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    Agger being sold was criminal. He hasn't signed one CL caliber player this summer. All the players signed this summer were players we could have got regardless of CL football.

    What happened to this "Top players want to come here"?

    Judging by our transfer dealing that is clearly not the case.

    Comment


      Originally posted by Leyton388 View Post
      Agger being sold was criminal. He hasn't signed one CL caliber player this summer. All the players signed this summer were players we could have got regardless of CL football.

      What happened to this "Top players want to come here"?

      Judging by our transfer dealing that is clearly not the case.
      We may be ready to pay big fees but we won't pay the wages to get the best players. So frustrating to see what we are becoming.
      "Its not about the long ball or the short ball, its about the right ball." Bob Paisley

      Comment


        has this dr peters bloke hypnotised any of our players and told them to play even ****ter than normal.
        cant he just tell lambert that hes suarez, balotelli can be sturridge, etc.

        how hard can it be
        removing all the weak links makes us stronger

        too many gutless players, no beef or desire. pussies everywhere... sack them all.

        Comment


          Originally posted by baitman View Post
          has this dr peters bloke hypnotised any of our players and told them to play even ****ter than normal.
          cant he just tell lambert that hes suarez, balotelli can be sturridge, etc.

          how hard can it be
          he should make them eat onions or pretend to be strippers like any pub hypnotist would.
          Glass Half Full

          Comment


            Rafa anyone?
            I love Sarah

            Comment


              Pass

              Comment


                Brendan got too cocky and complacent. Every coach gets tested at some point, he needs to take a step back and realize that there are issues with our structure that need addressed and players that need moved on.

                Comment


                  Chris
                  23 November 2014 at 6:05 pm

                  The day we were looking forward to. The day we needed desperately. The day we got things back on track. The day we put in some sort of a performance. The day we went on some sort of run. The day we started to be ourselves again. The day we started to claw things back against the 19th best side in the league.

                  None of that happened. I’ll tell you what though.

                  Today was the day.

                  I am now of the opinion Brendan Rodgers is not the manager we need him to be now or in the future. I have criticised him all season but even after the underwhelming transfers, abysmal team selections and vile, disgusting tactics which didn’t change regardless of evidence, I refrained from saying it.

                  I knew we weren’t going to win 6 in a row. From this run of games I thought 3 wins and 3 draws is what we were looking at, with one of those draws coming today. I realised that being a Liverpool fan, looking at the names of the next 6 opponents and not expecting better than 3 wins and 3 draws, something was badly wrong. And that something was the manager. But I refrained from saying it.

                  Not any longer.

                  We need a new manager.

                  There. It’s done. It’s been said and it cannot be unsaid. We wait til seasons end and sack him. We give him no money in January. We go after Simeone, Klopp or Rafa. Managers who know what it takes to overcome odds, regularly qualify for the Champions League, know what to do when they get there, and win some trophies.

                  At this stage last season, the incredibly maligned (by us, rightly) David Moyes was 7 points better off. He was qualifying from his Champions League group. And he was in the semi final of the League Cup. Think on that if you believe the above knee jerk. This mess we find ourselves in is now, in my opinion, irreversible. Rodgers has had time to reassess. The international break seen to that. He could clear his head. He could see what the rest of us have seen.

                  That Gerrard is finished. That he offers incredibly little to this team from the start. That his name being on the team sheet negatively affects our whole shape. That his playing means others have to worry about him as well as themselves. That his selection means other midfielders don’t want to go beyond the ball but at the same time we are still ludicrously open to the counter attack. That he is as bad a captain and leader you could never hope to see. That he is so bad in the defensive midfield role he almost becomes a 12th man for the opposition, for sure as **** we don’t have 11 on the pitch when he plays.

                  That Lovren has turned into the worst centre back in the entire league. That his form doesn’t merit him a game for the Renford Rejects, let along Liverpool Football Club. That his head is scrambled. That he needs babysitting as bad as Gerrard does. That he constantly gives up chances to the opposition when the opposition doesnt do anything special. That his presence at our club is a mistake, plain and simple.

