Topic: Brendan Rodgers - Liverpool Manager (ours to keep - or at least till 2018)

[spinaltapped]

Only having players like Moses and Aspas off the bench hurt us much more this season than our defense. When our first team squad is winded, we're ripe for the picking. It'll be different next season when we have a proper squad together and more competition for the starting XI.

[killer-heels]

We have a great opportunity to build on what has been a fantastic season. I just hope the owners give him what he needs in the summer. I'm sure there will be some outgoings too but I really hope that our transfer policy isn't funded by outgoings alone.

Rodgers will assess his performance as well. I know there were a lot of transfer frustrations but bar some good performances from Mignolet and Sakho, his transfers last summer were poor. Moses was a complete dud, Cissokho only managed a game because we had no one else, Aspas has been pretty bad and Alberto was a non-entity. He has to bring in better players in the summer.

[SquirrelandGman]

i wish i could give him some of my expertise in killing off games from my 10 years experience playing football manager.

Rodgers if you're reading this, get your agent to give me a call

[Macedonian Red Reborn]

He has said he wants 5 or 6. He is right.

I think that Brendan was disappointed when he has said that, just like we are all disappointed. Like I have suggested, we have some very talented young players coming back from loan, and considering how much the likes of Sterling and Flanagan have improved under our manager this season, I am really curious to see what Brendan can do with the likes of Borini, Suso, Ilori and Wisdom next season. Of course, we need to add some top quality, but I think that it would be much smarter to add 2 or 3 top class players who will be regular starters, instead of diluting the available transfer funds on 5 or 6 new arrivals.

[SquirrelandGman]

top of the list for him surely is a matic type player.

rafa used the xabi-mascherano combo to great effect.

[killer-heels]

I think that Brendan was disappointed when he has said that, just like we are all disappointed. Like I have suggested, we have some very talented young players coming back from loan, and considering how much the likes of Sterling and Flanagan have improved under our manager this season, I am really curious to see what Brendan can do with the likes of Borini, Suso, Ilori and Wisdom next season. Of course, we need to add some top quality, but I think that it would be much smarter to add 2 or 3 top class players who will be regular starters, instead of diluting the available transfer funds on 5 or 6 new arrivals.

Not sure I agree with that. Don't want to go into transfers but I wouldn't swap our front 6 with anyone (Gerrard, Henderson, Sterling, Coutinho, Sturridge and Suarez). Problem is that we don't have comparable talent who can come in and we only have had 1 player that has done well when he has come in and that is Allen. We need at least another 3 players who can slot in and be of comparable talent. The likes of Borini and Suso are in addition to those 3 as well.

So thats 3 with the quite obvious additions at full back and centre back.

[redmark]

A+.

I don't like demanding any given position, given that much of that is out of our control, depending on the performance of other teams. In terms of points, we could/should have exceeded 70 points this season, even.

60-65: Serious lack of progression and would put pressure on the manager, though I'd hope he'd get a third year regardless. (D)
65-70: Minimum expected progression.  (C)
70-75: Reasonable expected progression. (B)
75-80: Achieveable and positive progression (A)
80+: A*

[Macedonian Red Reborn]

Not sure I agree with that. Don't want to go into transfers but I wouldn't swap our front 6 with anyone (Gerrard, Henderson, Sterling, Coutinho, Sturridge and Suarez). Problem is that we don't have comparable talent who can come in and we only have had 1 player that has done well when he has come in and that is Allen. We need at least another 3 players who can slot in and be of comparable talent. The likes of Borini and Suso are in addition to those 3 as well.

So thats 3 with the quite obvious additions at full back and centre back.

One of the things that I love the most about our manager is his ability to improve and develop players. Like I have said, the improvement from Sterling and Flanagan this season has been really impressive. That is why I think that it would be much smarter to use the obvious quality of Brendan in this area, and give a chance to players like Borini, Suso, Ilori and Wisdom next season, especially since we will be having an increased number of games.

