Brendan Rodgers

[Shaggy]

No doubt about it.

[destinydude]

We are so much better to watch this season than at any time under Rafa. Even if this brand of attacking football doesn't win us anything , it's really fun to watch.

Absolutely true. Not denying anything you said but back then after watching the **** Hodgson served us, I really wanted to go back to the Rafa days where we would at least look alright even if we lost or won things by grinding results out.

[destinydude]

those three envelopes seem a long time ago

that said, i still can't forgive him for his "jonjo...jonjo....King of the golf course"

God, I thought people forgot about that. That was so so so cringe worthy. Even Shelvey looked uncomfortable on camera when he said that

[Liverpool]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtZmfOqLfEw"]"Jonjo Shelvey, the King of The Golf" - YouTube[/ame]

[Tee]

I honestly think BR would have turned Shelvey into a monster this season if he was still here. Reckon he might be back one day.

[RedRum]

Rodgers used the same diamond in midfield system against Fulham back in November and it worked wonders. We hammered them 4-0 and it was some of the best football we have played all season. I said it then and now, I think this is the most ideal system for the players we have.

[Shaggy]

Rodgers used the same diamond in midfield system against Fulham back in November and it worked wonders. We hammered them 4-0 and it was some of the best football we have played all season. I said it then and now, I think this is the most ideal system for the players we have.

I think it is too - allows us to get two up top and three and sometimes four in the middle of the park. Huge onus on the full-backs to provide the width going forward but that suits ours anyway.

[meffin]

I think his main strength is his ability to change formations and tactics game by game. Gives other teams no chance of sussing out how to neutralise us, as we literally have 4 or 5 different formations we can switch to if its not working.

[MrMichael]

I honestly think BR would have turned Shelvey into a monster this season if he was still here. Reckon he might be back one day.

Not a chance, Shelvey is always entertaining to watch play but in reality he is quite rubbish. If he had a brain he might have a chance but you can't train what he's lacking imo. And Rodgers obviously felt the same, hence letting him move on.

[RedRum]

Not a chance, Shelvey is always entertaining to watch play but in reality he is quite rubbish. If he had a brain he might have a chance but you can't train what he's lacking imo. And Rodgers obviously felt the same, hence letting him move on.

I agree and would also add that I don't think he has the agility and quick feet that Rodgers is looking for in the number 10 role.

[magicalbarnes]

We are so much better to watch this season than at any time under Rafa. Even if this brand of attacking football doesn't win us anything , it's really fun to watch.

Disagree

That form we showed under Rafa between March 2009 - May 2009 was ruthless. We were strong everywhere, both in defence & attack. We were like a well oiled machine.

Granted our current team is much better going forward, but we still have a suspect defence.

Having said all of that, i wouldnt swap BR for ANY manager in world football.

[MrMichael]

Disagree

That form we showed under Rafa between March 2009 - May 2009 was ruthless. We were strong everywhere, both in defence & attack. We were like a well oiled machine.

Granted our current team is much better going forward, but we still have a suspect defence.

Having said all of that, i wouldnt swap BR for ANY manager in world football.

At that point under Rafa we were very strong all over the pitch and playing with an extremely effective system, but I wouldn't attempt to argue that we were quite as much pure, unadulterated fun to watch. I suppose it depends on what you get enjoyment from, but that season under Rafa we were supposed to be contenders, the press were a bit out to get us and H&G nonsense had already started to kick in, so I personally remember the season being much more stressful. This year everything just feels like a bonus, we're playing with no fear at all and scoring a frankly obscene number of goals; some of our games have genuinely had me giggling like a mad fool. This team isn't as developed or well rounded as Rafa's, but in terms of simple fun it is a total no-contest imo.

[PTP]

God, I thought people forgot about that. That was so so so cringe worthy. Even Shelvey looked uncomfortable on camera when he said that

haha nope i always say it - in fact when we played swansea at home i shouted it at jonjo - i got a few laughs but mostly people looked at me weird

[Yozza]

17 ways that Brendan Rodgers transformed Liverpool from also-rans to title challengers in 12 months

The former Swansea boss has worked wonders at Anfield this season. David Anderson looks at the key features of his reign

Brendan Rodgers has transformed Liverpool from a side which trailed in seventh last season - 28 points behind champions Manchester United - to title challengers in just 12 months. But how has he done this?

1. Playing a passing game

Rodgers has always believed in possession football. He imprinted this on Liverpool from day one and it caused problems initially with defenders being caught in possession or giving the ball away when they were used to clearing their lines. But now every player has bought into Rodgers' mantra of always passing to a Red shirt. This means they invariably enjoy the majority of possession in games, even at places like Old Trafford.

