Brendan Rodgers

[Tee]

I'd be devastated if we had got Roberto Martinez last summer. I know we were linked with Laudrup. I think he is a very good manager. Loved him as a player too. Wouldn't have been disappointed with him.

I like Rodgers and like the way we play football. Ask me again if we sign Ashley Williams and my opinion may change

I would be gutted if we got Ashley Williams as well, however if we signed another 2 or 3 genuine quality players it would make that pill a lot easier to swallow. If we blow most of our budget on him however, we are ****ed next season.

[Sarb]

I would be gutted if we got Ashley Williams as well, however if we signed another 2 or 3 genuine quality players it would make that pill a lot easier to swallow. If we blow most of our budget on him however, we are ****ed next season.

It's a fine line mate.

I am hoping Shaggy can screw that deal up. Didn't quite manage it with Borini though

[kev776]

No - but he's still an international defender and arguably has more experience than throwing in Wisdom.

I disagree, both Wisdom and Kelly are better footballers than Coates. He won't be missed.

[rodo]

BRENDAN RODGERS believes the experience he has gained during his first season at Liverpool FC will stand him in good stead to mastermind a push for Champions League qualification next term.

The Reds are destined to finish seventh in the Premier League – a place higher than 2011/12 but 11 points adrift of fourth spot.

Rodgers admits it has been a “learning curve” for him following his arrival from Swansea City with a tough start to the campaign followed by real progress since the turn of the year.

Now the manager is on a mission to strengthen his squad this summer to ensure Liverpool are capable of producing the kind of consistency required to climb back into the top flight’s elite.

“This year has provided a great learning curve for me and I look back and see that it was learning that I needed,” Rodgers said.

“I knew the expectancy of the club but going into next season, I am a much better prepared manager for that.

“We want to make significant improvements next year in the points total because the reality is we are 30 points behind the leaders and 11 points behind the top four.

“But I’ve seen enough and if we improve our mentality in the summer – by signing players who have that consistent winning mentality – we can then improve again, like we have done in the second half of the season.

“That’s the job of the recruitment team and the club to identify those types of players. They might not always be the best players but what we need in the second year of this project is to find a great level of consistency. There is a process of getting into the top four and becoming champions and that is consistency.

“This club didn’t win two league games in a row for over a year.

“That came earlier on in the season and when you step back and look at that, it is nowhere near good enough if you are going to succeed.

“You build a mentality in your group and you get the types of players who can be on it every single game.

“I’ve loved every minute of being here and the small steps of where we want to go. But now I want to make bigger steps.”



Read more: Liverpool Echo http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liver...#ixzz2TFsvoREZ

[Tee]

Sounds good to me! Mentality of a player is critical and I am glad he has identified this as a key quality in what he will be looking for this summer.

[Sarb]

BRENDAN RODGERS believes the experience he has gained during his first season at Liverpool FC will stand him in good stead to mastermind a push for Champions League qualification next term.

The Reds are destined to finish seventh in the Premier League – a place higher than 2011/12 but 11 points adrift of fourth spot.

Rodgers admits it has been a “learning curve” for him following his arrival from Swansea City with a tough start to the campaign followed by real progress since the turn of the year.

Now the manager is on a mission to strengthen his squad this summer to ensure Liverpool are capable of producing the kind of consistency required to climb back into the top flight’s elite.

“This year has provided a great learning curve for me and I look back and see that it was learning that I needed,” Rodgers said.

“I knew the expectancy of the club but going into next season, I am a much better prepared manager for that.

“We want to make significant improvements next year in the points total because the reality is we are 30 points behind the leaders and 11 points behind the top four.

“But I’ve seen enough and if we improve our mentality in the summer – by signing players who have that consistent winning mentality – we can then improve again, like we have done in the second half of the season.

“That’s the job of the recruitment team and the club to identify those types of players. They might not always be the best players but what we need in the second year of this project is to find a great level of consistency. There is a process of getting into the top four and becoming champions and that is consistency.

“This club didn’t win two league games in a row for over a year.

“That came earlier on in the season and when you step back and look at that, it is nowhere near good enough if you are going to succeed.

“You build a mentality in your group and you get the types of players who can be on it every single game.

“I’ve loved every minute of being here and the small steps of where we want to go. But now I want to make bigger steps.”



