Mediocre at best

[Lecter]

In what way are they "critical for Rodgers"? What do you think will realistically happen if things don't improve?

I've read quite a few of your posts this morning and I think you're unnecessarily and, at times unfairly, critical. To give just two examples that jumped out: "results speak for themselves" - well, no, not entirely actually. Not unless you want them to for some reason or other.

And as for the idea that Gerrard's only defensive asset was his pace, it rather neglects to mention that he always used to be able to tackle too. As a defender, he was hardly just a faster version of Paul Scholes or Michael "What does he do?" Carrick.

It's very frustrating and a little depressing but I feel you're overdramatising it. If we're still here in a year then yeah.

Sorry if I'm overdramatising

I've no agenda against Rodgers, I just dont see much to be positive about out there

Sorry but thats how I see it

As for Gerrard perhaps I misexplained it, hes not a holding player, he has in the past relied on his pace to get him out of trouble when hes invariably been out of position. He cant do that now, equally he had a decent motor which allowed him to get around the pitch to be all-action and again he cant do that now

[MrMichael]

Rafa also won 17 games that first season, which means that Rodgers has to win 14 of the next 22 games to equal that and for the record Rafa had 23 points after 14 games

He did. I think he had a stronger squad (relative to the time) but we could debate that forever. We still lost a **** load of games that year, in some of which we played pretty badly.

Rodgers has spent nearly £25-30 million also so its not particularly unreasonable to say hes "had money to spend"

I never said he didn't. You made a point about how "little" Rafa spent on arrival.

Managers live and die by their signings they always do and they always want more

Rodgers has to get it right next window if he doesnt hes in trouble imo

How much are you expecting him to able to do in this window out of interest, given our likely budget (no more than £10m)?

For the record Rafa spent £31 million nett in his first season (including Cisse) I reckon Rodgers has spent £21-22 million nett (plus whatever the loan fee for Sahin was) so far

So it won't be entirely dissimilar. Which was my original point I believe

[Fredo]

Different approaches. Rafa is a pragmatist and some people didn't like it.

[donpisci]

There is no sign we are improving in terms of results we've taken 4 points out of the last 3 games

Compare that to the same run of games from last season:

Last season:

LFC vs Wigan 1-2
Swansea vs LFC 1-0
Spurs vs LFC 4-0

= 0 points

Much better performances in all three games this season too... so there is improvement.

[yamiedo]

Well, all I'm saying is that people need to know what they want. Last year a lot of people were asking for the owners to take action and that Kenny had wasted x amount of money and had no defined way of playing etc ... Now we have a new man in charge, there are criticisms as to how bad we've started the league.

Some people need to be sensible. It's miles away from Roy Hodgson's football.

Absolutely agree

[DannyMan2006]

I think we should see how things are after 19 games before forming opinions. Everyone's played each other then and it gives a better idea of where we could finish.

[Norbs]

There's some minor revisionism going on here imo. We lost 14 times in Rafa's first season in the league. 14.

"Little he had to spend"? Alonso was £10.7m, Garcia 6m, and although we lost Owen for peanuts he did get the prearranged transfer of Cisse for £14m. All told I'm pretty sure our net spend that summer, with a squad that had previously finished higher in the league, was at least what Rodgers had to spend in the summer, possibly more. Rafa brought in players he had existing knowledge of in Spain, Rodgers brought in players he had existing knowledge of... unfortunately not as wide as Rafa's but its little harsh right now to judge his 2 major signings; Allen looked very good then has had a dip in form coinciding with him playing a bit out of his natural role, while Borini got injured before we could really make any fair judgements.

Yes those players haven't had the impact we might have hoped, and its questionable whether he could have bought wiser, but in the long term they both can turn out to be very good buys. I think in the long term the comparison between Rafa and Rodgers first seasons, at least in the league, might turn out not to be such a terrible one.

On a related note. Rafa had Champions League football as a carrot, plus his fantastic record in Spain. We had been a regular in the top 4. Rodger's job of attracting players based on the club's current status is far more difficult than Rafa's

[baitman]

irrespective of how we are building for the future, the blooding of young lads with potential to be great, etc, we are failing to put points on the board.

which top players are going to want to get on this ship. we are not interested in has beens after one last pay day. we need some quality in front of goal to help suarez out.
the goals have dried up from midfield, what is rodgers doing about this.
i have seen a clip earlier where he is saying that suarez needs help, he needs goals from midfield. he recognises the problem, good! lets see how that gets sorted...

if we continue to fail to climb the table, never mind how good we might be in another 2-3 years, will we still have suarez and others at the end of the year...

