But that’s just too much like common sense…..
Chris,
You might be right, you might be wrong. I have not great insight and certainly no inside info.
My worry is too many people are ready to repeat stuff as fact, when there is no reputable source for it.
I have not read anything from anything from anyone who is known to be reliable to suggest that this intrigue is going on. I have heard Tony Evans talk about there being surprise from Rodgers that the recruitment team could not find defenders in the January window leading to them only chasing wingers, but that stopped a long way short of suggesting any real conflict between Rodgers and other members of the recruitment team, or the owners.
If you believe this is going on, what is the source that made you think it was? Honest question.
Graeme
Wasn’t Rodgers given greater autonomy over transfers etc when he signed his new contract earlier this year??
Why does he have one of the smallest coaching staff, smaller than Mourinho etc??
There’s is virtually no one on the footballing side of things that are genuine winners apart from maybe Gerrard. None on the coaching staff and none on the playing staff again bar Gerrard. Anyone else think that’s strange??
Anyone think it’s strange that both Reina and Mignolet became worse under the coaching of Acterberg??
There’s no ‘I’ in QIRS oh…….
Agree with much of this, there are structural/systemic issues: set pieces, transitions but nothing that can’t be put right with a bit if judicious transfer business (goalkeeper, proper holding midfielder) and some fine tuning at Melwood. This weekend’s lineup will be interesting, he’s making the right noises in interviews today, commending Lucas, Allen and Lambert. Gerrard shouldn’t be starting though: can we honestly say he offers more than Coutinho, Lallana or Borini in that position? We need someone with pace to play off Rickie.
For all those posting that last season was down to Suarez; maybe it was, but look at his previous record. 2010/11: 4 goals, 2011/12: 11 goals, 2012/13: 23 goals, 2013/14: 31 goals. Looks to me like Brendan got a lot more from Luis than Kenny.
Good article, hitting the right notes. Problem is, you’re asking him to do everything that he’s stubbornly refused to do throughout this season, and in previous jobs he’s had. Big ask, and I don’t see it happening. At the moment Brendan is undeniably harming our chances of staying where we need to be. The changes need to come immediately, or FSG will look elsewhere.
Regards Pascoe and his shorts, it’s what we do when your from Port Talbot, you wear shorts at any given weather system, it’s just what we do!!
Pascoe’s shorts would be trousers on Brian Flynn!
With a name like yours I was expecting that to get all ‘supply and demand’! (Gag for the economic kids there).
Dear anfield wrap,
Why oh why do you keep going on and on and on about Gerrard?
If there is anyone editing this website, or whatever it is, then that should have been cut out. Or maybe that’s part of the agenda?
Anyway, all in all a pleasant read.
Boomshanka,
Big jim.
Why should it be edited out when it’s Adam’s opinion on the matter? Who is ‘you’ in relation to TAW? Again, there’s no ‘agenda’, that’s a pathetic suggestion. What would the agenda be? How would anyone involved benefit from it?
The contributors to the website write whatever they want (within reason, i.e. it has to be at least half decent and on the right side of legal).
Do you really think we all get together and say ‘Right lads, let’s slag Gerrard off…’? Behave.
And look around. It’s not only The Anfield Wrap criticising Gerrard’s performances in that position.
What about Jamie Carragher, among others? Could it be that, you know, Gerrard at DM is actually something people are perceiving as a problem rather than it being an ‘agenda’?
Don’t you think that Gerrard is doing what he is being told to do. He’s been around a long time. Played for lots of managers. I’m sure he has realised by now to do want he has been told. Even if that means working to rule!
And yes you do get together and do that! you do it every week. It’s here for all to see on internet/twitter. For example in the summer the signing of Balotelli, ‘yeah lets go on about it and make it happen it’ll be great!’ Social media goes into over drive about failed footballer Balotelli which no doubt influences the club, and it costs us 12 points! It spreads like a virus. And you lot are ground zero.
Wrong again.
For and against Balotelli: http://www.theanfieldwrap.com/2014/08/balotelli-liverpool-really-signing-mad-mario/
Against Balotelli: http://www.theanfieldwrap.com/2014/10/mario-world/
Everyone has their opinions. No one gets together to decide what they are. Because that would be ridiculous, obviously.
And the club buy players on the basis of social media? Ha ha ha. Fucking hell.
Brilliant mate. Now find a way to send it to Brendan so he can read it. Job complete :-)
yeah, yeah
Spot on there Adam.
Points raises are all genuine concerns that a lot of supprters have. Colin certainly needs to get some trousers on.!
Mistakes are being made by players, managers and supporters.. It’s time for us to all move forward together as one. The boss is learning and hopefully he’ll turn the corner and so will some of the players..!
One tackle can change a match, one match can change a season…
I prefer Ludo to scrabble. Scrabble makes my brain hurt. Come on you REDS!
BR is OK. Don’t buy foreign unknown “stars” just buy Joe Hart Job done! Red Slev
All I want is Mignolet, Manquillo, Skrtel, Sakho, Moreno, Lucas, Allen, Henderson, Sterling, Sturridge, Balotelli diamond formation, rip teams apart like last season and have some bloody fun again as a Liverpool supporter.
All this doom and gloom was 4 years ago, when Hodgson was about and we had no money and no structure.
It’s not supposed to be like that anymore. We’re a young team, with quality throughout, yet for whatever reason we are playing within ourselves, out of fear, stubbornness, stupidity I don’t know.
A return to some rational thinking from Rodgers, a word in his ear that he can enjoy himself and I think we’ll be back on track. There’s too much work gone in to this team for it not to.
Sorry to labour a point here but you could easily see that quite a few players “stats” are higher than Gerrards.But does that mean they are all playing better than Gerrard?
Anyway my point was that they all achieve the necessary levels in training and preparation otherwise they wouldn’t even be in the squad.
So,what’s going on when they get onto the pitch?How come that super fitness turns into lethargy the minute the game starts?Are they not confident in each other’s ability?Are they not confident in what they’ve being asked to do?
There are some serious questions here.We’ve signed a fair few players recently and I don’t believe that they arrived here to demonstrate if they had any basic footballing ability.I would hope that we would have checked that out way before we started even thinking about signing them.
So what’s going wrong?And how come Gerrard is carrying the can?
Seven or eight new players need to get used to Gerrard?And Gerrard needs to nurture seven or eight new players?
Do you really think that stacks up?
I agree with it all bar Toure, he doesn’t look solid at all, he’s past his prime.
Well said that man. I’m sick and tired of hearing people slag of the team and the manager. I think Brendan is a good manager and should be given a chance to rectify the team. Everything in this makes perfect sense. I hope somehow Brendan reads this and thinks “I think this means right, let’s give it a go.” YNWA
Very good letter. I know this might sound a bit silly but are you really going to send it to Brendan or was it just a style of article? I’m asking because I don’t think it would be a bad idea to actually post it to Brendan. Mark it as ‘addressee only’ – that way Brendan should receive it to his hand. Or post it to his house. Well done – John D.