Brendan Rodgers

[Vermilion]

It doesn't matter. The new manager was sacked last week.

[cream]

That last sentence is brill tho.

[DannyMan2006]

That last sentence is brill tho.

Tbh, we shouldn't be in a position where we have to spend £100m every summer. In addition to Academy players coming through, we should be looking to sign no more than two key players every summer and maybe a couple of other squad players to fill gaps.

That shouldn't be getting near £100m.

[DannyMan2006]

Problem is, everytime we splurge and spread the money around, we sign players that may not work out and as such they have to be replaced in addition to the ones getting on.

Johnson, Gerrard, Toure and to a lesser extent Lucas, we're always pretty much going to have to be looked at this summer. In addition to them we've got a host of other positions because last season was a disaster. £100m wouldn't even touch the sides with this squad,

[baitman]

... In addition to them we've got a host of other positions because last season was a disaster. £100m wouldn't even touch the sides with this squad,

whether we like it or not, i think we will be integrating quite a few of the young lads to bulk up our squad.

[cream]

That's why we are looking at players like Milner and Ings, add in Origi and that's 3 players in with very little outlay. Spend the real money on real talent.

[DannyMan2006]

whether we like it or not, i think we will be integrating quite a few of the young lads to bulk up our squad.

I will like that if I'm honest, otherwise it's money being watered down again.

I don't care about all the other ins and outs, we need a big name attacker and a top quality holding midfielder. Wingers and full backs are the luxuries of a team when you have solid gold in your spine.

Fair play to Rafa, he always concentrated on the spine. GKP, CB, CM, ST. Reina, Agger/Skrtel, Xabi, Masch, Torres. Every season he looked to upgrade on those positions. Morientes, Crouch, Kuyt then Torres. Alonso, Momo, Lucas then Mascherano.

By and large he kept improving it. Until the wheels came off with the Alonso saga and G&H pulling the money. But at least he had the right idea.

[DannyMan2006]

That's why we are looking at players like Milner and Ings, add in Origi and that's 3 players in with very little outlay. Spend the real money on real talent.

Makes sense to me, if that is what we are doing.

[marcus50bucks]

Brendan Rodgers to face Anfield crisis summit

Tony Barrett
Published 1 minute ago

Brendan Rodgers will have to prove he is the right man to take Liverpool forward in an end-of-season review with Fenway Sports Group (FSG).

The club’s American owner will look to re-establish common ground with the manager after a season that has fallen short of expectations, and that has ended with Raheem Sterling — heckled by some fans when he accepted Liverpool’s young player of the year award last night — seeking to leave Anfield.

Although FSG has no intention of dispensing with Rodgers’s services, the outcome of the meeting will be pivotal in determining how the club go about addressing the failings that have resulted in such a disappointing campaign.

The main aim of the summit, at which Mike Gordon, FSG’s most influential figure at Anfield, will hold face-to-face talks with Rodgers, will be to learn from the mistakes that caused Liverpool to fail to win a trophy for a third successive season and miss out on Champions League qualification.

High on the agenda will be the need to address the disconnect between transfer strategy and team selection, with FSG hoping Rodgers is ready to convince them of his willingness to persevere with several signings who have yet to make the desired impact.

Rodgers’s lack of faith in a number of the players Liverpool signed last summer has become increasingly obvious in recent months with Lazar Markovic, Rickie Lambert, Mario Balotelli, Javier Manquillo, Alberto Moreno and Dejan Lovren all struggling to establish themselves to an extent.

While there is an acceptance that some of last summer’s acquisitions, Balotelli and Lambert in particular, left Rodgers short of the kind of options he needs, there is also a feeling within Liverpool’s hierarchy that such failings do not justify a season of underachievement after investing about £110?million in players.

This year, Tom Werner, the Liverpool chairman, said that it was “important” to maintain Liverpool’s mid-season momentum and achieve a top-four finish, admitting that it would be a “disappointment” if those objectives were not reached. In the event, neither target has been reached with Liverpool winning only twice, against Newcastle United and Queens Park Rangers, in their past eight league games.

End-of-season reviews are standard practice for Liverpool under FSG’s ownership and although it is routine for the manager’s performance to be scrutinised, Rodgers will go into his latest assessment in the knowledge that Liverpool have fallen short of the place in the top four that was viewed as the minimum acceptable requirement at the start of this season.