Of course, this summer will also be the chance to see how good is our manager (and his scouting staff) at the top end of the transfer market. We will have the funds available to attract at least a couple of top quality players, preferably under the age of 23-24. This summer will be the perfect chance to make the next Torres/Suarez type of signing, and I really hope that Brendan will take that chance.

[Byrneand]

We've had an amazing season and performed and entertained far and above my expectations at the start of the season. Everyone can more than hold their heads up high. Ultimately, however we've been caught short in all of the areas that we knew about at the start of the season.

Ultimately, we have a great starting 11 but that's it (relative to the established top 4 teams). Everyone knows this and hopefully it'll get addressed over the summer. For context, Flanagan has been are starting left back the 2nd half of the season but he's hardly Paolo Maldini; that's no disrespect to Flanagan - definitely one of the stars of the season but look what we're competing against.

I expect Rodgers to be backed with the goal of consolidating 4th place ahead of the jump in CL revenues in 2015/2016.

Who knows how these last few days will pan out but bottom line, what a season and what a time to be a Liverpool fan!

[IanZG]

A+.

Was thinking the same last season, what an effort from the team to get us above 80 points!

[Doc Red]

Let me get this straight, we're into the final week of a season where we failed to bring in quality attacking/midfield players during the summer transfer window, failed to bring in anyone during the winter window, Suarez was out for the first 5 league games, Sturridge was out for two months (including the winter congested period), Gerrard was out for one month, Jose was out for most of the season and instead we played a young rightback as his replacement that wasn't wanted on loan by any team, and we would have given anything at the start of the season to finish 4th, and yet Liverpool are top of the league?

We're in a title race, and not in the first week of the season. We're in with a shout to win the title on the last day of the season?

Well done, Brendan Rodgers. Well done.

You've "outacticed" everyone so well, you've converted the team so seamlessly and quickly, that you've even managed to get Liverpool fans disappointed with their current predicament. A predicament that has us top of the league and with something still to fight for on the final day of the season.

A predicament that if predicted before the season had started, most of us would have labelled as ravings of a ranting lunatic clearly in denial with reality. We would have asked what you were smoking, and quickly ordered us a batch. And yet, the reality is, the impossible became possible. We not only got 4th, we guaranteed the Championsleague and are still involved in a title race. The impossible became possible to such a degree, that we took it for granted, and demanded another improbable. Suddenly, doing what we thought was the impossible wasn't enough, nope, apparantly, we're supposed to have won the league this season and seen off City, the most expensive squad in the world, filled to the brim with talent. No matter that Brendan had us scratching and clawing above our level, suddenly, his tactics are the problem, or is it his experience?

Naah. Thankfully, most of us recognise the massive achievement Brendan has managed this season, absolutely massive. He's restored our passion, our pride, and to some degree, we're starting to get a taste of our heritage again. It's been so long, many have forgotten we were built to win titles. And sometimes, before you run, you crawl.

Well done, Brendan Rodgers. Well done.

[lamonti]

He's done an absolutely cracking job. The narrative of football can always change in one week, so it's best to not let the big picture disappear from sight. Next year could be even more difficult, but getting a team from 7th to 2nd deserves a lot of credit to be backed in the market this summer.

[Mighty Zeus]

Let me get this straight, we're into the final week of a season where we failed to bring in quality attacking/midfield players during the summer transfer window, failed to bring in anyone during the winter window, Suarez was out for the first 5 league games, Sturridge was out for two months (including the winter congested period), Gerrard was out for one month, Jose was out for most of the season and instead we played a young rightback as his replacement that wasn't wanted on loan by any team, and we would have given anything at the start of the season to finish 4th, and yet Liverpool are top of the league?

We're in a title race, and not in the first week of the season. We're in with a shout to win the title on the last day of the season?

Fucking VOILA.

It's an incredible achievement. For a tactically naive, inexperienced and over-theoretical manager competing against teams paid for with Russian and Middle Eastern money, he's got the bit about 'making your team better than all the other teams' down pretty fucking well.