                  That Skrtel is a common denominator. That he always wants to drop deeper. That he is a defender for a defensive team. That he is currently better suited to being a judoka than a footballer, and that officials are rightly targeting him. That he constantly gives away free kicks in dangerous positions.
                  That Glen Johnson is Glen ****ing Johnson and has been for 18 ****ing months. That he doesn’t have the skill or athletic ability to play for any side hoping to finish top 4. That worst of all, he doesn’t even have the desire to play for any side hoping to finish top 4.

                  That Sterling isn’t a striker. That he isn’t a winger. That he is a number 10. That he is now at an age where he must play in the same position most weeks so he can learn and develop to become what his talent and will determines he should be come.

                  That 4-2-3-1 doesn’t ****ing work. That we need two strikers on the pitch. That he is the only one to blame for having Borini and Lambert at the club.

                  Rodgers would take a fortnight and work all this out, right? No? Most of it out? Some of it out? I mean, he can definitely see some of it, right? The Gerrard thing? He can see that. He’ll have known that we know up til now he has been a yellow belly, but are now giving him our permission to drop Steven. That’s what he’s been waiting for, isn’t it? No? He has seen where his constant selection of Lovren has got us, hasn’t he? He’ll now realise the season is on the line and swallow his pride, won’t he? He’ll bring in Toure or Sakho for sure, no?

                  No.

                  Just like against Chelsea, I knew the team sheet would tell all. Just like against Chelsea, I was repulsed. Just like against Chelsea we took an early lead. Just like against Chelsea we lost having played appallingly.

                  Mignolet
                  Manquillo Toure Sakho Moreno
                  Can Lucas Henderson
                  Sterling Lallana
                  Balotelli

                  That’s the team I wanted today. Fair enough Sakho and Balotelli were injured. So replace with Skrtel and Borini. But to play Lovren in place of Toure, Johnson in place of Moreno, Lambert in place of Borini and worst of all, not to play Can, is unforgivable. Worse was to come though. The performance of Gerrard today went beyond sad. It genuinely is heart breaking to see any club legend reduced to showings like he’s put in this season, let alone our club legend. But when Rodgers took off Allen and left his land lord on, that was it for me. “It” in this instance being “apoplectic.” (By the way, any manager having any of their players as land lord is a ridiculous conflict of interest made all the more farcical given the money and choice Rodgers had. It seems Rodgers decisions off the field are just as questionable as the ones on it.) We had something of a diamond with Sterling up top with Lambert. But when Rodgers changed things and went back to his 4-2-3-1 and soon after we went from 1-1 to 3-1 down, assisted of course by mistakes by Lovren and then Skrtel, then that was really it for me. “It” in this instance being “feeling physically ill.”

                  After the match (long after the match) Rodgers says he takes full responsibility. It’s not something he has said before but let’s be real: he is only saying it because anything else would be more shameful than his efforts this season. He claimed the free kick for Palace’s third goal wasn’t a free kick. As blind as Wenger without even half his ability. He also claimed he always “felt comfortable in the game” except maybe from counter attacks – see Steven Gerrard. Feeling comfortable against a bad team should mean 3-0 up after an hour in normal circumstances, not 1-1 in a game against a bad team in which you are second best but neither you nor your opponents look like getting a winner.

                  I posted the following last month:

                  “This is what Reading’s chairman stated after he sacked Rodgers 5 years ago:

                  “I understand he didn’t have much time but we got on a slippery slope and it just got worse. Signings didn’t settle, Brendan was adamant his style of play would eventually work. Results kept getting worse, performances too. Results & performances did not match what the manager was consistently telling me. The fans started to tell me a different story. Brendan refused to comprehend the notion of changing his ways so adamant was he that he would be successful. The only thing that was changing rapidly was our league position. Was it hasty sacking him? (No) Did we avoid relegation with McDermott? (Yes)””

                  I worried history was repeating itself. Im not worried now. Not after today. After today I am sure.

                  Today was the day.



                  Comment





                    DEBATE: Were Reading FC right to sack Brendan Rodgers?

