Brendan Rodgers

[Yozza]

BR: We'll unleash the supporters' passion



11th Apr 2014 - Latest News

Brendan Rodgers believes Liverpool fans will take the atmosphere at Anfield to new heights when they are 'unleashed' against Manchester City during Sunday's showpiece clash.

The Reds, who currently top the Barclays Premier League table, can move seven points clear of rivals City, who will still have two games in hand, with a win in the early kick-off.

Rodgers, who praised the raucous atmosphere served up by the supporters during the 4-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur, is expecting the Kop to be in full bloom again at the weekend.

The famous old stand will be bedecked with banners and flags as the noise levels are ratcheted up - and the manager cannot wait to experience the matchday buzz.

"The beauty for us is that this game is at Anfield," Rodgers told the reporters who packed into the press room at Melwood on Friday afternoon.

"It's a special place to play football. We will unleash the supporters this weekend on the opponent and it's a very, very difficult place now for people to come and play.

"I sense a real nostalgia about the place at the moment. There's a real feel of the old Liverpool and I'll always respect that, but it's important that it helps drive us forward in the future as a motivation rather than a hindrance."

The Reds now boast a run of nine consecutive league victories, having thrashed Arsenal, Manchester United and Spurs during a truly spellbinding charge towards the division's summit.

Rodgers' side are the league's only unbeaten team of 2014 and on Sunday, they will look to extend a phenomenal Anfield record to 15 wins out of 17 games so far this season by beating Manuel Pellegrini's City.

However, the manager insists that away from the spotlight, Melwood has managed to retain a calm and composed atmosphere - where the workers are relaxed and yet focused on the task in hand.

According to Rodgers, such a spirit of unity permeates the whole set-up, and stems from the people in the canteen, to the likes of Dr Steve Peters, who has worked closely with the first-team squad, and indeed through to the players themselves.

"I'm very unfortunate to be surrounded by an outstanding team of professional people," continued Rodgers.

"It's unfair to single out any one. Steve Peters has come in and ultimately I have a belief in that sort of mental fitness of players and environment and he's come in and done a great job in supporting us in that.

"At this stage of the season, every person is important. From the people who work in our canteen, to the girls on the front reception, to the players. This is very much a team effort here."

[dom9]

"I'm very unfortunate to be surrounded by an outstanding team of professional people," continued Rodgers.

[Charly]

"I'm very unfortunate to be surrounded by an outstanding team of professional people," continued Rodgers.

means he cant take all of the credit.

[Yozza]

Rodgers already realising a dream

With one of the themes around Liverpool's unbeaten top-flight streak in 2014 being 'make us dream', Brendan Rodgers says he's fortunate to already be a part of a joyous experience.

The Reds are the only team not to have suffered defeat in the Barclays Premier League since the turn of the year, with nine consecutive wins catapulting the club to the summit.

As supporters whip up campaigns of encouragement, the team bulldozes through records, and the players perfectly implement his philosophy, Rodgers is relishing being at the helm of such a rich environment.

"There is lots of talk about pressure, but for us it's exciting," he said at his press conference ahead of the home clash against Manchester City.

"We're enjoying it, the players are very focused and there's certainly no nerves."

Rodgers, who was awarded the Barclays Manager of the Month accolade on Friday, revealed the enthusiasm behind Liverpool's blistering form is something he's been aspiring to, not something that would keep him up at night.

"It's what's we work for as coaches and managers," the boss explained.

"I've coached for a very long time and been in management for a short period of time; it gives me great joy to come in every day and work with the players and see how they embrace the ideas and take them onto the field.

"I'm sleeping very, very well - and I just look forward to coming here every day."

The 41-year-old credited Liverpool's owners, Fenway Sports Group, for creating an atmosphere that advances stability and success.

"When the opportunity to come here - to one of the great institutions of world football - arose, it was something that maybe only happens once in your lifetime," added Rodgers.

"But, for me, what was important was that there was a match between the vision of the owners and mine.

"The owners were a big part of why I joined, and it gives me great pride and honour to be the manager of Liverpool Football Club.