[wellred99]

Let me get this straight, we're into the final week of a season where we failed to bring in quality attacking/midfield players during the summer transfer window, failed to bring in anyone during the winter window, Suarez was out for the first 5 league games, Sturridge was out for two months (including the winter congested period), Gerrard was out for one month, Jose was out for most of the season and instead we played a young rightback as his replacement that wasn't wanted on loan by any team, and we would have given anything at the start of the season to finish 4th, and yet Liverpool are top of the league?

We're in a title race, and not in the first week of the season. We're in with a shout to win the title on the last day of the season?

Well done, Brendan Rodgers. Well done.

You've "outacticed" everyone so well, you've converted the team so seamlessly and quickly, that you've even managed to get Liverpool fans disappointed with their current predicament. A predicament that has us top of the league and with something still to fight for on the final day of the season.

A predicament that if predicted before the season had started, most of us would have labelled as ravings of a ranting lunatic clearly in denial with reality. We would have asked what you were smoking, and quickly ordered us a batch. And yet, the reality is, the impossible became possible. We not only got 4th, we guaranteed the Championsleague and are still involved in a title race. The impossible became possible to such a degree, that we took it for granted, and demanded another improbable. Suddenly, doing what we thought was the impossible wasn't enough, nope, apparantly, we're supposed to have won the league this season and seen off City, the most expensive squad in the world, filled to the brim with talent. No matter that Brendan had us scratching and clawing above our level, suddenly, his tactics are the problem, or is it his experience?

Naah. Thankfully, most of us recognise the massive achievement Brendan has managed this season, absolutely massive. He's restored our passion, our pride, and to some degree, we're starting to get a taste of our heritage again. It's been so long, many have forgotten we were built to win titles. And sometimes, before you run, you crawl.

Well done, Brendan Rodgers. Well done.

Great post mate! Cheered me right up.

[pjshaun]

Although we are not mathematically out of it yet, we deserved to win the title on the basis of our attack alone. Having said that, this is a learning curve and the situation this season was something new for our lads and manager. We'll learn from this experience and we go again next season. Bigger, better, stronger, deadlier, hungrier,  and defensively more solid. A premier league champion has to be good in all departments and in truth we were lacking in defense this season. Brendan will recognize that, improve us and take us to the next level. I'm sure of that. This year was about experiencing what's it like to challenge for a title. Next season we'll have new things to learn like:

Squad rotation: How to manage a squad with more than 11 players challenging for the starting 11. We'll have better squad players, it's obvious.
Fitness: How to keep everyone fit due to having 2 games a week.
Match management: Learn when to shut up shop. How to be mentally strong away from home and not to buckle under pressure in last 20-30 minutes.
Cracking bus parking: We'll most definitely see more bus parking at Anfield due to teams having no other way to get a result against us. Most teams will be terrified of our attacking impetus and Chelsea style double bus parking could be the only way they can hope to get something.

[plura]

A+.

Spot on!

[hide5seek]

Would never in my wildest dreams beginning of season think with 3 games to go it would be in our hands and we could win it and even now on sunday we could still do it. An amazing achievement to come this close and it's still possible to do it. Annoyingly though I think Pullis will get manager of the year, can't stand the bloke, though he has done his normal job of making his teams bloody hard to beat.

[El Lobo]

Let's get his contract signed so we're celebrating on Sunday regardless

[TheDarkKnight]

Huge summer coming up for Rodgers. He's done a brilliant job this season and deserves tonnes of credit for what he's achieved on limited resources (in comparison to three or four of our rivals). He will get a bumper new contract and, you would think, a significant amount of cash to spend in the summer.

This is a real test of him now though. If we lost the title on goal difference or in another way it would hurt but I don't think it would require too much motivation to get the players geared for next season. We didn't lose the title last night but the way that game unfolded will have seriously affected quite a few of the players (as seen in the reaction of Suarez, Gerrard and others). Rodgers' job - perhaps with the help of Steve Peters - will be to somehow pick them up and get that game out of their minds by the beginning of next season. To turn it in to a positive that revitalises the team.

Obviously signings will be vital too. He hasn't got the best track record so far in that department, but he'll have more control with his new contract and more funds to play with. Essential he gets it right so that we kick on and channel the disappointing end to this season in to a motivational tool for next.