                    Nov 12, 2014 14:08By*Hugh Fort

                    Fan Elliott Clarkson presents the "For" arguement. He's up against getreading's Hugh Fort presenting the "against" view




                    Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has been getting some stick recently over his team's performances after their brilliant season last year.

                    Rodgers is seen as one of the great managerial successes of modern times after excellent spells at Watford and particularly at Swansea.

                    It was his success in getting the Welsh club into the*Premier League, at the expense of Reading in the play-offs of 2012, and the club's easy-on-the eye passing game won them many fans amongst the neutrals.

                    When Rodgers' success is talked about, many people forget of his one major failure, which of course was at*Reading FC.

                    He lasted just six months at the club after Steve Coppell left.

                    He was sacked in December 2009 and replaced by*Brian McDermott, who ending up leading the Royals back into the Premier League.

                    It's a source of debate amongst Royals fans whether Rodgers should've been given more time at the club, or whether*Sir John Madejski*was right to sack him.

                    Getreading website editor, and Royals fan, Hugh Fort, and his mate, and fellow fan, Elliot Clarkson, offer two entirely contrasting views.

                    FOR: Elliott Clarkson

                    Brendan Rodgers was named LMA Manager of the Year 2014 for a reason. Last season his Liverpool team, who finished 7th the previous season finished in 2nd place.

                    Before that, he led a Swansea team from the Championship - by beating Reading at Wembley - to the Premier League and established them. It’s absolutely indisputable that Brendan Rodgers is a good manager.

                    But was he the right manager for Reading?

                    That’s not the right question.

                    The question is, was Reading the right club for Brendan Rodgers?

                    When he joined, Reading had just parted company with Steve Coppell and the club was in desperate need of a shake up.

                    Brendan came into the club with radical ideas - good ideas - and a new way of thinking.

                    The problem? The majority of players and fans were not only unwilling to accept those ideas, they flat out rejected them.

                    They wanted Steve Coppell back.

                    They wanted the 106-point season back. And, in the end, they forced John Madejski’s hand.

                    Since then we have gone through seasons of transition, appointed two average managers and, all the while, watched as Brendan Rodgers goes from strength-to-strength.

                    It annoys me that Reading isn’t mentioned as part of his success story.

                    It annoys me that Swansea are an established Premier League team because, if we’d have given Brendan a chance, I genuinely believe that could have been us.

                    It annoys me that we’re even asking if Reading should have sacked him because the answer is crystal clear: no. In fact, I believe it is the worst decision the club has ever made.

                    Against: Hugh Fort

                    Rodgers was seen as the natural successor to Steve Coppell - young, dynamic, and, importantly, with previous links to the club, having both played and managed Reading's academy.

                    What he bought with him was some wonderful ideas and a book absolutely choc-full of meaningless football management speak.

                    Elliott is right in saying Reading was not the right club for him and his ideas, but that's not good enough reasoning.

                    I had a season ticket that year, every time I turned up to a game whatever randomly selected team he'd picked that day gave the impression they'd been introduced to each other about 20 minutes before kick-off.

                    No-one understood what to do, the football was sleep-inducing tedious and utterly ineffective.

                    The tactics seemed to be tippy-tappying the ball around, losing it, letting the opposition score, then repeating the process until finally having your first shot in the 87th minute.

                    It was awful.

                    Rodgers revolutionary tactics were lost on an admittedly limited group of players.

                    But I ask you, if you are eating a meal, and you realise it's disgusting, do you just blindly carry on eating it in the hope it gets better, or do you eat something else completely different?

                    Rodgers ploughed on and on, performances got worse and worse and the nonsense he was talking after games just got sillier and sillier.

                    Elliott is also overlooking the fact that when he was sacked, Reading were teetering above the relegation zone.

                    They did not give the impression of a team full of hunger for a relegation battle, more a team who really didn't have any idea what they were supposed to do at all.

                    It might have worked, Rodgers might have kept us up, but it didn't look very likely from where I was sitting.

                    I don't doubt Rodgers is now a very good manager, I think he'd probably be a decent England manager, although why he'd want to is a mystery.