Although there is no sense that Rodgers will, in effect, be auditioning again for a position he already occupies, FSG is looking to him to show them that it remains on the same page and to justify its belief that he is the right manager to implement the model it remains confident can allow Liverpool to become consistently competitive at home and abroad.

In keeping with that aim, Liverpool remain determined to keep Sterling, although Manchester City are understood to be preparing an offer that would make him one of their highest-paid players.

That position will be reaffirmed when Sterling’s agent, Aidy Ward, holds talks with Rodgers and Ian Ayre, Liverpool’s chief executive, on Friday. At the meeting, which is taking place at Ward’s request, he is expected to inform Liverpool of his client’s wish to secure a transfer this summer, but the Merseysiders will not sanction any departure.

Liverpool remain hopeful that they will be able to convince the England forward to commit his future to them, regardless of his agitation to move.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/football/clubs/liverpool/article4445425.ece

[marcus50bucks]

Liverpool news: Brendan Rodgers faces Anfield inquiry]

Liverpool FC manager to hold pivotal talks with Fenway Sports Group after season of disappointment

By Chris Bascombe
10:30PM BST 19 May 2015

Brendan Rodgers will face a pivotal end-of-season review as Liverpool look to correct the errors that have led to such a disappointing campaign.

There is no suggestion Rodgers is under any immediate threat of losing his job. However, his planned annual meeting with Mike Gordon, the Fenway Sports Group president, will be fundamental to how the club repair the damage of the past 12 months. The pair will meet after Sunday’s final Premier League fixture with Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium.

The alarming slump in results and performances since Liverpool finished second a year ago has ensured all aspects of the club’s operation will be under scrutiny, from the recruitment and scouting, through to player and coaching performance.

FSG, the company that owns the club, expects a forensic examination of why standards have slipped so much.

There is some sympathy for many of the reasons Rodgers has stated publicly as a cause of his team’s failure to qualify for the Champions League, not least the loss of Luis Suárez and injuries to Daniel Sturridge. The lack of goalscoring threat has upset the balance of the team and led to numerous changes of formation.

There is also an acceptance that the multiple signings of last summer needed time to adjust. Some have shown promise but the majority made minimal contribution despite an investment of £110 million in the squad a year ago.

However, while this is seen as partially responsible for the team being in fifth position – defeat to Stoke this weekend may mean they finish even lower – there is also a recognition that the overall standards of performance should have been better.

Liverpool failed in high-profile games this season against Chelsea, Arsenal and – most significantly for their top-four hopes – Manchester United. It was a similar story in the Champions League, Liverpool’s brief return ending in humiliation after chastening defeats by Real Madrid and Basel. The FA Cup semi-final defeat by Aston Villa was another major setback, ending the last chance of winning a trophy.

Since the loss at Wembley there have been abject displays against Hull City and Crystal Palace – when the side were outplayed and deservedly beaten. The loss to relegation-threatened Hull on April 28 was especially disturbing as a top-four place was still at stake at that stage. Instead United were able to claim the last Champions League spot without any serious pressure.

It is these latter performances that Rodgers may find most difficult to explain.

Rodgers has stated publicly that he believes his squad lack quality and experience, but Liverpool have always insisted they take a collective approach to identifying and recruiting targets. The manager is as *influential as other members of the much-publicised transfer committee, even if he does not have sole control of transfers. Despite that, there have been accountability issues regarding transfer activity since Rodgers’ first weeks in charge, with several players arriving who were either sidelined or not used because the manager was evidently not impressed.

While numerous issues need to be resolved, Liverpool’s plans ahead of next season are based on the premise of Rodgers continuing to execute the long-term plan. He has been integral to the pursuit of Danny Ings and James Milner, who are expected to sign from Burnley and Manchester City respectively, and his face-to-face meeting with Lille’s Divock Origi last summer that convinced the Belgian striker to choose Liverpool ahead of Tottenham Hotspur in a £10 million deal.
• Sterling booed at end-of-year awards
• In defence of Raheem, a standard-bearer for 20-year-olds everywhere

Rodgers has also tried to intervene personally in efforts to convince Raheem Sterling to commit his future to Liverpool, albeit unsuccessfully given recent developments. There is still some hope Rodgers’ relationship with the player will douse the controversy in the event of the winger *staying at the club next season.

Liverpool’s erratic campaign is further evidence of how rapidly fortunes change in football as last year’s end-of-season review was held in much more optimistic circumstances.

