Brendan Rodgers

[dom9]

4th one isn't it.

In Rafa's last year I'm pretty sure we were challenging but fell short. My memory is sketchy, mind.

[Shaggy]

In Rafa's last year I'm pretty sure we were challenging but fell short. My memory is sketchy, mind.

We challenged for 4th right to the end but fell away in the last two games. Also Europa League semis, knocked out by a last minute sickener.

[Maxiedge]

We're nowhere near challenging for top 4, and haven't been all season. It's more than a fine line imo. It's a proper step up.

We haven't even being challenging for a EL place this season. The highest we've been is 7th place for about a week.

Wasn't it Rafa who said that football is a game of fine margins?

We were robbed of 3 points at Everton and have made so many costly individual errors.

With Sturridge in the side, I'm not worried about our attack but our defence has been underperforming, as I said. The trio of Reina, Skrtel and Agger should be solid but they're making terrible individual errors.

Football has become a game of stats. I think I'm only one of the handful left that would rather decide if something is good/bad/wrong/right with my own eyes and general feeling instead of numbers. I genuinely belive we're onto a good thing and also repairing alot of damage from previous seasons starting with Rafa's last season.

[dom9]

We challenged for 4th right to the end but fell away in the last two games. Also Europa League semis, knocked out by a last minute sickener.

Thanks.

It's pretty depressing that those "dark days" are practically aspirational in our current situation.

And they were dark days. The club was selling its best players, was ridden with cancerous political divides, and lurching towards bankruptcy. Off the pitch we're in so much more of a better place, but on it, there is so much more work to do.

[Sarb]

We challenged for 4th right to the end but fell away in the last two games. Also Europa League semis, knocked out by a last minute sickener.

Yep, missed out by 7 points, knocked out of Champs League in group stages and were generally pretty poor and played some dire stuff in the last season. Don't think we were any great shakes to be honest

[Sarb]

Wasn't it Rafa who said that football is a game of fine margins?

We were robbed of 3 points at Everton and have made so many costly individual errors.

With Sturridge in the side, I'm not worried about our attack but our defence has been underperforming, as I said. The trio of Reina, Skrtel and Agger should be solid but they're making terrible individual errors.

Football has become a game of stats. I think I'm only one of the handful left that would rather decide if something is good/bad/wrong/right with my own eyes and general feeling instead of numbers. I genuinely belive we're onto a good thing and also repairing alot of damage from previous seasons starting with Rafa's last season.

[barnes10]

relax chaps. it was tongue in cheek.

its not baseless tho is it. its a reaction to the stuff he says. his own quotes. Its only a style thing probably but the nature of it leaves doubts. it does all seem a bit NLP and can come across as almost fake at times. That casts doubt in my mind as to whether he really thinks and believes what he says or whether he says it that way to convince himself. its soundbites and a bit cheesy frankly. why does he talk so much and why does the way he chooses to express himself come across like someone who's been there, done it and is arrogant about it?

I want Rodgers to succeed but i am a touch concerned by some of the stuff I hear coming from him. it worries me a bit in that its like he's trying to convince himself as well as us. The comparison to Brent is clearly there only to highlight the point to the extreme. He's clearly not david brent.

[Maxiedge]

Thanks.

It's pretty depressing that those "dark days" are practically aspirational in our current situation.

And they were dark days. The club was selling its best players, was ridden with cancerous political divides, and lurching towards bankruptcy. Off the pitch we're in so much more of a better place, but on it, there is so much more work to do.

No they're not because we were playing the most drab, uninspiring, disjointed football. We were just living off past glory from the previous seasons and maybe had a mental edge over some teams.

[Sarb]

Thanks.

It's pretty depressing that those "dark days" are practically aspirational in our current situation.

And they were dark days. The club was selling its best players, was ridden with cancerous political divides, and lurching towards bankruptcy. Off the pitch we're in so much more of a better place, but on it, there is so much more work to do.

In all honesty, bearing in mind we were probably 24 hours off going out of business, I don't think we are in a bad position. Yeah the results on the pitch are inconsistent but I honestly believe that Rodgers needs a couple of seasons before he is judged. We've become way too short-termist and that is what will cement us in mid-table.

[dom9]

Wasn't it Rafa who said that football is a game of fine margins?