                    But at Reading he would not change his ways, ever single fan in the ground could see what he was doing was not working, but he never changed it.

                    If he'd had three years, I think he might've got that group of players playing like his Swansea team, but unfortunately it didn't work like that, and I believe Mr Madejski was spot on in giving him the boot.




                    Last edited by Lecter; 24-11-14, 08:49 AM.
                    Bob Paisley - "This club has been my life. I'd go out and sweep the street and be proud to do it for Liverpool if they asked me to."

                    Comment


                      i think he's due some more respect and support. judging from his post match interviews i believe things will change drastically now because he knows he's on the clock.
                      he's going through a difficult spell that will obviously make or break him. if he's able to ride the storm and get us to perform again then i believe he proves to be the right man for us. because then he proves he really does learn his lessons. come may, we know where we're at.

                      Comment


                        Originally posted by fred_plasticine View Post
                        i think he's due some more respect and support. judging from his post match interviews i believe things will change drastically now because he knows he's on the clock.
                        he's going through a difficult spell that will obviously make or break him. if he's able to ride the storm and get us to perform again then i believe he proves to be the right man for us. because then he proves he really does learn his lessons. come may, we know where we're at.
                        I think he deserves some time to turn it around

                        I do have some concerns though

                        Firstly I have major doubts that he will change tact, I think he will stay stubborn and continue ad nauseaum and continue to stumble blindly on

                        Secondly the media senses blood and generally when they do that there is very little chance of turning things around

                        I think he should get till at least January but I fear hes a dead man walking
                        Bob Paisley - "This club has been my life. I'd go out and sweep the street and be proud to do it for Liverpool if they asked me to."

                        Comment


                          Originally posted by Lecter View Post
                          I think he deserves some time to turn it around

                          I do have some concerns though

                          Firstly I have major doubts that he will change tact, I think he will stay stubborn and continue ad nauseaum and continue to stumble blindly on

                          Secondly the media senses blood and generally when they do that there is very little chance of turning things around

                          I think he should get till at least January but I fear hes a dead man walking
                          IMO it is nigh on impossible for a manager to survive from this situation. Should be stumble through to the end of the season I'd be very surprised to see him at Anfield come July.
                          James Philip Milner Fanclub #1

                          Curtis Julian Jones Fanclub #1

                          Comment


                            I went to Fulham v Swansea a few seasons ago when i was living in London. I had been to a lot of Fulham games having lived around the corner from the ground and i had never seen a team as impressive as Brendan Rodgers Swansea side that day. Fulham didn't have a kick. Swansea just kept total possession, passed the ball at will - i was like watching Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets at the time. It was literally pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass. The movement of the midfield and front men was unbelievable. That day Joe Allen and Gylfi Sigurdsson both played 9½ out of 10 games. The only time i have seen LFC play as well with total control was last years 5-0 away game to Spurs.

                            When BR joined LFC, i was excited because i thought that with that style of football coupled with better players - what could go wrong. Even in BRs first few LFC games when there were **** ups by the likes of Skrtel - his stupid pass against Man City at home in BRs second game - that was okay. Brendan said so - fair play to Skrtel for having the balls to play that pass. To stick with the new philosophy. We were going to be death by football - keep possession at a controlled pace when we had the ball - pass & move, pass & move, pass & move - tire out the opposition, inject sudden tempo and then hurt them.

                            There was no place for a £35m donkey in Andy Carroll with this style of football. So he was loaned out. Fair enough. We didn't have time to get a replacement in. That's okay - AC would only have taken a space on the bench anyway. This is the new liverpool - where price tags don't matter. Where reputations are build on the last couple of performances for LFC - not on previous seasons. John Henry spoke of how Brendan was "a teacher" which signalled the intention to finally bring through young players from the academy and supplement these with quality signings. Sterling looked like he was going to be a star - but so too did Suso, Wisdom and Kelly. And we had the likes of Ibe and Teixeria to come through as well.

                            What has happened to Brendan Rodgers? Why was Andy Carroll not even good enough for the bench but 2½ years later we pay good money for Rickie Lambert. Just because he takes a good penalty? Was it just because we only had Aspas to throw on against Chelsea when we were chasing a point last April??