[~LFCHistory~]

On a related note. Rafa had Champions League football as a carrot, plus his fantastic record in Spain. We had been a regular in the top 4. Rodger's job of attracting players based on the club's current status is far more difficult than Rafa's

The PL is also vastly different now, in Rafa's days we only had to compete with Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal for a top 4 finish, nowadays we have to compete with those 3 teams plus City, Spurs and Everton.

[Vermilion]

The PL is also vastly different now, in Rafa's days we only had to compete with Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal for a top 4 finish, nowadays we have to compete with those 3 teams plus City, Spurs and Everton.

Rafa had H&G to work under. Think that wins it as to who has it easier.

[~LFCHistory~]

Rafa had H&G to work under. Think that wins it as to who has it easier.

Not in his first 3 seasons he didn't and he also had CL football and big wages to offer transfer targets which BR does not.

[kalesh]

The PL is also vastly different now, in Rafa's days we only had to compete with Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal for a top 4 finish, nowadays we have to compete with those 3 teams plus City, Spurs and Everton.

The PL was also much more technical then. Although we had fewer 'contemporaries', the standard was definitely higher. We're competing with more teams on a similar level now - but that's more to do with our own decline, and the collective decline of the PL.

[Redspin]

Interesting views from baracus and elephant man...

I think we have 'some' players. But we have got ourselves into a situation where, squad level/promising youth player....are first teamers. They shouldn't be...

eg for me, sterling, shelvey, suso. Wisdom
The four of them, no way I'll ever slag them off, four very promising youngsters with the potential of becoming top players, but cause we are so poor we are relying on them to produce week in week out, they can't...it can't be expected of the, they should be cover, being rotated, playing last twenty mins or starting in the Europa etc

For me....

Reina
Johnson skrtel agger
Allen gerrard
Suarez

Is all we really have as what I'd call should be reliable, top cconsistent performers, and I'm not sure yet if Allen justifies being in that list....and two of the tip players in that list, Reina and gerrard, have both been ****ing woeful this season

Which means, IMO, we have four...four....first team, experienced reliable players with quality, one of wich is public enemy number one which means 99 percent of decisions go against him.

So for me, it's a difficult one...ok, Rodgers could maybe adapt better and try something to suit what we got....but we also have a clear lack of quality in the personnel

There is no knowing what Lucas is going to come back like...our midfield is so weak and disjointed its untrue...

We need at least a ****ing top class centre mid, a top goalscorer, and top class winger...and arguably a good left back (ok enriiqie has improved further foward, but we should have a better attacking option than him, and he has looked **** at left back, so he's a squaddie at best)

And the worry is...

A) we spent (**** net spend, Torres fee into account blah blah arguments) we have spent...£75m on three players that play in the three positions I believe we lack, and not one of them gives us ****ing anything

B) because of that spend, I don't believe we have the cash available to rectify, certainly not in January..,which means

C) things will only get worse, cause we will continue to struggle, and the good players/promising youth we do have will jump ship.

We have been on a downward spiral for a long time now. And it's close to ****ing crashing

Right now...we will do well for a top ten finish, and maybe a cup run, but no trophies

Mediocre at best

There are so many knee-jerk merchants on here it's hardly worth bothering. We are in a very false position and our results don't reflect our performances. We will certainly finish in the top six and I wouldn't be at all surprised by a top four finish.

I'm just waiting for Suarez to fail to score for a few games and the usual suspects on here will be falling over themselves to slag him off and say he should be sold

If Lucas isn't man-of-the-match in his comeback game they'll all be saying he's lost it too.

Honestly there's so much ****ing **** on here it's pathetic

[Redspin]

I don't want to sack him, but I am worried that he is trying to do too much too soon, and we are definately underperforming!



No one is expecting us to finish top four (I think) but I don't think it's unfair to expect us to challenge for 7th or 6th. And let's see if we are improving, Kenny had us finishing 7th and almost got us two cups but was sacked, that puts pressure on whoever would succeed him.

We finished 8th last season not 7th - our worst top flIght season in 58 years. It could have been worse as only goal difference kept us one place ahead of might Fulham

[The_weatherman]

We finished 8th last season not 7th - our worst top flIght season in 58 years. It could have been worse as only goal difference kept us one place ahead of might Fulham

Damn it.