We were robbed of 3 points at Everton and have made so many costly individual errors.

With Sturridge in the side, I'm not worried about our attack but our defence has been underperforming, as I said. The trio of Reina, Skrtel and Agger should be solid but they're making terrible individual errors.

Football has become a game of stats. I think I'm only one of the handful left that would rather decide if something is good/bad/wrong/right with my own eyes and general feeling instead of numbers. I genuinely belive we're onto a good thing and also repairing alot of damage from previous seasons starting with Rafa's last season.

Yeah, maybe he did. But this season we've been consistently shooting ourselves in the head, never mind the foot. Those costly individual errors have led to far too many goals. That kinda implies that our tactics are built around risk, and not around pragmatism and safety (those things Rafa was commonly derided for).

[Shaggy]

Yep, missed out by 7 points, knocked out of Champs League in group stages and were generally pretty poor and played some dire stuff in the last season. Don't think we were any great shakes to be honest

It's pretty depressing that those "dark days" are practically aspirational in our current situation.

And they were dark days. The club was selling its best players, was ridden with cancerous political divides, and lurching towards bankruptcy. Off the pitch we're in so much more of a better place, but on it, there is so much more work to do.

It was grim but it was mainly grim due to the expectations and the magnificent league season before that. The reality, as Dom says, is that it was basically what we aspire to now - challenge for the top 4, maybe sneak 7th and a good EL run.

After 26 games in that season we were 5th with 44 points. Now 9th with 36 points.

[Sarb]

Yeah, maybe he did. But this season we've been consistently shooting ourselves in the head, never mind the foot. Those costly individual errors have led to far too many goals. That kinda implies that our tactics are built around risk, and not around pragmatism and safety (those things Rafa was commonly derided for).

I'm not sure how the huge number of individual errors we're making shows our tactics are built around risk. I think we've shored up quite a bit in open play once players have understood their roles in midfield. But you'll never get consistency in a manager's first season. There will be ups and downs for sure. Happened with Houllier and Rafa too. Individual errors isn't an excuse but we make a whole lot of them to be honest

[Maxiedge]

Yeah, maybe he did. But this season we've been consistently shooting ourselves in the head, never mind the foot. Those costly individual errors have led to far too many goals. That kinda implies that our tactics are built around risk, and not around pragmatism and safety (those things Rafa was commonly derided for).

Yep it has been gung-ho all the way this season true, but if Rodgers can do anything to iron out, let's say, just half of the individual errors then we'll be much better for it.

For example, although we were looking to beat W. Brom, a 0-0 wouldn't have been the end of the world, and same goes for other similar results.

I know other teams make mistakes too that lead to goals but it just seems we're that little bit softer (apart from QPR and alike, of course).

[Sarb]

It was grim but it was mainly grim due to the expectations and the magnificent league season before that. The reality, as Dom says, is that it was basically what we aspire to now - challenge for the top 4, maybe sneak 7th and a good EL run.

After 26 games in that season we were 5th with 44 points. Now 9th with 36 points.

Other teams have moved on and improved since then as well though haven't they and we've had a pretty traumatic time on and off the pitch since then too? It's easy to say in that year we were in that position and look at where we are now. The whole circumstance and situation of the club has changed. If you're going to bring in a young manager and take a long-term view, it's pointless if the fans aren't going to take a long term view either and judge a manager after 6 months. Just isn't going to work.

[dom9]

I'm not sure how the huge number of individual errors we're making shows our tactics are built around risk. I think we've shored up quite a bit in open play once players have understood their roles in midfield. But you'll never get consistency in a manager's first season. There will be ups and downs for sure. Happened with Houllier and Rafa too. Individual errors isn't an excuse but we make a whole lot of them to be honest

Imo, it's because the sheer proportion of those mistakes which lead to clear cut chances and goals. There are 10s, if not 100s of mistakes in every game. But when ours happen, we're left wide open with gaping holes in areas of the pitch which generally only need to be exploited by one or two players on the break. We were having the same debates in the Autumn, and to an extent things were tightened up. But now we seem to be regressing.

To me, that has got to be down to tactics and the way the team is set up. And it's BR's biggest weakness to date, and not, as some might say, whether he talks like David Brent or not.