                            Why was Skrtel bigged up for playing short passes under pressure - for not hoofing it - but now we have Skrtel and Lovren and Johnson just frickin hoofing it up to Lambert. Or if they do play a short pass, then it is to Gerrard who comes deep and just hoofs it (well to be fair he passes it) out to Sterling or Coutinho. We now bypass the midfield - whereas two seasons ago we played through the opposition midfield. We dragged them out of position, kept the ball and created space.

                            Also, when Brendan first came in, then he didn't need to play his overpriced players - because he hadn't signed them he could easily say that Carroll, Downing, Adam and Joe Cole were not good enough. He tried to swap Jordan Henderson for Clint Dempsey. Thank **** that didn't work out. Now Brendan is obviously finding it much harder to drop the likes of Lovren. I wonder does he look at Lovren in training and think "why the **** did i pay £20m for him when i had Danny Agger there"

                            For me, Brendan is walking a tight rope - because of the lack of a gameplan as much as the terrible results. He now needs to just relax, sit down, close his eyes and think of what got him the Liverpool job in the first place. Go back to basics. Look at every player and ask himself the question - is this guy the best i can put in there right now?

                            If he honestly does that, then i expect to see a team of:

                            Mignolet

                            Manquillo Toure Skrtel Moreno

                            henderson lucas allen
                            coutinho
                            balotelli borini


                            With Flanagan and Sturridge replacing Mnaquillo and Borini when they come back. Sterling replacing coutinho after he has had a break and Gerrard used as an impact player for a while and then rotated with allen......

                            Every game he plays Lovren is a game closer to the sack.
                            Every game he plays Gerrard in DM is a game closer to the sack.
                            Every game he plays Glen Johnson is a game closer to the sack.

                            Comment


                              Originally posted by frank the tank View Post
                              I went to Fulham v Swansea a few seasons ago when i was living in London. I had been to a lot of Fulham games having lived around the corner from the ground and i had never seen a team as impressive as Brendan Rodgers Swansea side that day. Fulham didn't have a kick. Swansea just kept total possession, passed the ball at will - i was like watching Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets at the time. It was literally pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass. The movement of the midfield and front men was unbelievable. That day Joe Allen and Gylfi Sigurdsson both played 9½ out of 10 games. The only time i have seen LFC play as well with total control was last years 5-0 away game to Spurs.

                              When BR joined LFC, i was excited because i thought that with that style of football coupled with better players - what could go wrong. Even in BRs first few LFC games when there were **** ups by the likes of Skrtel - his stupid pass against Man City at home in BRs second game - that was okay. Brendan said so - fair play to Skrtel for having the balls to play that pass. To stick with the new philosophy. We were going to be death by football - keep possession at a controlled pace when we had the ball - pass & move, pass & move, pass & move - tire out the opposition, inject sudden tempo and then hurt them.

                              There was no place for a £35m donkey in Andy Carroll with this style of football. So he was loaned out. Fair enough. We didn't have time to get a replacement in. That's okay - AC would only have taken a space on the bench anyway. This is the new liverpool - where price tags don't matter. Where reputations are build on the last couple of performances for LFC - not on previous seasons. John Henry spoke of how Brendan was "a teacher" which signalled the intention to finally bring through young players from the academy and supplement these with quality signings. Sterling looked like he was going to be a star - but so too did Suso, Wisdom and Kelly. And we had the likes of Ibe and Teixeria to come through as well.

                              What has happened to Brendan Rodgers? Why was Andy Carroll not even good enough for the bench but 2½ years later we pay good money for Rickie Lambert. Just because he takes a good penalty? Was it just because we only had Aspas to throw on against Chelsea when we were chasing a point last April??

                              Why was Skrtel bigged up for playing short passes under pressure - for not hoofing it - but now we have Skrtel and Lovren and Johnson just frickin hoofing it up to Lambert. Or if they do play a short pass, then it is to Gerrard who comes deep and just hoofs it (well to be fair he passes it) out to Sterling or Coutinho. We now bypass the midfield - whereas two seasons ago we played through the opposition midfield. We dragged them out of position, kept the ball and created space.

