Brendan Rodgers

[Mattshark]

some good points and discussion over the last few pages, gents

rodgers has done ok clearing dead wood, trimming the bills and keeping the owners happy.
this 'feel good factor/fabric conditioner' bit is all good after yesterdays result. we might be a little rose tinted in our viewpoint after that.

clean sheets are not so good if we cannot score at the other end. points count.
remember when manure were playing fantastic gung-ho football with giggs and kanchelskis ripping the wings... they might concede one or two, but would score three or four. its wins you need, not clean sheets
games we all thought we would win end up as being 0-0 and we take a clean sheet as a positive, but we need to be able to open up the bus parking teams as well as the newcastles and norwich teams who will give us space to play through them. you cannot counter attack against teams who sit back.
we have battered a few teams and then been sucker punched in the last few minutes and came away with nothing.

But we are one of the leagues top scorers.

[Redspin]

We had such a **** season last season that Kenny got sacked. If we hadn't improved on that then Rodgers would really be a very average manager.

Have we improved enough? My answer would be no.

You can't say only because we improved since last season that it is enough improvement because as I said, last season was **** when it comes down to the league. We have improved from **** to just enough to save the managers job.

If you include the cups then we had a better season last season. If you look at how we play then it is an improvement.

Cup runs my arse. We had our worst league season since we were relegated 58 years earlier. This season is already a big improvement. For the first time in several years I'm optimistic about next season.

Last year we had to endure Adam and Spearing in midfield and too often resorted to thumping balls up the pitch for Carroll. It was desperate stuff in the main. Beating a second division team on penalties in the least important knock-out competition doesn't amount to much

[The Birdman]

Cup runs my arse. We had our worst league season since we were relegated 58 years earlier. This season is already a big improvement. For the first time in several years I'm optimistic about next season.

Last year we had to endure Adam and Spearing in midfield and too often resorted to thumping balls up the pitch for Carroll. It was desperate stuff in the main. Beating a second division team on penalties in the least important knock-out competition doesn't amount to much

Agree with this 100%. If Hodgson or any other manager bar Kenny had been in charge for last season launching it to Carroll with Adam and Spearing playing he would be rightly slaughtered.

All this cup run bollocks being thrown in to quantify 'success' or 'progress' Arsenal haven't won a thing for 8 years but finish top 4 every season.
We've won 1 FA Cup and 1 Carling Cup in that time and have slipped further down the league.

Who has progressed more? the team with 1 more cup or the team with consistant league finishes?

I'm not belittling winning a trophy, it's brilliant to win anything but progress can only be defined/measured over a 38 game league season.

[kev776]

He gets my vote, he even managed to stop Carra fom hoofing, saved a fortune in lost balls and broken windows around Melwood.

[Tee]

He gets my vote, he even managed to stop Carra fom hoofing, saved a fortune in lost balls and broken windows around Melwood.

[Pablo]

I dunno about great but I agree with the rest of your post. He's doing well. I'd give him a C+.

I'd agree with the C+ score. He's done okay and certainly deserves to stay on.

Another big summer though - we need 2 or 3 defensive players and we have to nail defending set-pieces and crosses in general. If we fail then we'll quickly plateau.

Here's my end of season report:

Brendan has fitted in well with the rest of his school mates and is popular amongst the rest of the class.

In general he works well and is making good progress, but should not allow himself to get distracted by playing the school jester.

Brendam seems to focus mainly on the areas of study he enjoys, such as attacking play, and shows little interest in areas he does not, such as defensive duties.

Brendan now needs to fully concentrate on his work to improve his standards ahead of an important year.

B -

[Lee]

Very comprehensive that Pabs.

[dom9]

But what about Brendan's handwriting, and obsession with envelopes?

[Tee]

Anyone know if there is going to be another series of Being Liverpool? Really want to see the opening ceremony for those envelopes.

[Shaggy]

Here's my end of season report:

Haha, very good

[Nick77]

I don't buy the we have more points than last season bull - we were knocked out of the cups MUCH earlier than last season & could therefore concentrate on the league more, so of course we should have more points than last season.
I'm not a fan of firing managers every season but, I wasn't overly excited about us hiring a manager who isn't ready to manager a club of our size yet to begin with & if we finish 7th or lower, the amount of points we finish on is irrelevant - the season is a failure imo especially with the squad we have this season compared to last & the vast improvement of players such as Henderson & as much as I hate to admit it, Downing. 6th is the absolute minimum finish considering the squad we have imo...

[Alex]

He had a cracking suit on at the weekend. Man in Black

[Neil Young]

I don't buy the we have more points than last season bull - we were knocked out of the cups MUCH earlier than last season & could therefore concentrate on the league more, so of course we should have more points than last season. I'm not a fan of firing managers every season but, I wasn't overly excited about us hiring a manager who isn't ready to manager a club of our size yet to begin with & if we finish 7th or lower, the amount of points we finish on is irrelevant - the season is a failure imo especially with the squad we have this season compared to last & the vast improvement of players such as Henderson & as much as I hate to admit it, Downing. 6th is the absolute minimum finish considering the squad we have imo...

Are you pausing for breath?

[Vermilion]

I don't buy the we have more points than last season bull - we were knocked out of the cups MUCH earlier than last season & could therefore concentrate on the league more, so of course we should have more points than last season.
I'm not a fan of firing managers every season but, I wasn't overly excited about us hiring a manager who isn't ready to manager a club of our size yet & if we finish 7th or lower, the amount of points we finish on is irrelevant - the season is a failure imo especially with the squad we have this season compared to last & the vast improvement of players such as Henderson & as much as I hate to admit it, Downing. 6th is the absolute minimum finish considering the squad we have imo...

I find it hard to argue with much of that, adding Suarez's goals to this season too it does beggar belief that were not higher in the league.

A change of style of play may be some of the reason, and a seemingly adapting defence too.

But for all that, i just get the feeling that we're making progress.

[Tee]

I love the way we play, love it. For that reason alone I believe in BR and hope he adds the quality needed to push this team on. If he does we could be the surprise package next season and I am talking not just top 4 but the title.

If we get **** like Williams and BR does not take us into the top 4 or 5 next season he will leave someone (assuming he goes) a very strong basis to continue from IMO.