Brendan Rodgers

[The_weatherman]

If he had that much football know-how then it wouldn't have taken him 6 months of doing the same thing over and over again before realising we needed to change the system.

At least he did change it eventually and it appears to be working.

I'm climbing slowly but surely back on board the Brendan Rodger's wonderful bandwagwon, but I agree, he wasn't changing things in first half of the season like he did for example last season, when something went wrong he changed it, adapted very quickly. He tried the same thing over and over again now, teams were closing down Gerrard, pressuring our back five and we couldn't build any rythm.

Yes, this formation change is great, but it's a bit of a cop-out saying it's all down to it. He ****ed up, but if he shows ability to learn from it like he has in the past he will be better for it.

[Muddled]

Yes, this formation change is great, but it's a bit of a cop-out saying it's all down to it.

What do you mean by this?

[MrMichael]

If he had that much football know-how then it wouldn't have taken him 6 months of doing the same thing over and over again before realising we needed to change the system.

At least he did change it eventually and it appears to be working.

I really don't think that's fair. Or even true, loads of different things were tried, changes in personnel etc, but within a framework that by and large had worked before. The system we've moved to now is quite radically different and one developed through pragmatic experience with this group of players. No way could we have implemented it 6 months ago and if he had he would have been slaughtered.

Playing one way took us ridiculously close to the title, with so many new players, trying to work out what to do with Balotelli, Gerrard, Europe... you act as if we should have ripped up the whole pre-season etc in September. Many managers would still be doggedly trying to stick to a variant of their plan A right now, including some of our previous ones. I'm absolutely not saying Rodgers has got everything right this season, blatantly not, but lets not pretend this system was obvious, or even possible, all that much before he implemented it.

[captainfog]

I really don't think that's fair. Or even true, loads of different things were tried, changes in personnel etc, but within a framework that by and large had worked before. The system we've moved to now is quite radically different and one developed through pragmatic experience with this group of players. No way could we have implemented it 6 months ago and if he had he would have been slaughtered.

Playing one way took us ridiculously close to the title, with so many new players, trying to work out what to do with Balotelli, Gerrard, Europe... you act as if we should have ripped up the whole pre-season etc in September. Many managers would still be doggedly trying to stick to a variant of their plan A right now, including some of our previous ones. I'm absolutely not saying Rodgers has got everything right this season, blatantly not, but lets not pretend this system was obvious, or even possible, all that much before he implemented it.

I completely disagree, he moved from the framework that was successful last season (diamond, pressing etc) and reverted to his old Swansea approach of one up top, sitting back and passing it sideways until we lost the ball. He did this for 6 months while we slid further and further down the table.

[RedReet]

I really don't think that's fair. Or even true, loads of different things were tried, changes in personnel etc, but within a framework that by and large had worked before. The system we've moved to now is quite radically different and one developed through pragmatic experience with this group of players. No way could we have implemented it 6 months ago and if he had he would have been slaughtered.

Playing one way took us ridiculously close to the title, with so many new players, trying to work out what to do with Balotelli, Gerrard, Europe... you act as if we should have ripped up the whole pre-season etc in September. Many managers would still be doggedly trying to stick to a variant of their plan A right now, including some of our previous ones. I'm absolutely not saying Rodgers has got everything right this season, blatantly not, but lets not pretend this system was obvious, or even possible, all that much before he implemented it.

It was also about November time that he started changing things to make us tighter at the back and although that was successful, it blunted our attack, until the system evolved to what we’re playing now. Considering we has that great result against Spurs in August and it was mid-September before we had our next game and probably the start of our poor run (coinciding with the Sturridge injury), it was hardly 6 months of doing the same thing.

[vlahka]

I'm just waiting to see if he goes and screws up the beginning of next season. If he sticks with the same style of gameplay now, like we had last season, then I'm fine with him.

[RedReet]

I completely disagree, he moved from the framework that was successful last season (diamond, pressing etc) and reverted to his old Swansea approach of one up top, sitting back and passing it sideways until we lost the ball. He did this for 6 months while we slid further and further down the table.

Sep 13th 2014 - March 13th 2015???

[Chris]

We're not conceding many and that is what ultimately counts, but we've played a lot of **** teams who haven't been capitalising on errors. West Ham aside, which I haven't seen, almost every game I've watched we've looked prone to conceding and have benefited from poor finishing. I'm yet to be convinced that we've properly turned a corner, but hopefully this is the start of better things.