[reniformis]

Massive summer coming up. Whether we win the title or not, the top teams will still have the same questions. For us, it's the defence/the balance of the team, and our transfer activity/squad size. For City it's the FFP sanctions and how that affects their transfer dealings. For Chelsea it's the lack of top strikers, the ageing players in the squad (Cole, Terry, Lampard), that they have a hundred players on loan coming back, and Mourinho's distrust of their 3 most creative players this season, one of which he's already sold. Never mind the fact that he and his shitcoat are turning from Benedict Cumberbatch to Peter Falk before our eyes. Arsenal still don't know what they want to be, and the fans will be getting on Wenger's back again during the transfer window, I'm sure. Everton have to give their loan players back and replace them or buy them and Spurs need a new manager who'll inherit a  squad overfilled with £100m worth of misfits. The mancs, well, ageing squad, new manager, no Champions League money. And whoever qualifies for the EL out of Spurs/Everton/Mancs will probably have to play more games than us.

Dunno where I'm going with all this, but I believe Rodgers and Pellegrini have another year of turmoil/rebuilding at their rivals to take advantage of and they're already the best two clubs in the country. We Go Again.

[robgomm]

Have we sold Suarez?

Nobody consulted me! 

[Banquo's Ghost]

Let me get this straight, we're into the final week of a season where we failed to bring in quality attacking/midfield players during the summer transfer window, failed to bring in anyone during the winter window, Suarez was out for the first 5 league games, Sturridge was out for two months (including the winter congested period), Gerrard was out for one month, Jose was out for most of the season and instead we played a young rightback as his replacement that wasn't wanted on loan by any team, and we would have given anything at the start of the season to finish 4th, and yet Liverpool are top of the league?

We're in a title race, and not in the first week of the season. We're in with a shout to win the title on the last day of the season?

Well done, Brendan Rodgers. Well done.

You've "outacticed" everyone so well, you've converted the team so seamlessly and quickly, that you've even managed to get Liverpool fans disappointed with their current predicament. A predicament that has us top of the league and with something still to fight for on the final day of the season.

A predicament that if predicted before the season had started, most of us would have labelled as ravings of a ranting lunatic clearly in denial with reality. We would have asked what you were smoking, and quickly ordered us a batch. And yet, the reality is, the impossible became possible. We not only got 4th, we guaranteed the Championsleague and are still involved in a title race. The impossible became possible to such a degree, that we took it for granted, and demanded another improbable. Suddenly, doing what we thought was the impossible wasn't enough, nope, apparantly, we're supposed to have won the league this season and seen off City, the most expensive squad in the world, filled to the brim with talent. No matter that Brendan had us scratching and clawing above our level, suddenly, his tactics are the problem, or is it his experience?

Naah. Thankfully, most of us recognise the massive achievement Brendan has managed this season, absolutely massive. He's restored our passion, our pride, and to some degree, we're starting to get a taste of our heritage again. It's been so long, many have forgotten we were built to win titles. And sometimes, before you run, you crawl.

Well done, Brendan Rodgers. Well done.

Cracking post, well done and thank you.

It's disappointing to read so many members unwilling to see how far we have come in such a short time, and perhaps worse, largely missing where Brendan's philosophy has placed us on the 'risk-reward' spectrum. We don't get the rewards without the risks, and if we had followed the advice being dispensed in such a lofty manner by some, we would have been scrapping for fourth at best. Brendan has us playing in a way that is entirely scalable to greater heights and most of all, he is a student of the game willing and able to learn as he has proven time and time again.

We defend with energy and pressure and as far as I can see, last night we ran out of the former which led to less of the latter. It happens.

The sharpest steel is forged in the hottest of fires. We can still win this, and if we don't we have a manager and players that will never want to feel the way they did last night again. Remember, we won eleven on the trot ( with a fair number of clean sheets too ) to get us into this last week of the season top of the league. They have performed the unimaginable - the truly impossible may have slipped, or a legend may yet be created on Sunday. No fucking naivety involved, just hearts of lions.

