Brendan Rodgers

[marcus50bucks]

He is making a grand effort at turning this around. I thought he was done, no way back. But he's doing great. The SWAG is coming back and we're fun to watch again (barring Burnley). We need to blow Leicester away now. Well done Brendan

[Phoenix07]

We've got players who are now pressing and playing as a unit. Now we have to build some consistency, and marry points AND performance. We've seen either one or the other. Last night as the first time in a while where we had both.

Hopefully, Johnson and Lovren will have to fight for their places when they return from injury. Incredible how near the Christmas period, we suddenly show signs of last season.

Pressing, quick first time passes, and as it showed last night, it made such a difference to our play rather than the ponderous passing and lack of urgency we've seen over the past 3 months.

[BigChief]

Hopefully, Johnson and Lovren will have to fight to the death. And the winner left standing is then shot in the head.

[RichC]

Fair play to Brendan he's had to tinker and he's gotta it wrong a fair few times this season but the last few games its started to look like we're beginning to click again I mean even against the Mancs, with a proper finisher we could easily have scored 3 or 4 on the day.

We need to continue this form now through these relatively "easy" games to give ourselves at least a fighting chance come the end of the season for 4th.

[ChrisDR1968]

I don't know about anyone else but I still don't really entirely trust Rodgers as Liverpool's manager.

When he gets it right it's great and very entertaining to watch (like last night) but I've still got a suspicion that the side he put out last night was one he was forced into by circumstances.

His first choice team (going by what he's done so far this season) would include Johnson (crap at tracking back), Allen (Mr Neutral and ineffective himself), Lovren (had he not made so many errors and taken himself out of the team) and Gerrard (who forces the entire team to change the way they play)

His extreme reluctance (until recently) to play Markovic and Can are other reasons to be a bit cautious in proclaiming Brendon the bold and expansive manager he was in the second half of last season.

It's still a wait and see situation for me at this moment in time

[dom9]

I've not really read the bickering in this thread. I'm not interested. But here are my worthless thoughts added to the mix.

I have a feeling that two games per week is a bigger challenge than anybody expected. Last year we had the luxury of having all week to prepare for the opposition. For the tactics to be honed, the players drilled and prepared, and the line up to be adjusted. The players excelled.

This year, we have the post game rest day. Perhaps a second rest day for the sprinters (see Brendan's comments post Sturridge injury), and then one day of prep on the training pitch - if there is no travelling). Just taking this into account represents a seismic shift in how the manager, the staff and the players have to work.

Add to that the loss of the best player in the league, and the second highest goalscorer last season, throw in a bunch of new players who are adjusting, and you have a transitional period.

Brendan has shown over time that he can learn fast and get it right. I think he can do so again. How long that takes is anybody's guess though, and I've said it before - it'll probably get worse before it gets better.

Just saying, like.

[ChrisDR1968]

Just saying, like.

Did you just quote yourself?

[dom9]

Did you just quote yourself?

I did. I almost started an "I told you so" thread, where we all smugly quote ourselves on the rare occasions when we get something right. One for the to do list.

[Buzzo]

Fair play to Brendan. We looked rudderless and without any sign of things improving a while ago, but things are getting better. I think he was close to getting the chop - we were FKN rubbish for quite some time.

He needs to sort the defence out though, we won't win anything until he does. A solid commanding Keeper is an absolute must.

[Norbs]

Just saying, like.

I find it really weird that you have a view on it, bearing in mind you haven't watched a game for months. It's akin to reviewing a film you've not seen or album youve not heard

[dom9]

I find it really weird that you have a view on it, bearing in mind you haven't watched a game for months. It's akin to reviewing a film you've not seen or album youve not heard

Good point.

I'm not really all that fussed truth be known. But I was pretty sure that there has been a lot of overreaction and a lack of perspective this season. Yes, the football has been poor. The results often bad. But that shouldn't have been a big surprise really if you're objective about it, and you look at the reasons why.

Now results have picked up. We were the better team against United and Arsenal by all accounts. People are starting to feel a bit more positive and that's great.

In many ways, this season is panning out similarly to Brendan's first at Anfield. It takes time for players to get used to it. But then it clicks and away they go.

[badpiggy]

Fair play to Brendan. We looked rudderless and without any sign of things improving a while ago, but things are getting better. I think he was close to getting the chop - we were FKN rubbish for quite some time.

