Brendan Rodgers

[EwarWoo]

There was plenty on here.

[Fosterbloke]

to be fair, brendan was a cunt hair away from being an LFC legend....

Surely he's a (mini) legend for making fans smile for an entire season? Twas a ****ing amazing season.

[Maxiedge]

Personal attacks are out of order but his management deserved to be heavily criticised.

This is just my opinion, and I might get slated for it, but he's worse than Hodgson.

I said it before, but I do feel sorry for the next team he manages. Not our problem anymore.

Edit: Actually, no, just thinking back to Hodgson/Konchesky/treatment of Agger...that was pretty terrible but, you know, at least he played a formation that functioned to some extent. 4-4-2 wasn't it?

[The Erectile Banana]

As some of you might know I do a bit of writing.
After the events of the past few days I've been compelled to pen a tribute to Brendan. It's written in the style of a children's story and it's called The Teeth Who Could.



Once upon a time there was a young pair of teeth from Small Island. The Teeth lived in a cottage on the outskirts of The Village with his father Buck and his mother Floss.

The entire village dreamed of one day being straightened and whitened just like those Hollywood stars from TV.

The Teeth wasn’t like the others. While, he too dreamt of being straight and white, he had no interest in Hollywood. The Teeth wanted to be a football manager.

Every evening while Buck and Floss bathed in the glow of the latest TV delights The Teeth was locked in his room, filling notebook after notebook with ideas for tactics and different game scenarios.

As he grew older the notebooks took up more and more space in The Teeth’s room. Eventually he had to remove his bed and slept curled up on a blanket on the radiator. It was a tight squeeze, but he was happy.

But then the notebooks started getting into other rooms. One day Buck was knocked over by a big pile of falling notebooks as he opened the fridge for a glass of milk.

“Son!” said Buck, “This can’t go on.”

The Teeth realised the time had come for him to make his way in the world as a man. The time had come for him to become a football manager.

“Give me one week,” he said, “and I’ll be gone.”

The Teeth went straight to The Notebook Shop where he bought a very beautiful golden notebook, which he called ‘My Dossier.’ Next he spent five days flipping through his old notebooks, putting only his very best ideas and tactics into his Golden Dossier.

Once that was done, he very carefully put The Golden Dossier in his backpack and wrote long letters in joint-up writing to the three football clubs on Big Island – the Greens, the Blues and the Reds.

Now he was ready.

The very next day The Teeth took the steamboat from the harbour all the way across to Big Island. Buck and Floss came to wave him off.

“Farewell Mother, farewell Father” called The Teeth. “When you see me next I will be white and straight. I will be a football manager.

As he stepped off the steamboat at Big Island, The Teeth braced himself for a whole new world. Everything looked big and noisy and scary.

So eager was he to start his new life that he did not check into an inn, but travelled straight to meet The Big Cigar of The Greens.

“Well, Mr. Teeth,” puffed The Cigar, “I like your Dossier. It is very shiny, and we like shiny things at this club. However, we’re looking for someone with European experience.”

Disappointed, but still had hope in his heart, The Teeth set forth to meet The Blues. When he arrived an even Bigger Cigar waved him into his office.

“I’m impressed,” munched The Bigger Cigar, as he feasted on a prawn sandwich. “You talk a good game Mr. Teeth, but we already have a manager.”

Downcast, Mr. Teeth made his way to his final meeting with The Reds. It had started to rain, but he walked on through the wind, through the rain until he was greeted by the largest cigar he had ever seen. The Large Cigar was from America and loved coffee, so he invited The Teeth to grab a cup and take a walk around the block.

“Mr. Teeth,” slurped The Large Cigar, “we here at The Reds have a long and proud history of winning trophies. We don’t just hire any old teeth off the street.”

They paused at a zebra crossing and The Cigar looked The Teeth in the eye.

“That said; I’ve never seen a notebook so beautifully bound and full of facts as your Golden Dossier. It’s really blown me away. When can you start?”

The Teeth jumped for joy and spilt his coffee all over The Large Cigar.