2. Buying Daniel Sturridge

Rodgers had a lucky escape with he missed out on Clint Dempsey in August 2012 because the club were able to buy him Sturridge in the following window. The England striker has been a revelation, averaging nearly a goal-a-game, to take some of the goal-scoring burden off Luis Suarez.

3. Buying Philippe Coutinho

Signing Coutinho from Inter Milan for a measly £8million has got to be one of the best deals of recent times. The little Brazilian brings that creative spark to Liverpool's midfield.

4. His handling of Luis Suarez

Rodgers supported Suarez when he bit Branislav Ivanovic and then was resolute when the Uruguayan tried to force through a move to Arsenal in the summer. Unlike former Aston Villa boss John Gregory who famously said he wanted "to shoot" Dwight Yorke when he told him he wanted to join Manchester United in 1998, he did not burn his bridges with Suarez so that a rapprochement could be made when he did not go. He has been repaid handsomely by the Uruguayan this term.

5. His use of tactics

Sometimes the former Swansea boss gets it wrong - like he did at home to Southampton and away to Arsenal in the league - but usually he knows exactly how to set up his team to get the best out of his players and to negate the opposition. He did this expertly against Manchester United, deploying Joe Allen instead of Coutinho beside Jordan Henderson and Steven Gerrard, to ensure Liverpool dominated possession. He believes in 4-3-3 and he has found the perfect balance at Liverpool this way.

6. Improving Jordan Henderson

Henderson's days at Anfield looked numbered when Rodgers took over in May 2012 and spent the first half of the season mainly on the bench. He listened to Rodgers' advice on how he could get better and he has been a revelation this season.

7. Making Raheem Sterling deliver consistently

Sterling looked like he had lost his way at the start of the season, but Rodgers got him to knuckle down and he stars for Liverpool on a regular basis.

8. Switching Steven Gerrard to an anchor midfield role

With Gerrard's 34th birthday approaching in May, he could not carry on as a box-to-box midfielder and Rodgers' new role spares his legs, while allowing him to dictate the play with his wonderful range of passing.

9. Getting rid of the dead wood

Rodgers made a huge call when he took over, sanctioning record £35million signing Andy Carroll's departure. Other managers might have shied away from such a high-profile move, but he knew he did not fit in with his style of play. Disappointing big earners like Stewart Downing have also gone.

10. Making Anfield a fortress again

Liverpool's home record had really slipped before Rodgers arrived and teams like Fulham, West Brom and Wigan were turning up and winning. This season the Reds have won 12, drawn one and lost just one at Anfield in the league.

11. By scoring more goals than anyone else

Rodgers sets up his team to score goals, first and foremost. Not to be hard to beat, or mean defensively, but to score goals. This is evident this season with their tally of 76, which is more than even Manchester City.

12. Not being in Europe

Jose Mourinho joked that Liverpool are doing so well because of their "holiday" from Europe and he is right. Rodgers loves coaching and he has made full use of having a full week to prepare for most games.

13. Making players better

Again it sounds obvious, but Rodgers prides himself on improving his players. Look at Jon Flanagan's development, Sterling's progress, Henderson's coming of age. Even Gerrard is a better player under Rodgers.

14. Ditching Pepe Reina and signing Simon Mignolet

Again another big call by Rodgers, but he knew the popular Reina had to go because of his increasing number of errors. Mignolet had a wobble around Christmas and the New Year, but has been impressive. Liverpool have looked better at the back, although defence remains their one weak spot.

15. Believing in his players

Rodgers has given his players the confidence to go out and play because they know he believes in them. This was important early on when the results were not forthcoming and now they believe they can win anywhere.

16. Getting at teams early

Liverpool have been fast starters this season and have blown teams like Arsenal and Everton away in the opening periods of games.

17. Working hard on the training ground

Anything any team does stems from what they do on the training pitch and Rodgers is an excellent coach, who prides himself on properly preparing his sides for every game down to the last detail.

[Yozza]

From David Brent-a-like to Bill Shankly's heir: How Brendan Rodgers has turned things around at Liverpool

Mar 18, 2014 10:51
OPINION BY DAVIDMADDOCK

Our man on Merseyside David Maddock takes a look at how the Kop boss has changed his reputation from joke figure to genius

Not that he seems to take much notice of such things, but surely even Brendan Rodgers will have allowed himself a wry smile after the humiliation of Manchester United.

Not only were the 'David Brent' taunts noticeably absent from the opposition fans, but afterwards he was hailed as a tactical genius who had cruelly exposed the limitations of David Moyes. It was Rodgers who was the chilled-out entertainer.

How fickle, the fevered passions of football. This is a man who has admitted himself he was far from being wanted by a large section of the Anfield support when he first arrived, and suspects there are some fans who will never truly embrace him.