He needs to sort the defence out though, we won't win anything until he does. A solid commanding Keeper is an absolute must.

It's amazing how when a team is playing badly - and in near freefall - it becomes almost impossible to imagine where the improvement could come from. Every possible permutation of formation seems doomed because of the perception of an overriding lethargy or fragility or just general ****eness about the team.

If this improvement continues, then you'd imagine it would be even more of a learning moment for both BR and the players. It just goes to prove the truth of the Japanese for "some cunt telling you you're utterly ****ed, mate" is the same as "some cunt telling you that it's your greatest ever opportunity, pal".


And yet..........the defence........We'll need world class goalscoring players to cancel out the deficiencies if it turns out that organising a defence is Rodgers' Achilles heel. And we had two of those last season. And it wasn't enough but

[Buzzo]

It's amazing how when a team is playing badly - and in near freefall - it becomes almost impossible to imagine where the improvement could come from. Every possible permutation of formation seems doomed because of the perception of an overriding lethargy or fragility or just general ****eness about the team.

If this improvement continues, then you'd imagine it would be even more of a learning moment for both BR and the players. It just goes to prove the truth of the Japanese for "some cunt telling you you're utterly ****ed, mate" is the same as "some cunt telling you that it's your greatest ever opportunity, pal".


And yet..........the defence........We'll need world class goalscoring players to cancel out the deficiencies if it turns out that organising a defence is Rodgers' Achilles heel. And we had two of those last season. And it wasn't enough but

I'd given up on Brendan I must admit. Making the same mistakes and putting out the same team week after week, it was incredibly frustrating.

I think not having a clue about the defensive aspects of setting up a team will do for Brendan eventually. His lack of top level football experience shows also, he is really learning as he goes. But you never know. At least from time to time he shows he is learning lessons.... He has certainly surprised me on occasion so far and none of us saw last seasons title challenge coming... So who knows.

[Norbs]

Good point.

I'm not really all that fussed truth be known. But I was pretty sure that there has been a lot of overreaction and a lack of perspective this season. Yes, the football has been poor. The results often bad. But that shouldn't have been a big surprise really if you're objective about it, and you look at the reasons why.

Now results have picked up. We were the better team against United and Arsenal by all accounts. People are starting to feel a bit more positive and that's great.

In many ways, this season is panning out similarly to Brendan's first at Anfield. It takes time for players to get used to it. But then it clicks and away they go.

It's intregueing Dom

[Phoenix07]

If you look at this thread, very few people wanted him gone.

http://www.est1892.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=86825

All concerns were based on his inability to learn from mistakes, and playing the same players without changing them. There was also the Chelsea game, where he dropped those who played well at the Bernabeu against Real Madrid. His interviews were abysmal, and showed similar parallels to his ill-fated spell at Reading (according to a number of their fans).
He's very lucky that no top class manager is available, unlike when the fanbase turned on Hodgson, when Dalglish and Benitez were unemployed and on Merseyside. I think calls for his dismissal would've been increasingly more across the board.

However, he's shown a willingness to change recently, and now has to show that consistency long term, to marry points and performances. He's playing a system that gets his best players on the pitch in their best positions, and dominated Man Utd (despite the loss) and Arsenal.

His next challenge is handling transfers. We all know there's something not quite right with the transfer committee, and I'm sure John Henry and Tom Werner will be reviewing their options on that front (please get on your knees and beg for Cruyff). The purchase of Mario Balotelli from a discussion of a loan deal to a £16million transfer for a player who no one would've said fits our style (even though we were excited by his arrival) is alarming. Pearce's Echo piece on Rodgers' preferred targets was a clear leak by our manager. In my view, we need a stronger committee with only Fallows and Rodgers from the current crop, aligned with new blood i.e. Cruyff. I'm stunned that the committee follows the Graham model, whereby if the stats for a player aren't satisfactory, then they say no. Stats can only tell half a story.

There's still a long way to go this season, and things can change very quickly. There are real shoots of recovery, which were much needed given we've got the Capital One Cup in January, the Europa League in February, and on paper, a comfortable league run leading up to the COC Semi Finals. Tell you what, he has got massive cojones for the game against Man Utd. Dropping Mignolet and playing a 3-4-2-1 from then onwards seemed bat**** crazy/stroke of genius. Like DannyMan2006 said, it was like Rodgers knew Basel was unacceptable, and made radical changes. It's encouraging.