After that The Teeth was never seen without The Golden Dossier under his arm. He became known across the land of The Reds as a great manager, a pair of teeth of style and substance, who would fight for his life, and the lives of his team.

When his first pay cheque came in The Teeth got straightened and whitened and took the steamboat back to Small Island, where Buck and Floss wept tears of joy.

Seeing his great success, the locals in The Village put away their love of Hollywood and took out subscriptions to the sports channels. A new path to success had been opened and The Teeth was the Village’s new golden boy.

Then it all started to go wrong.

One pleasant summer’s day The Teeth went out to get strawberry ice cream on the promenade. As he licked his treat a giant blue eagle swooped from the sky, and tore The Golden Dossier from his grip. The Teeth screamed with anger and dropped his ice cream as the eagle flew towards the land of The Blues.

After that every time The Reds played The Blues they always lost. Then they started losing to The Greens. The Teeth sat late in his office every night with new notebooks, filling them with new ideas and tactics, but none of them worked. He just kept losing.

He now became known across the land of The Reds as a bad manager, one who could not win. Back home in Small Island Buck and Floss wept tears of shame. The locals cancelled their sports channels and went back to their Hollywood dreams.

Eventually The Large Cigar invited The Teeth out for more coffee and a walk around the block.

“Mr. Teeth,” slurped The Large Cigar, “we here at The Reds felt that your Golden Dossier would bring us more success and trophies. Now it is gone and we keep losing.”

As they stopped at the zebra crossing The Large Cigar turned and looked The Teeth in the eye.

“It’s just not working out Mr. Teeth. That’s why we’ve asked a shinier, bigger set of teeth from Germany to take your job. I’m sorry it had to end this way.”

The Large Cigar finished his coffee and walked away.

The Teeth was not a football manager anymore.

[dww]

Personal attacks are out of order but his management deserved to be heavily criticised.

This is just my opinion, and I might get slated for it, but he's worse than Hodgson.

I said it before, but I do feel sorry for the next team he manages. Not our problem anymore.

I don't think that is fair. Most of the players who have played under him feel he is an exceptional coach. I think he needs to learn the limits of his abilities (he can't pick a player for toffee) but within them he is a very good manager. If he goes somewhere with an established setup (Swansea and Southampton being the obvious PL examples) I think he will thrive again.

[EwarWoo]

This is just my opinion, and I might get slated for it, but he's worse than Hodgson.

But see, this is what annoys the **** out of people (or at least me anyways). It's not the fact he's being attacked, who gives a ****, he's some cashed up gadge. It's the ridiculous bloody hyperbole all over the place.

Be it throwaway statements like this (and Fredo getting mercilessly ridiculed as a BR defender for pointing out how silly it is in the other thread) or the abuse.

It just turns the discussion into a silly I'm a superfan hyperbole contest.

I hate him more because.........

[Maxiedge]

But see, this is what annoys the **** out of people (or at least me anyways). It's not the fact he's being attacked, who gives a ****, he's some cashed up gadge. It's the ridiculous bloody hyperbole all over the place.

Be it throwaway statements like this (and Fredo getting mercilessly ridiculed as a BR defender for pointing out how silly it is in the other thread) or the abuse.

It just turns the discussion into a silly I'm a superfan hyperbole contest.

I hate him more because.........

I really really don't rate Rodgers as a manager. I do think Hodgson is slightly better. Sorry but that's how I feel.

And DWW, I 100% guarantee he'll do the same to any other team he goes to. He'll start off well feeding off the established setup but over time will grind out their dynamics with 'death by football' and eventually they won't function.

[The Birdman]

Unless Klopp wins us the league Rodgers was our best manager since Kenny in terms of attacking football and a sustained, realistic title challenge. It might have only been for 1 season but that's 1 season more than Souness, Evans, Houllier, Rafa, Kenny (mk2) and Hodgson managed.

It really is as simple as that. That needs remembering as much as the muddled thinking, loss of playing identity/style and the money wasted on players.