[Felch Aid]

A class act who has delivered CL footie 12 months ahead of target in my opinion playing great attacking football and within a whisker of winning it against teams who have outspent us. He' s also getting an extra 10 or 20% out of players.

Give him the contract extension but most of all he needs backing on all his top targets.

No doubt he will have his work cut out next year but it's a dilemma he'll love having.

[SimplyRed91]

Regardless of wether we win the league or not, this man has us going in the right direction. Just look at what we've achieved in his time here, and with more money to spend in the summer hopefully. Were on the march. Its not the end after Newcastle, were only just beginning.

[Notfromaroundhere]

I'm not sure if the mentality of the players isn't good enough or whether they just aren't good enough, but the feeling we are going to concede in the second half of games needs to be addressed. We could easily have dropped points against Norwich like we did tonight, and the Swansea game is also relevant.

Sahko isn't as impressive as we would like him to be, and Skrtel has to fight a losing battle when Johnson is (pretty regularly now) out of position or doing something stupid with the ball. Rodgers must get his signings right this summer and who he lets go. Johnson's attitude and inconsistency should see him gone and Lucas just can't do it any more in place of Henderson.

Rodgers has had the best year of his career as a manager but next year will be the hardest.

Think the second half thing is just a consequence of us already leading by one or two goals and the opposition being forced to take chances and push forward; and since we're not yet good enough at keeping the ball under pressure we make too many "simple" mistakes and get pushed back a lot more than in the first half games, when teams sit deep and try to stop us rather than going for it.

That's the key for me. Replacing one or two defensive components could help, but the most important element is improving what we do with the ball under pressure.

[kkjellquist]

Simple question from someone who's a novice at tactics.....


When Henderson goes out w/ his red for 3 games why not have SG go back to his attacking mid role and let Lucas play DM?  I know it's Stevie's new position, but isn't it much easier for him to switch back to his old role than Lucas playing a position he has never played?  Neither really have the legs at this point, but SG has to be a better choice through experience.

[MiserableP15]

Simple question from someone who's a novice at tactics.....


When Henderson goes out w/ his red for 3 games why not have SG go back to his attacking mid role and let Lucas play DM?  I know it's Stevie's new position, but isn't it much easier for him to switch back to his old role than Lucas playing a position he has never played?  Neither really have the legs at this point, but SG has to be a better choice through experience.

Did think about that myself, and it's not a bad point.

[Il Capitano]

Thats my take on it.   Suarez was fucked, sturridge not 100 per cent, no hendo, and lucas legs have gone, but the 11 on the pitch and one and two others have carried us this season and walk into the team cos the subs bench is dire. 

I thought it was a poor summer for us and hoped we'd do enough to get ourselves through to january, we did, above and beyond, and when january came the powers that be fucked up again. 

It might have been the difference.

We've muddled through and gone on an unbelievable run.  We lost henderson against city, we had nothing in reserve v chelsea, no alternative on the bench, and we've run on empty and run out of fuel those last ten.

Well we've heard the excuse that all the signings we missed out on wanted top level footy no excuses to be shite in the market this summer.

Spot on, KiNki. You can only imagine that had we not divvied around in the market and gotten one of Salah or Konoplyanka sealed and delivered in January, we would have more quality to choose from and wouldn't be in the position of bringing on sub-par players like Victor Moses in the middle of a title run-in whilst City can stick the likes of Silva, Fernandinho and Jovetic on the bench.

[MiserableP15]

Spot on, KiNki. You can only imagine that had we not divvied around in the market and gotten one of Salah or Konoplyanka sealed and delivered in January, we would have more quality to choose from and wouldn't be in the position of bringing on sub-par players like Victor Moses in the middle of a title run-in whilst City can stick the likes of Silva, Fernandinho and Jovetic on the bench.

It's easy to forget the position we were in when looking to strengthen last Summer and in January, compared to where we are now. We are quite literally in a different league now.

[robgomm]

Simple question from someone who's a novice at tactics.....


When Henderson goes out w/ his red for 3 games why not have SG go back to his attacking mid role and let Lucas play DM?  I know it's Stevie's new position, but isn't it much easier for him to switch back to his old role than Lucas playing a position he has never played?  Neither really have the legs at this point, but SG has to be a better choice through experience.

