Brendan Rodgers

[Leyton388]

The red Sox will also be FSG's top priority. Liverpool fc is an investment to them whereas the Red Sox are their baby.

[dom9]

Based on what evidence?

It seems to me at least that both are sporting and financial investments.

[Leyton388]

Just a hunch mate. Baseball is their sport and they appear to be a lot more decisive with the red Sox. Maybe that due to their lack of understanding of football. You also get the feeling that the relaxing of FFP might have had a negative effect on their plans for LFC.

[little dave hedgehog]

IIRC playing a sweeper behind a back 3 was actually quite popular in Serie A in the late 90's / early 2000's

also in the american youth system. EVERYONE played a sweeper when i was younger.

[dom9]

This isn't having a go at you specifically Leyton, but hunches and opinions are so often presented as fact on here and the larger Internet. When in fact they're unsubstantiated opinions in most cases.

In terms of FSG. They have oscillated between spectacularly brilliant and awful seasons in baseball. It is a completely different sport, you're right. But I'm not sure there is evidence that they are prioritising baseball over football. Or one institution over the other. I have a feeling that if you asked a Red Sox fan (why sox and not socks btw?), they might feel the same.

In sport, everyone wants all the attention all the time. It's a strength and a weakness.

[captainfog]

There is a pattern starting to emerge where we sell our most valuable asset, maintain a minimal net spend and pick up the ever increasing TV money. Do they really care about winning things? Or are they happy just to tick along making as much money as they can for as little risk as possible? If that's the case then Europa League and the occasional foray in the CL is probably enough for this to be a fairly lucrative option for them. I worry they got burned early on when Kenny wasted all that money and they have opted for the cash cow option. The huge domestic TV deal means winning the league isn't so important if your main priority is return on your investment?

Maybe they are unsure about Rodgers and have held back in case they need to back a new manager? I genuinely don't know, but I think people are right to be suspicious.

[dom9]

Since Suarez, which valuable asset has been sold foggy? Sterling? Fifty milion smackers?

I'd take that.

[little dave hedgehog]

brendan loves to be seen as the second coming of the man who invented football, but with a brent-like soundbite for every occasion.

he seems to love to overcomplicate things so he is then seen as the tactical genius.

he loves to take a player and morph him into something different so if it pays off or flukes a result he can claim to be the one who moulded the guy.

brendan seems much more likely to say to a player "here's what i want you to do"

a proper manager will say to a player " go out and show me what you can do"

i hear harry redknapp is free...

[little dave hedgehog]

There is a pattern starting to emerge where we sell our most valuable asset, maintain a minimal net spend and pick up the ever increasing TV money. Do they really care about winning things? Or are they happy just to tick along making as much money as they can for as little risk as possible? If that's the case then Europa League and the occasional foray in the CL is probably enough for this to be a fairly lucrative option for them. I worry they got burned early on when Kenny wasted all that money and they have opted for the cash cow option. The huge domestic TV deal means winning the league isn't so important if your main priority is return on your investment?

Maybe they are unsure about Rodgers and have held back in case they need to back a new manager? I genuinely don't know, but I think people are right to be suspicious.

the pattern i see emerging is players wanting to go to more successful clubs, and that includes the players we want to replace our departing players with. i'm sure we've had plenty of good offers knocked back by players who want to play champions league football.

[captainfog]

Since Suarez, which valuable asset has been sold foggy? Sterling? Fifty milion smackers?

I'd take that.

Regardless of what we thought of his footballing ability he was our most financially valuable asset - as you say £50m and so once again it let them spend lots of money without actually spending any money. Our net spends this summer and last were pretty modest. That's not an excuse for Rodgers, but just an observation of what could be the model with which FSG wish to operate. If that's the case then we're not going to be winning much under these guys. If Coutinho is sold for big bucks in the Summer and we rinse and repeat then we'll know we're in trouble.

It's too early to tell either way, who knows they might be decisive and ambition in the coming months, but it's worth noting the current trend that is emerging.

[little dave hedgehog]

It's not really to do with the article. It's their inability or refusal to deal with the situation. Rodgers should have gone in the summer after last seasons horror show but they decided to keep on the same path. Now I understand that us fans are passionate and speak with our hearts rather than our heads. (Like my statement above).

On the football side they dont seem to show any ambition at all and keeping Rodgers in the job after the money spent and horror show last season shows their high of ambition.

The biggest thing for me is that they have been here for five years yet have not once installed experienced people who are capable of running a club the size of Liverpool.

The whole club stinks of mediocrity from top to bottom.

so you agree with fsg's assertion that some of the mistakes that people have been blaming on brendan (a man who has lived and breathed football his entire life) are actually mistakes that fsg (neophytes to the sport in every way) have made?

if people are going to learn on the job at this club, i am at least happy to hear that it appears they are studying up.

[Harv]

Sterling and Suarez wanted to leave. No point keeping people that don't want to be here.

[Nicey]

The problem is more that we did not build a team were a player like Sterling at his tender age felt he could stay.. Suarez is a no brainer ... good luck to him .. Sterling is if we be honest a worry, that said ... I suspect of regardless of were we were at .. Sterling would have moved for big money no matter what ... right from the get go he was demanding his and that

[Harv]

Plus he's not actually that good. Another example of Suarez making someone look far better than they are.

[Fredo]

It is revisionism to say Sterling wasn't that good for us.