"I'm very fortunate that I'm at a club that supports my view on the way we should play football, and how we can develop the club as a whole, and for that, I'm hugely grateful.

"The thinking of the owners is very focused on stability. They're not people who listen to the last voice, or people who get shaken easily by the highs and lows of football, which we see in the modern game."

Rodgers reiterated the notion that the Reds' ambition supersedes the next encounter or campaign - instead, everyone at the club is committed to building a sustainable stronghold.

"For us, it's not about this one game or this one season, it's hopefully going to be over a period of many years," he said.

"We're a club that has a strong identity and a strong football philosophy of how we want to work. That's something we're very proud of and hope to cultivate and grow over the years to come."

[Yozza]

'Our method is to develop people here'

No matter how Liverpool's remaining five games of the season unfold, Brendan Rodgers will take immense pride from the progress achieved through the club's method of development.

The Northern Irishman has guided his team to the summit of the Barclays Premier League with one month left to navigate of the campaign - starting with Manchester City this Sunday.

Rodgers' vision of a one-club mentality has blossomed throughout his tenure, and particularly during the past year, with not only the first team, but the Academy and Ladies sides flourishing.

As he looked ahead to the visit of City to Anfield at the weekend, the manager reiterated his commitment to improving players and people en route to attempting to secure Liverpool success.

He told reporters on Friday: "This season, however it finishes, will be a great victory for the model that we've chosen to work here, which is about player development.

"We look at each individual player, looking at the players within our system, within our structure at the Academy and the club; looking at the senior players, how we can find ways to extend their careers to make them better players.

"And, while the individual is improving, making sure that the collective team is the most important aspect of it all. Liverpool as a club is very much a development club - development for players and for people.

"It's a model that we feel will give us that sustainable success over a longer period."

When Rodgers last pitted his tactical wits against Manuel Pellegrini and City, on Boxing Day 2013, his Reds were hugely unfortunate to suffer a 2-1 reversal at the Etihad Stadium.

Energy and work-rate were married with high-speed creativity in a display that troubled the hosts repeatedly and deserved a single point from the tie at a minimum.

"It was a very good game there," reflected Rodgers. "I thought we were the better team on the day; we didn't get the result but I was pleased with the performance.

"We needed to manage the game better. We conceded a disappointing goal, in particular just before half-time. But as a team, we've progressed and that's something we've done on a daily basis here."

That progression was evident by the manner in which Rodgers' outfit recovered from a disappointment moments before the break at West Ham United last Sunday.

Having registered a 44th-minute advantage via a Steven Gerrard penalty kick, the away side felt harshly treated, with Simon Mignolet subjected to heavy pressure as Guy Demel equalised.

But the response was as stern as it was instant; the Hammers were pushed back into their own half and eventually defeated by a second spot-kick from the skipper.

Rodgers was impressed. "It has been continual," he said of the players' advancement this season. "I look back to the game last week - at 1-1, people were maybe thinking we would panic. We didn't.

"We kept our calmness, we kept our control, we kept passing the ball and waited for the possibilities to score. That's something that clearly wasn't happening when I first came in.

"It is something that has developed over time. It wasn't happening in parts of last season; we were up in games and maybe would have conceded to draw games, or sometimes lose games, whereas now, we keep that control and domination to go on and win games.

"There's clearly development and still clearly a lot of progress that we need to make as well."

[Roboklopp]

God, I ****ing love this club.


That is all.

[Molby]

That line about unleashing the supporters on the opponent... Amazing.

Especially the way he paused and then said it so deliberately..

We are truly blessed to have this man in charge of our team..

[doogle]

I love the man making me dream, the *******

[Norbs]

There's not need to be so velodrome-atic about it mate

O'Raleigh?

[Norbs]

God, I ****ing love this club.


That is all.

We're winning the title at Smellhurst

[Fivex]

O'Raleigh?

[Oberon]

O'Raleigh?

Another thread Derailleur?














Neil should be all over this

[baitman]

Another thread Derailleur?

the quality of the puns has gone up a gear

[Roboklopp]

Aye it's a tour de France force.

[Norbs]

I like the way you Krafted that pun, it werked!