[Buzzo]

We've won 1 league cup in almost 10 years, and that was 4 years ago.

Thats all that needs remembering. It is time to look forwards.

No genuinely big team fondly reflects on the year they came second FFS.

[Maxiedge]

Unless Klopp wins us the league Rodgers was our best manager since Kenny in terms of attacking football and a sustained, realistic title challenge. It might have only been for 1 season but that's 1 season more than Souness, Evans, Houllier, Rafa, Kenny (mk2) and Hodgson managed.

It really is as simple as that. That needs remembering as much as the muddled thinking, loss of playing identity/style and the money wasted on players.

Nope we had a title challenge under Rafa. And under Kenny, and Houllier, at least we didn't fizzle out of every cup competition or bow down to the might of Madrid.

As if Rodgers is better than Rafa

[dww]

We've won 1 league cup in almost 10 years, and that was 4 years ago.

Thats all that needs remembering. It is time to look forwards.

No genuinely big team fondly reflects on the year they came second FFS.

I think this obsession with being a 'big team' is a bit depressing. The season we finished second isn't remembered fondly just because of the position we reached but because it was a joyous ride. A thrilling sporting event that lasted essentially a whole season. If that isn't something worth looking back on positively then I really don't see the point of following sport at all.

[Buzzo]

I think this obsession with being a 'big team' is a bit depressing. The season we finished second isn't remembered fondly just because of the position we reached but because it was a joyous ride. A thrilling sporting event that lasted essentially a whole season. If that isn't something worth looking back on positively then I really don't see the point of following sport at all.

It is about ambition though isn't it, and Liverpool are one of the biggest sporting brands on the planet with an illustrious History. We either acknowledge that or we hide from it.

We acknowledged it many times that season playing like potential Champions, we hid from it many times, fielding weakened teams in illustrious fixtures.

2013/14 was enjoyable, but ultimately we got nothing out of it. The slow lowering of ambition has definitely been a characteristic of the last 5/10 years of LFC. If you don't aim for the top, then what is the point? Sport is about ambition, where you place yourself and what you believe will define what you can achieve. The second place finish will eventually fade in the memory as the time we finished second with Rafa did.

Brendans legacy with us will be that he was an at times exciting, but ultimately flawed young manager.

[Maxiedge]

I think this obsession with being a 'big team' is a bit depressing. The season we finished second isn't remembered fondly just because of the position we reached but because it was a joyous ride. A thrilling sporting event that lasted essentially a whole season. If that isn't something worth looking back on positively then I really don't see the point of following sport at all.

Oh it was a fun ride alright. Check out these results (second half of 13-14 season):

Stoke City 3–5 Liverpool
Fulham 2–3 Liverpool
Liverpool 4–3 Swansea City
Cardiff City 3–6 Liverpool
Liverpool 3–2 Manchester City
Norwich City 2–3 Liverpool

Don't think the old ticker could go through that again

[poorscousertommy]

If we don't continue to hope as Liverpool fans and believe we are a big club then ultimately we'll turn into Everton fans.

[Lee]

Unless Klopp wins us the league Rodgers was our best manager since Kenny in terms of attacking football and a sustained, realistic title challenge. It might have only been for 1 season but that's 1 season more than Souness, Evans, Houllier, Rafa, Kenny (mk2) and Hodgson managed.

It really is as simple as that. That needs remembering as much as the muddled thinking, loss of playing identity/style and the money wasted on players.

Nope we had a title challenge under Rafa. And under Kenny, and Houllier, at least we didn't fizzle out of every cup ompetition or bow down to the might of Madrid.

As if Rodgers is better than Rafa

You are right mate, but Brendan's team of 2013/14 was crazy going forward and the best team I've seen us have. We had that amazing end to 2009 under Rafa where we scored a lot of goals and played excellent football, but 13/14 was better than 2009.

We still had a mathematical chance of winning the league on the last day of 13/14, which we didn't in 2009.

Rafa's my favourite manager in my lifetime but 2013/14 as a whole was better than that season under Rafa.