It's an argument to make but as a net result I think keeping Gerrard where he is has outweighed Lucas being where he is and I'm not sure I could say the same if we switched. Obviously Lucas is not as effective as Henderson going forward, still works hard defensively though.

For me the issue yesterday was the diamond leaving us so vulnerable on the wings, we just got taken apart down either wing several times including for one or two of their goals. It's really hard for the two sides of the diamond to cover the full-back and remain combative centrally. I was wanting us to go 4-3-3 but it was perhaps too late when we did really. Easy stood in the pub to say that.

[Dubit10]

Some of the posts in here since the match last night have been pathetic. We can win the league Sunday, think about that for a minute.

[CHOPPER]

Some of the posts in here since the match last night have been pathetic. We can win the league Sunday, think about that for a minute.

What do you think I've been doing for the last 4 fuckin months!?

[MiserableP15]

What do you think I've been doing for the last 4 fuckin months!?

You post a lot Chops. Some of your more salient points get lost amidst the bitter baiting.

[steveeastend]

I am a big fan of Rodgers but I didn't like how he kind of shifted the blame to the players in this one.

Truth is though that after a long season the players are empty, physically and mentality, and are unable to react or rethink decisions on the pitch without having it praticed in training over the length of a season.

You cannot react to something which a team isn't prepared for as the mental flexibility will suffer the more the players are already exhausted.

We were fucked, the players were tired, which lead to this little mistakes and we had no Plan B to relate to, it happens all by instinct at this point of a season and you play what you've practised in training all season.

[redmark]

Simple question from someone who's a novice at tactics.....


When Henderson goes out w/ his red for 3 games why not have SG go back to his attacking mid role and let Lucas play DM?  I know it's Stevie's new position, but isn't it much easier for him to switch back to his old role than Lucas playing a position he has never played?  Neither really have the legs at this point, but SG has to be a better choice through experience.

How many goals scored have come from a quick attack as a result of a Gerrard long pass or diagonal switch over recent months? How many have come from the space created by defences having to be alert to those passes, and kept 'honest'?

Another point which will fairly certainly be discussed frequently over the summer, is a genuine doubt as to whether post-injury Lucas is really any more mobile than Gerrard right now, and therefore whether he would really provide much greater defensive solidity anyway. In the absence of Henderson, Lucas has greater stamina for the 'shuttle' role than Gerrard, but seems to have lost that covering pace.

There's probably a discussion to be had on whether we've been a little more brittle, and a little less incisive, with the diamond, too.

[theredguy03]

Now that I've composed myself from yesterday.

He has worked his magic this season, how many managers can boast doing the double over Man United and Spurs along with wins at home to Man City, Everton AND Arsenal? Plus he has got us scoring 99 League goals and likely to be 100+ by the end of the Newcastle game. This is his second full season and already has us in the Champions League next season. We've had some bad results sure but that's how football works.

I salute you Brendan 

[woof]

I am a big fan of Rodgers but I didn't like how he kind of shifted the blame to the players in this one.

The guilty ones: defenders + Brendan Rodgers.

However, that's not fair to hang them based on a single match. Without title run-in challenge for the past 24 years (or you could argue the last one was in 2009), the team (Brendan included) had no experience in dealing with pressure. The team has done us proud. It's not finished yet so perhaps there is a miracle greater than Istanbul which will unfold before our eyes. Improbable but not impossible.

[killer-heels]

Rodgers did say everyone was to blame and mentioned how he has to be better. He did shift blame but that blame was passed around, which was fair.

[TSC]

bringing on sub-par players like Victor Moses in the middle of a title run-in whilst City can stick the likes of Silva, Fernandinho and Jovetic on the bench.

I'd completely forgotten the absolute sitter he missed in injury time last night.  Missed the ball completely from about 5 yards out.

[kkjellquist]

I am a big fan of Rodgers but I didn't like how he kind of shifted the blame to the players in this one.

Didn't hear that at all....he said everyone is to blame and they lose as a team.  He specifically said "the manager" as well.