Those David Brent taunts were employed not just by opposition fans either, but by his own supporters at times, who questioned the wisdom of his decisions in those early days, and came close to outrage at the signings of Joe Allen and Fabio Borini.

He's turning us into Swansea was the usual, vicious complaint. And it is a fair criticism too, because that's precisely what Rodgers has done, turn Liverpool into Swansea...but with three (or even four) world class strikers providing a cutting edge, and two world class midfielders (and quite possibly even three) providing the platform.

We'll leave the debate over Allen and Borini for another day - though this column has been consistent in support of the pair, and it would seem a wasted opportunity for pompous self-indulgence not to point out the former's performance at Old Trafford - but the performance of Rodgers at the weekend deserves discussion.

As Steven Gerrard so eloquently pointed out in these pages , his manager possesses a tactical knowledge and belief in his players to interpret it, that allows him to "tinker" with the formation, and "make subtle changes to personnel and tactics that come off every week".

That subtlety was the quality which destroyed Moyes on Sunday, and sent him teetering dangerously close to the exit door at Old Trafford. Liverpool surprised their opponents with a change in formation and tactics and the inability of the United manager to adjust exposed him as leaden in his thinking.

It is not the tactical thinking of Rodgers though, that marks him out as a manager of rare quality, and as one who is capable of leading Liverpool into a new era for a very long time. It is his courage.

Let's get this on the table, even as late as last Christmas, there were many Liverpool fans still skeptical about their manager, and still wondering if he was the right man to lead them forward.

I have friends who questioned him, one - whose usually sound opinion on Liverpool I respect immensely - even said to me he should be sacked (and that was on the eve of the thrashing of Spurs!). Many experts seemed to share the same skepticism, because those David Brent taunts followed him long into this season in some surprising quarters.

Perhaps even Liverpool's American owners entertained those same doubts, because they seemed surprisingly reluctant to reward the obvious progress Rodgers has made with a new contract, even when the transformation he had performed was obvious to the trained eye.

Yet what the surprisingly large ranks of the undecided (and of course they have disappeared into the woodwork right now) missed about Rodgers was his courage.

There were signs of it when he first took over the job, daring to take on what many assumed was an unmanageable club, with its recent history of infighting of ridiculous political manoeuvring.

There have been signs ever since. Rodgers has the courage of his convictions, even if those convictions seem surprising at times. A case in point was the signing of Daniel Sturridge.

Immediately before the striker's arrival, Luis Suarez had been on the hottest of streaks, leading the Liverpool line with rare and audacious quality, and so everyone - this critic amongst them - assumed Sturridge would be employed in a wider role along the front line.

Not a bit of it. Rodgers, when asked, insisted he would use the pace of Sturridge down the middle, and Suarez would have to get used to playing in different areas. We thought he was mad.

Later, in the summer. the manager showed a different type of courage in dealing with Suarez's strike threats and horrendous behaviour as he tried to engineer a move to Arsenal.

It seems already forgotten now, but the manager forced his star asset to train with the kids, publicly rounded on him, and made an example of him. For that, he was ferociously criticised by many seasoned Liverpool observers. Again, the courage of that conviction proved the right thing for the football club...and the player too.

A third example is perhaps the most prescient. In January, with Liverpool playing well after maintaining a top four challenge all season, Rodgers carried out a tactical switch he had been planning for some time.

With Lucas playing well, perhaps as well as he's done in his Liverpool career and well enough to become part of the Brazil team, Rodgers decided he could add an extra dimension to the team by employing Gerrard in the holding role.

Again, people thought he was mad...especially during the first half against Villa, when the team looked lost with their captain in that position. Yet now, two months later, Gerrard looks perhaps the most important player in the Premier League, and HAS brought an extra dimension to Liverpool's game.

In fact, he may just have provided the magic ingredient required to win the title - the subtlety of passing from a pivotal position that Liverpool lacked. Anyone who saw the skipper's performance against United on Sunday could see how influential he was, and how bloody good he is in that position.

Such courage when the easy thing would have been to stick with the perfectly acceptable status quo marks Rodgers out as a once in a generation manager.

Yes, he is tactically adept, yes, he is - according to many of his players - a very good man-manager. Yes, he most certainly is an accomplished coach, as the progress of the likes of Raheem Sterling, Countinho, Sturridge and even Suarez testify (and ask yourself, why has Suarez become the best player in the world right now?).

But it is the man's courage that marks him out. The courage to transform a Liverpool side too ready to employ long ball tactics into an image of his Swansea side, the courage to send a British record striker out on loan because of those convictions.

Those convictions have paid off, because Liverpool are now a joy to watch. They are the top scorers in Europe, they are incredible entertainers, and they are worth the admission fee.

And you know what, whether they win the league or not, their fans should now simply sit back and enjoy the ride...and employ the same courage of conviction in their team as their manager does.