                              Also, when Brendan first came in, then he didn't need to play his overpriced players - because he hadn't signed them he could easily say that Carroll, Downing, Adam and Joe Cole were not good enough. He tried to swap Jordan Henderson for Clint Dempsey. Thank **** that didn't work out. Now Brendan is obviously finding it much harder to drop the likes of Lovren. I wonder does he look at Lovren in training and think "why the **** did i pay £20m for him when i had Danny Agger there"

                              For me, Brendan is walking a tight rope - because of the lack of a gameplan as much as the terrible results. He now needs to just relax, sit down, close his eyes and think of what got him the Liverpool job in the first place. Go back to basics. Look at every player and ask himself the question - is this guy the best i can put in there right now?

                              If he honestly does that, then i expect to see a team of:

                              Mignolet

                              Manquillo Toure Skrtel Moreno

                              henderson lucas allen
                              coutinho
                              balotelli borini


                              With Flanagan and Sturridge replacing Mnaquillo and Borini when they come back. Sterling replacing coutinho after he has had a break and Gerrard used as an impact player for a while and then rotated with allen......

                              Every game he plays Lovren is a game closer to the sack.
                              Every game he plays Gerrard in DM is a game closer to the sack.
                              Every game he plays Glen Johnson is a game closer to the sack.
                              All you touch and all you see
                              Is all your life will ever be

                              Comment


                                Originally posted by marcus50bucks View Post
                                Chris
                                23 November 2014 at 6:05 pm

                                The day we were looking forward to. The day we needed desperately. The day we got things back on track. The day we put in some sort of a performance. The day we went on some sort of run. The day we started to be ourselves again. The day we started to claw things back against the 19th best side in the league.

                                None of that happened. I’ll tell you what though.

                                Today was the day.

                                I am now of the opinion Brendan Rodgers is not the manager we need him to be now or in the future. I have criticised him all season but even after the underwhelming transfers, abysmal team selections and vile, disgusting tactics which didn’t change regardless of evidence, I refrained from saying it.

                                I knew we weren’t going to win 6 in a row. From this run of games I thought 3 wins and 3 draws is what we were looking at, with one of those draws coming today. I realised that being a Liverpool fan, looking at the names of the next 6 opponents and not expecting better than 3 wins and 3 draws, something was badly wrong. And that something was the manager. But I refrained from saying it.

                                Not any longer.

                                We need a new manager.

                                There. It’s done. It’s been said and it cannot be unsaid. We wait til seasons end and sack him. We give him no money in January. We go after Simeone, Klopp or Rafa. Managers who know what it takes to overcome odds, regularly qualify for the Champions League, know what to do when they get there, and win some trophies.

                                At this stage last season, the incredibly maligned (by us, rightly) David Moyes was 7 points better off. He was qualifying from his Champions League group. And he was in the semi final of the League Cup. Think on that if you believe the above knee jerk. This mess we find ourselves in is now, in my opinion, irreversible. Rodgers has had time to reassess. The international break seen to that. He could clear his head. He could see what the rest of us have seen.

                                That Gerrard is finished. That he offers incredibly little to this team from the start. That his name being on the team sheet negatively affects our whole shape. That his playing means others have to worry about him as well as themselves. That his selection means other midfielders don’t want to go beyond the ball but at the same time we are still ludicrously open to the counter attack. That he is as bad a captain and leader you could never hope to see. That he is so bad in the defensive midfield role he almost becomes a 12th man for the opposition, for sure as **** we don’t have 11 on the pitch when he plays.

                                That Lovren has turned into the worst centre back in the entire league. That his form doesn’t merit him a game for the Renford Rejects, let along Liverpool Football Club. That his head is scrambled. That he needs babysitting as bad as Gerrard does. That he constantly gives up chances to the opposition when the opposition doesnt do anything special. That his presence at our club is a mistake, plain and simple.