In a joint statement 12 months ago, FSG expressed their admiration for Rodgers’ work and handed him a new contract, with the club having narrowly missed out on the Premier League.

“We are very fortunate to have a hugely talented individual leading our football performance and in whom we place our trust to deliver the vision we share for Liverpool,” they said. “Brendan is at the heart of what we, as an ownership group, are trying to achieve on the pitch.

“Players and supporters have made it clear how important Brendan is to our success and so to have him commit to us for the long term is a great boost for everyone going forward.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/liverpool/11616982/Liverpool-news-Brendan-Rodgers-faces-Anfield-inquest.html

[Leyton388]

I think Rodgers will be a gonner IMO. It's not just the failure to get CL but the overall performances that are shocking. There's just nothing there to suggest it's going to get better.

[Fosterbloke]

Although FSG has no intention of dispensing with Rodgers’s services

So what if he doesn't impress them and there's no satisfactory idea or strategy for next season? Do FSG keep him anyway?

I can't see it as anything other than a re-interview for the job.

My guess is that FSG tell him they're bringing in a DoF and Rodgers will have to like it because transfers have been ****.

[DannyMan2006]

I think Rodgers will be a goner IMO. It's not just the failure to get CL but the overall performances that are shocking. There's just nothing there to suggest it's going to get better.

It's the striker situation that is clouding the water a bit. But in fairness, those strikers have all scored goals elsewhere so you have to wonder why the manager hasn't managed to get more out of them.

Whilst they may not fit the model, that model should have been changed to either allow them to flourish or Raheem should have been moved up top much earlier. Should never have dragged on as long as it did.

[marcus50bucks]

Brendan Rodgers safe at Liverpool but end-of-season review likely to see changes to Anfield hierarchy

22:30, 19 MAY 2015 BY DAVID MADDOCK

Management structure will be assessed and the addition of a director of football considered after a campaign in which the Reds under-performed

Liverpool's owners will launch an in-depth and wide-ranging review of the team's performance as soon as the season is over.

And while manager Brendan Rodgers' position is not under any immediate threat, he will be invited to be part of a series of meetings that will ask some tough questions about the failure to deliver the target of a top-four finish.

The club holds an annual review at the end of every season with an analysis of performance, but this will be one where changes ARE made to ensure there is an improvement on this term's sense of disappointment.

Rodgers accepts his team has underperformed, and that means the structure around him will come under scrutiny, even if sources within the club's inner sanctum insist he is not facing the sack, or even on trial.

What will be examined, though, is how the manager operates within the system Liverpool's American owners have put in place, to ensure the club pursues their clearly stated policy of building for the future from sensible financial foundations.

Rodgers has made noises about buying established talent in recent weeks, and it is clear he would dearly love some big money captures to add experience and quality to his promising young squad.

Liverpool's owners John Henry and Tom Werner, though, along with director Mike Gordon, want to stick to the policy of developing young talent, and imposing a sensible wage structure on the playing staff where possible.

While they are not against big signings where clearly identified they are determined to avoid some of the excesses of the past, which almost bankrupted the club.

They will speak to Rodgers to determine if he is still fully behind that programme, and also get his views on the current structure which sees a transfer committee – where the manager is central to decisions – identifying future signings.

It is here where changes will almost certainly be made.

If Rodgers indicates he wants to continue within that model and believes he can deliver success to the club from it, then the review will attempt to identify whether changes can be made to ensure more efficient working.

The manager must make clear his ability to work within the club's set policies and be committed to them.

He is almost certain to do that, especially if the committee – which also contains MD Ian Ayre, head of analysis Michael Edwards, head of recruitment Dave Fallows, chief scout Barry Hunter and Gordon – is revamped.

The review will also examine whether a director of football is required, although Rodgers has fervently opposed that in the past and it could create further tensions.

The club will stress that the review is an annual event - but it is clear that some tough questions will be asked, and a shake-up below the manager is likely to happen.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/brendan-rodgers-safe-liverpool-end-of-season-5725568

[DannyMan2006]

So what if he doesn't impress them and there's no satisfactory idea or strategy for next season? Do FSG keep him anyway?

I can't see it as anything other than a re-interview for the job.

My guess is that FSG tell him they're bringing in a DoF and Rodgers will have to like it because transfers have been ****.

Think if that was the outcome it'd be best for everyone concerned. Rodgers gets a year to concentrate on coaching and we finally have accountability at the club.