If you expect to get through every game without conceding a chance you probably need to change your expectations a bit. We are clearly defending brilliantly as a team at the mo and thats reflected in the recent stats. Loathe Chelsea but wouldnt say they are "****" mind.

1 defeat in 18 in all comps. 24 points from our last 11 league games which is pretty much title challenging form, imagine how good we'll be if we properly turn a corner!

[BigChief]

If you expect to get through every game without conceding a chance you probably need to change your expectations a bit. We are clearly defending brilliantly as a team at the mo and thats reflected in the recent stats. Loathe Chelsea but wouldnt say they are "****" mind.

1 defeat in 18 in all comps. 24 points from our last 11 league games which is pretty much title challenging form, imagine how good we'll be if we properly turn a corner!

We already have.

[The_weatherman]

What do you mean by this?

Some posters maintained that Lovren and Gerrard in particular should be benched, when it happened the change in play was put solely down to the formation changed. I think that's a bit of a cop-out.

I really don't think that's fair. Or even true, loads of different things were tried, changes in personnel etc, but within a framework that by and large had worked before. The system we've moved to now is quite radically different and one developed through pragmatic experience with this group of players. No way could we have implemented it 6 months ago and if he had he would have been slaughtered.

Playing one way took us ridiculously close to the title, with so many new players, trying to work out what to do with Balotelli, Gerrard, Europe... you act as if we should have ripped up the whole pre-season etc in September. Many managers would still be doggedly trying to stick to a variant of their plan A right now, including some of our previous ones. I'm absolutely not saying Rodgers has got everything right this season, blatantly not, but lets not pretend this system was obvious, or even possible, all that much before he implemented it.

Totally, this system wasn't obvious and he's done great, said that many times. But I think he could have changed certain things sooner, personel being one.

I completely disagree, he moved from the framework that was successful last season (diamond, pressing etc) and reverted to his old Swansea approach of one up top, sitting back and passing it sideways until we lost the ball. He did this for 6 months while we slid further and further down the table.

I agree to an extent, I feel Rodgers just started at page one again of his coaching manual. Were just like we were in his first season. Fannying about at the back, Gerrard and the CB's passing the ball slowly and inviting pressure.

[The_weatherman]

If you expect to get through every game without conceding a chance you probably need to change your expectations a bit. We are clearly defending brilliantly as a team at the mo and thats reflected in the recent stats. Loathe Chelsea but wouldnt say they are "****" mind.

1 defeat in 18 in all comps. 24 points from our last 11 league games which is pretty much title challenging form, imagine how good we'll be if we properly turn a corner!

Don't expect us to keep a clean sheet every game, the team is set up brilliantly now and performing very well. But it wasn't and didn't for about three months, that is all. Rodgers turned it around and full credit to him.

We already have.

[BobTheCharmer]

I wanted him out and that was only because of my sig. My almost exact words were (and I still believe in): "It would be a shame to lose him as he's the best manager I've seen for us since Dalglish left in 1991".

I stand by that and am so happy he's finally resolved the issue regarding my signature. I will change my sig in a couple of days now that the ghost of 2014 has been exorcised.

Do you realise how ****ing mental that actually sounds?

You wanted him out because of something **** in your signature that you put there, however you freely admit it would be a shame as he our best manager since Dalglish?

I think you need to have a word with yourself, a few in fact, in front of the mirror. No offence intended but its madness.

[dom9]

I love the idea that Rodgers has an actual coaching manual that he works though until he hits upon a chapter that works. And then when things change, he goes back to page and chapter 1 and starts again.

Coaching For Dummies.

[BigChief]

Do you realise how ****ing mental that actually sounds?

You wanted him out because of something **** in your signature that you put there, however you freely admit it would be a shame as he our best manager since Dalglish?

I think you need to have a word with yourself, a few in fact, in front of the mirror. No offence intended but its madness.

No offence taken. His Gerrard-centric team(s) were causing us to freefall earlier in the season. There was no other way of putting it. The best manager we have since Dalglish had ONE critical and serious flaw.

It was time to fix that ONE flaw or leave. He fixed it and now continues to show why he's our best manager since Dalglish.

What's so difficult to understand about that?

[The_weatherman]

I love the idea that Rodgers has an actual coaching manual that he works though until he hits upon a chapter that works. And then when things change, he goes back to page and chapter 1 and starts again.

Coaching For Dummies.

It was not meant literally just to remove all doubt.