Read more: Liverpool Echo http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liver...#ixzz2TFsvoREZ

This reminds me of the Utd statement on the new manager and then they went and appointed Moyes.

The fact he is trying to sign Williams (who has won only the League Cup) is at odds with that statement. Why not go and buy a younger player for cheaper who's won a league medal in Holland

[dww]

We have nothing but rumours to suggest that we are going for Williams - I think it is only reasonable to judge Rodgers on who he actually signs rather than who journalists say he wants to bring in.

[Reece]

Aye, this whole Williams thing is becoming an obsession to some

[Sarb]

We have nothing but rumours to suggest that we are going for Williams - I think it is only reasonable to judge Rodgers on who he actually signs rather than who journalists say he wants to bring in.

But that's what we used to say the summer we brought Downing.

Now, I like Rodgers, he talks well, we're playing some good football and I like his vision. But Pearce, Hunter, Barrett etc (who are pretty much always spot on with who we are targeting) indicate that Williams is a genuine target for him. We said the same the summer we spent loads on Downing after chasing him for months. We thought we wouldn't get him as he was over-priced at £20m. It's a genuine concern for me. We have an opportunity of making a real impact on the Top 4 this season. 2 teams with new managers, Bale maybe leaving. We can't really afford to waste money this summer

[Sarb]

Aye, this whole Williams thing is becoming an obsession to some

In all seriousness though, not an obsession but a genuine fear that we'll spend half our rumoured budget this summer on him

[Lee]

But that's what we used to say the summer we brought Downing.

Now, I like Rodgers, he talks well, we're playing some good football and I like his vision. But Pearce, Hunter, Barrett etc (who are pretty much always spot on with who we are targeting) indicate that Williams is a genuine target for him. We said the same the summer we spent loads on Downing after chasing him for months. We thought we wouldn't get him as he was over-priced at £20m. It's a genuine concern for me. We have an opportunity of making a real impact on the Top 4 this season. 2 teams with new managers, Bale maybe leaving. We can't really afford to waste money this summer

I can't see us spending that sort of money on players like Downing in the future tbh.

Remember the years where we were constantly linked with Villa, Silva, Joaquin and the like? We never signed them and it was all papertalk. Relax, man.

[Chazza]

I can't see us spending that sort of money on players like Downing in the future tbh.

Remember the years where we were constantly linked with Villa, Silva, Joaquin and the like? We never signed them and it was all papertalk. Relax, man.

[dww]

But that's what we used to say the summer we brought Downing.

Now, I like Rodgers, he talks well, we're playing some good football and I like his vision. But Pearce, Hunter, Barrett etc (who are pretty much always spot on with who we are targeting) indicate that Williams is a genuine target for him. We said the same the summer we spent loads on Downing after chasing him for months. We thought we wouldn't get him as he was over-priced at £20m. It's a genuine concern for me. We have an opportunity of making a real impact on the Top 4 this season. 2 teams with new managers, Bale maybe leaving. We can't really afford to waste money this summer

But we've said the same about loads of players - some we have got, some we haven't. You are being very selective in the evidence you are picking out.

I don't think anyone is arguing that we can/should waste money. More that criticising the manager for decisions he hasn't made yet (certainly as far as we know) seems completely unfair. If at the end of the summer we have signed Williams, Britton and Dyer then we can all get stuck in. But at the minute it just seems like complaining for the sake of it.

[Muddled]

BRENDAN RODGERS believes the experience he has gained during his first season at Liverpool FC will stand him in good stead to mastermind a push for Champions League qualification next term.

The Reds are destined to finish seventh in the Premier League – a place higher than 2011/12 but 11 points adrift of fourth spot.

I know it's all very much 'what if', but if we could eradicate some of the individual errors that were apparent in the first half of the season, those 11 points are obtainable ... especially with the right summer.

There are a handful of games that I can think of when we dropped two points, if not one. Man City, West Brom, Everton spring to mind - maybe even Man United at home.

[fah-q]

Under Kenny the players started with a real buzz about them. It was like a new dawn. Then as they realised how bad it was they slowly dropped in form and confidence.

I'd say under Rogers it's been the opposite. They started off a bit slow to trust and have slowly gained in confidence and form.

I don't think the 2 seasons could be much more opposite.

I think that initial buzz you were talking of was the season before after him taking over from The Bodge.