Great post and well said.
On balance, I am pleased that FSG has decided to back the manager. God knows, I have been frustrated with him and his choices this season, but I instinctively dislike the knee-jerk opinions of the modern media, and so have tended to set aside my own impatience as something created by too much reading.
I'm wouldn't say that I'm pleased that the manager has been given a reprieve, but I wouldn't say that I would've been over-joyed had he been sacked. My reason for the latter would've been that, as I've stated previously, I really have no appetite for another project or 5 year plan. I some regards, it is encouraging to see FSG back the manager but not, at the same time, they should support him with the funds and players to make sure we're reasonably successful next season, be that with a cup run or top-4 finish.
Having said that, I've been very troubled by the manner of defeats and decisions made this season. Accepting that my knowledge of football is not great, some of the choices in rotation and use of young players have been baffling. Some decisions, in my view, that Rodgers has made have bordered on cowardly, but perhaps are better characterised as inexperienced and over-pressured. He has lost my trust, but I am willing to continue my support in the hope that he will grow through this awful time and realise that he must stick to whatever principles he has and drive on. If his principles are wrong, so be it. But don't chop and change, don't play young players out of position all the time, and don't bend. If you're going to go down, go down doing what you believe in. More than likely, you will succeed.
If anything, I think this chopping and changing is what may have led to those defeats at the end of the season. While there was an outside chance of top-4, when that became less likely, the priority should have been to see how the players could perform in their ideal/preferred positions with a view to the following season and where/what reinforcements would be needed. I felt that at the end, there was far too much plugging of gaps and naturally something had to give. While it might not have been right, the players simply seemed to lost faith and gave up. This was clearly seen in Can's performance. While he's been superb as a makeshift defender in a back 3, he clearly didn't feel comfortable in a back 4 and lost all confidence from the cup defeat against Villa and in the game against Stoke.
FSG have also lost some of my trust, as it's not entirely clear any more that they want us to have the success they brought to the Red Sox. I don't know what their plan is either, but for now they have my support too. By sticking with Brendan, I feel more comfortable that they understand what stability brings, and that their end of season review - which is clearly not going to be shared with us, the supporters, for whatever inscrutable reasons - has been thorough and provided detailed conclusions up which they will act decisively.
It will be interesting to see how FSG support the manager. While we expect them to splash the cash, I think there needs to be a bit more transparency on the transfer committee and who plays what role. For far too long it seems that players are thrust upon the manager and he's got to make it work. But lately, it seems like the manager does have some influence. Perhaps this influence needs to be greater, after all he's got to work with these players and get them to fit his system/philosophy. I would also like a greater presence at games. It seems like they've been "managing from abroad". If Mike Gordon is supposed to be their rep over here, he needs to start being more visible.
The players I am more sanguine about. I think we did pretty well last transfer window, and that our young players will be much better in their second season. Returning to my theme above, I consider we did them no favours by the constant chopping and changing of their roles - as a leader myself, I believe strongly in getting new people to excel in their correct role before challenging them with instability. Indeed, the first rule of change management is to ensure people can mentally cope with the change around them by giving them some sense of their role and allowing them to achieve in it.
To be honest, I'm quite disappointed with the way the manager has handled the (young) players, especially those with delicate situations. Markovic was widely touted as a good up and coming player and you'd expect someone like Rodgers to get the best out of him, but instead he's been left out of the squad and that has naturally led to a loss of confidence. I agree that you want to play those players in their preferred positions, and the constant changing hasn't helped either. While you'd expect some flexibility on the players part, to want to convert them entirely may not have been the best approach.
Perhaps even the Gerrard/Sterling situation could've been handled in a slightly different manner. But I suppose my biggest frustration was the way the strikers have been handled. To have 3 available but still insist on playing without one for large parts of the season/matches does not send the right signals to the squad. And when they were used, was it any surprise that none performed?
I would expect Rodgers to meet with each player now, apologise for his indecision and mistakes, and agree a way forward that they can embrace. In a few weeks time, if that air is cleared now, they will reassemble full of fight and clarity for the new season.
I would be pleasantly surprised if Rodgers came out and apologised to the players... but if that doesn't happen, I hope he does have a session (be it one on one or with the group as a whole) and lays out the plan for the season, how he hopes to take key fixtures in the league. Also, how the Europa league will be treated and what he expects from them as players and as a squad as a whole.
But now that FSG have made their decision, we need to back the manager and the players. I'm sure there will be some teething problems but hopefully this won't last too long. We need to have a good start, show some ambition and I hope we as a fan-base can get behind the club and look onward and upward.
