Let me just say thank you for the excellent posts that have appeared in this thread, particularly from
Harinder,
Fiasco and
Timbo's Goals. Much appreciated all.
Just a question. If this season is repeated, would you think it would be time for Brendan to move on? Hypothetically speaking. We all want him to have a blinder and take us to the heights, but if he doesn't?
If you think that a repeat of this season would make it time to move on, then its just a time delay that differentiates you from those who say it may have been for the best for him to vacate the seat this summer.
Please note I'm saying 'you' in a collective sense for those who may be so inclined, not in any accusatory way.
I think there's a lot of signalling of virtue in this debate. The only thing its wrong to say is personal things or offensive comments about Brendan or his integrity.
Not aimed at me, I know, but it's a good question so I'll attempt a reply.
If a repeat of the season meant finishing sixth, that in itself would not make me want him to move on. To me, it's going to be the manner of how we perform. This past season, I think we are all agreed, was mostly about a giant mistake with our striking options. Rodgers seemed to be in several minds about how to deal with the increasing injury list and the options he had available. At the same time, I think he got overwhelmed by the challenges of European football at the highest level, and the concomitant pressure of games every few days. With the realisation that he had the equivalent of a blunt spoon instead of the dual rapiers of the season prior, I think he started second guessing himself too much.
All leaders have been there. As the spinning plates wobble, we run to those we think are likely to fall, then those that we can definitely save, then we run in circles, then we stop and stare at the unfolding carnage, paralysed with indecision. The important metric, once the sounds of crashing crockery fade, is how we react to failure and prepare ourselves for the re-run.
For me, if Brendan shows signs of learning the lessons, he will be an immeasurably better manager for the long term future of the club. As I wrote in what became an opening post, I would like him to show confidence and development in the teams he picks. He has a reputation as a coach who develops young players - I would like to see all our youngsters properly used and backed, with clear direction and a clear set of tactics. Obviously, injuries will affect any plan, but if they do, don't panic, lead. Rodgers is a confident man, but the humility of failure is, paradoxically, the best steel for doing what you think is right.
If he demonstrates his principles and sticks with them, I think he'll do well. (With my personal caveat that I hope his principles are more swashbuckling than possession for possession's sake, but whatever, show what you're made of and believe). Whoever the strikers are that he wants, let him have them and play the way he wants them to. We're all dead men in the end.
If we can see more steel, more principle, less panic, even if we finish 6th again, I would want him to continue to finish the development of his project. I'm not so foolish to think we can over-take the moneyed clubs so easily, but I wouldn't want to see any more abject capitulations. For me, those were the result of Rodgers' over-tinkering and misuse of players and the psychological impact that had on the team as a whole. I reflect that we were a couple of result from an astonishing title a season ago, and we were a couple of results from an unlikely fourth place last season. That shows promise to me. We also had a good defensive run this time around. It's therefore the post United crash that bothers me. See that again, and he should be gone. Balls to the wall from now on, in all games, no matter the finish position, I'll be OK.
So for me, it's not a 'time delay' so much as how well he learns from this season. If he emerges from the fire stronger, I'm happy because that's a rare quality. The owners have given him their backing. Unless we are in danger of relegation, I am sure they will back him right through the season and he should know that. That's a rare thing in sports, and he should take the opportunity that almost no other club would have given him and believe in himself.
