Faith.
That's what separates those fans from the ones who wanted him out a few months ago. Faith doesn't waver when things are going wrong - it is something that puts fans on trial to show their loyalty as much as it is a trial for the manager to get things right again. That test of faith - many of us passed with flying colours, backing the man to the hilt in his toughest hour and at a time when the manager needed it most.
For those who didn't back Rodgers, can you seriously tell me you did not believe in him last season? And if you did believe, are you not guilty of fickleness of the highest nature, the type of which undermines fanbases today with their fair weather type attitudes? It was never deluded to have faith Rodgers. We had conviction in our belief after seeing some of the bloody sensational performances with our own eyes. It is easy to suggest delusion of faith if you supported people like Hodgson until the end - whose brand of football was utterly abject from the word go and where there was never one second which looked as if he might have a master plan.
But Rodgers? From the word go, I thought he was something special, very special. Admittedly, he wasn't my first choice for the job prior to the appointment but once it was clear he was the the manager FSG desired, I did some research on him and was immediately impressed by the numerous articles on this Northern Irishman. Then came his appointment and the much heralded press conference on 1st June 2012.
Being a student at the University of Aberdeen, I had my an exam in the morning. The sun was belting down, the air was warm and the birds sang - and so it proved in Liverpool too. After the exam and a few celebratory pints with some mates, I rushed back to my wee student house and raced up stairs to watch the press conference in full on my laptop. For this anxious lad with a natural predisposition of doom and perpetual gloom in all walks of life (I love The Smiths and The Cure!), he caught my full attention, offering a tranquility to proceedings, erasing all doubts and fears I had about the club. He was ambitious not pragmatic, realistic not deluded, hopeful not unpromising - all wrapped up in a fierce independent and single minded conviction that it was all up to him to sort this mess out. The assured nature of this young manager shocked me - this man had balls! The faith started then, conviction became more apparent even with a difficult start. We showed much promise early on in those matches where we were unlucky in many aspects, while the second half of the season we improved massively. It was clear the managers methods were taking hold. And then an unfancied team ran big spenders City close. Did I doubt him this year? Not at all - we were once again thrown into turmoil with the sale of our best player, the injury of our second best player and bedding in new exciting talent to a squad which lacked depth. It was a juggling act which was incredibly difficult for any manager. But with so much young exciting talent coming to fruition, we have - for the first time in an age - a squad with depth AND quality. That has become apparent in the last few months, and it's onwards and upwards for this young team who made the champions of England look average. Men against boys they say, or more apt with last Sundays game, boys against men.
So I just can't comprehend people who decided to fuck the fanbase and the club over by acting the turncoat and stabbing a man who made us ALL believe (don't lie - we all believed in him last season). If there was anyone who shamed and undermined the club over the last few months, it was not Rodgers, it was those fair weather fans who called for his sack.
Thank god this forum is in the majority backing the man. When did the fans of this club ever need the media to tell us what to believe? Don't believe the 'truth' I say. The globalisation of the Premier League is to blame for the fickle nature of the modern fan. That glorious League where every team is a bona-fide winner and fans love every minute according to those glossy Sky adverts, losing is simply not acceptable. It's win or die, no time for all this patient rebuilding, fuck that, blow shit loads on some world class Barcelona signing and that will get us to the top - and get that Guardiola fella in and sack that charlatan Rodgers, he'll sort it all out. Yeah, that's realistic, that will get us to the top. It must be true - Sky Sports said it, some fat bloke off TalkSport said it and so did the press, and some Man Utd fan from Suffolk took the piss out of me for supporting a shit team, so I'll take it out on the manager for embarrassing me. Yeah, that will get us back to the top.
If one thing separates true Liverpool fans from the turncoats, it's believing in ourselves rather than someone telling us what to believe in. We will make up our own minds with our own assessments and our own conclusions and that's the opinion that matters most - so thank god the majority of us still support Brendan Rodgers.