                                That Skrtel is a common denominator. That he always wants to drop deeper. That he is a defender for a defensive team. That he is currently better suited to being a judoka than a footballer, and that officials are rightly targeting him. That he constantly gives away free kicks in dangerous positions.
                                That Glen Johnson is Glen ****ing Johnson and has been for 18 ****ing months. That he doesn’t have the skill or athletic ability to play for any side hoping to finish top 4. That worst of all, he doesn’t even have the desire to play for any side hoping to finish top 4.

                                That Sterling isn’t a striker. That he isn’t a winger. That he is a number 10. That he is now at an age where he must play in the same position most weeks so he can learn and develop to become what his talent and will determines he should be come.

                                That 4-2-3-1 doesn’t ****ing work. That we need two strikers on the pitch. That he is the only one to blame for having Borini and Lambert at the club.

                                Rodgers would take a fortnight and work all this out, right? No? Most of it out? Some of it out? I mean, he can definitely see some of it, right? The Gerrard thing? He can see that. He’ll have known that we know up til now he has been a yellow belly, but are now giving him our permission to drop Steven. That’s what he’s been waiting for, isn’t it? No? He has seen where his constant selection of Lovren has got us, hasn’t he? He’ll now realise the season is on the line and swallow his pride, won’t he? He’ll bring in Toure or Sakho for sure, no?

                                No.

                                Just like against Chelsea, I knew the team sheet would tell all. Just like against Chelsea, I was repulsed. Just like against Chelsea we took an early lead. Just like against Chelsea we lost having played appallingly.

                                Mignolet
                                Manquillo Toure Sakho Moreno
                                Can Lucas Henderson
                                Sterling Lallana
                                Balotelli

                                That’s the team I wanted today. Fair enough Sakho and Balotelli were injured. So replace with Skrtel and Borini. But to play Lovren in place of Toure, Johnson in place of Moreno, Lambert in place of Borini and worst of all, not to play Can, is unforgivable. Worse was to come though. The performance of Gerrard today went beyond sad. It genuinely is heart breaking to see any club legend reduced to showings like he’s put in this season, let alone our club legend. But when Rodgers took off Allen and left his land lord on, that was it for me. “It” in this instance being “apoplectic.” (By the way, any manager having any of their players as land lord is a ridiculous conflict of interest made all the more farcical given the money and choice Rodgers had. It seems Rodgers decisions off the field are just as questionable as the ones on it.) We had something of a diamond with Sterling up top with Lambert. But when Rodgers changed things and went back to his 4-2-3-1 and soon after we went from 1-1 to 3-1 down, assisted of course by mistakes by Lovren and then Skrtel, then that was really it for me. “It” in this instance being “feeling physically ill.”

                                After the match (long after the match) Rodgers says he takes full responsibility. It’s not something he has said before but let’s be real: he is only saying it because anything else would be more shameful than his efforts this season. He claimed the free kick for Palace’s third goal wasn’t a free kick. As blind as Wenger without even half his ability. He also claimed he always “felt comfortable in the game” except maybe from counter attacks – see Steven Gerrard. Feeling comfortable against a bad team should mean 3-0 up after an hour in normal circumstances, not 1-1 in a game against a bad team in which you are second best but neither you nor your opponents look like getting a winner.

                                I posted the following last month:

                                “This is what Reading’s chairman stated after he sacked Rodgers 5 years ago:

                                “I understand he didn’t have much time but we got on a slippery slope and it just got worse. Signings didn’t settle, Brendan was adamant his style of play would eventually work. Results kept getting worse, performances too. Results & performances did not match what the manager was consistently telling me. The fans started to tell me a different story. Brendan refused to comprehend the notion of changing his ways so adamant was he that he would be successful. The only thing that was changing rapidly was our league position. Was it hasty sacking him? (No) Did we avoid relegation with McDermott? (Yes)””

                                I worried history was repeating itself. Im not worried now. Not after today. After today I am sure.

                                Today was the day.



                                Total cringefest this. As for going for Simeone and Klopp? Get real. We've got zero chance of either. None at all. People need to realise where we are at. The choice of managers we are really after will be an eye opener for some.

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