Brendan Rodgers

[cream]

Rodgers has shown what he can do with good quality players, he's a very progressive manager and has shown he can come up with solutions. The biggest problem we have is recruiting, whether it's the policy or scouting, we really have ****ed up big time in the summer.

We needed a top striker - we ended up with Balotelli
We needed a midfielder - we ended up with Can
We needed a good CB - we ended up with Lovren
We needed competent RB - we ended up with Manqillo

That is ****ing horrendous. We also spent good money on Lallana, Markovic and Origi when it really wasn't necessary, okay maybe one of them, money which could have been spent on better options for the position that we really needed the quality ie £30m on a striker, £25m on a midfielder, £15m on a LB. The Lovren money should've been better spent.
All this has resulted in Brendan having to chop and change formations, play players out of position and not having a settled system that he prefers. We. can change the manager but if don't change the way we operate in the transfer market, we're gonna end up with more of the same.

[ntto]

This is for the FSG thread really and not aimed at you personally, but I'm getting a bit narked with this sort of view being expressed a lot at the moment. Could one person please explain to me how having had new owners come in to a club in absolute financial chaos and wages on dreadful players taking up an unsustainable amount of our turnover, and in the context of FPP spend a significant net amount more on transfer fees than the club ever has before while increasing revenue, reducing % turnover on wages, starting the stadium expansion and balancing the books at the same time, has been a bad thing in any way at all?

In 4 seasons we have paid ~£330m in transfer fees. Financially we haven't got a billionaire but we have the next best thing, sound financial management that is prepared to spend everything it can generate. The problem is how that has been spent, absolutely that, but if not being one of maybe 5 or 6 clubs in the world who can spend without consequence is the deciding factor for any potential manager I don't think I want them anyway.

This. Over and over. You also forgot to mention this is a against a backdrop of continual unrest at ticket prices. They are in a no win situation but they've performed a miracle considering we were so close to bankruptcy

[ntto]

John Henry and Tom Werner will illustrate their commitment to Rodgers, and a belief in his long term vision, by allowing him to conduct the clear-out long-planned for the summer, and identify the new talent required to strengthen a squad that has desperately struggled in recent weeks.

Rodgers wants a slight change in the recruitment policy which has placed a strong emphasis on young players with potential, by bringing more established stars better placed to go straight into the first team.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/footba...r-psvs-5556030

don't accept either of these two points

we shouldn't need a clear out considering our squad last season was paper thin and the purpose of spending >100m last summer was to full out our squad. To now say the squad needs to be cleared out doesn't wash with me. Why not sell Johnson last year?

Also - a slight change to the recruitment policy? Who did he sign last year? Balotelli, Lambert, Lovren, Lallana, Markovic, Moreno etc - all established first team players and most of them full regular internationals.

The idea that we're just buying young players with potential is rubbish

[cream]

don't accept either of these two points

we shouldn't need a clear out considering our squad last season was paper thin and the purpose of spending >100m last summer was to full out our squad. To now say the squad needs to be cleared out doesn't wash with me. Why not sell Johnson last year?

Also - a slight change to the recruitment policy? Who did he sign last year? Balotelli, Lambert, Lovren, Lallana, Markovic, Moreno etc - all established first team players and most of them full regular internationals.

The idea that we're just buying young players with potential is rubbish

Aspas, Borini, Balotelli, Gerrard, Johnson, Toure, Enrique, Alberto = clearout (I'm sure I've missed many others)

We need to but players aged around 22-25, when players start entering their peak. Players under that age should be considered potentials.

[BigChief]

It does sound like a non-story (stories) to me.

Sanction a clearout = Toure, Gerrard, Johnson, Borini, Lambert leaving. That was going to happen anyway.

Buy first team players = we screwed up with this last season so we'll get another 2 or 3 of them in this summer.

So, in summary, just another usual in/out summer that every club goes through.

[Lecter]

Personally I dont think anything is decided or settled

Like they did with Kenny they will review the season once it is finished and make a decision going forward

I suspect they (each individual) have an inkling what they would like to do but it is only when they get round the table review the season and the options and possibly hear Rodgers report / proposal for next season that they will decide what to do

[spanky]

i'd be surprised if fsg hasn't privately sounded out Klopps or DeBoers reps about taking over the managers seat, if they got positive feedback from them then i say they'd sack Rodgers. Nothing will be decided until the season is over so all this paper talk is wafflr from journalists speculating.

[The Birdman]

This whole 'we don't have a system/style of play so how can we buy players' is complete rubbish.
The model is to buy players and develop through the academy technically proficient players that can play 3 or 4 systems.
Moreno, Can, Lovren, Ibe, Markovic, Sterling have all shown they can play in numerous positions across several formations.

They will all obviously have a preferred position in a preferred formation but when you can't afford to spend the best part of £200 million on squad players like Utd did in the summer you need versatile players.

That's what makes the signing of Lambert and to a lesser degree Balotelli baffling.

[Lecter]

This whole 'we don't have a system/style of play so how can we buy players' is complete rubbish.
The model is to buy players and develop through the academy technically proficient players that can play 3 or 4 systems.
Moreno, Can, Lovren, Ibe, Markovic, Sterling have all shown they can play in numerous positions across several formations.

They will all obviously have a preferred position in a preferred formation but when you can't afford to spend the best part of £200 million on squad players like Utd did in the summer you need versatile players.

That's what makes the signing of Lambert and to a lesser degree Balotelli baffling.

Disagree

Yes you want players who are versatile but do you honestly think we signed Markovic to play him as a wingback??

You have to have a long term plan / system in mind, you cant just go and sign players without any clear picture of how you will play them

Thats the worry for me we appear to have signed players without any clear idea of how they will fit into the team framework, and when we do fit them in we play them out of position (Markovic & Can) and have to swap our formation in order to play them out of position!!!

[ntto]

Aspas, Borini, Balotelli, Gerrard, Johnson, Toure, Enrique, Alberto = clearout (I'm sure I've missed many others)

We need to but players aged around 22-25, when players start entering their peak. Players under that age should be considered potentials.

All bought to the club by the manager (and with the exception of Toure for reasonable money)

Arguably the success stories Brendan has had (i.e. the biggest improvements) have been with players who were already at the club - Suarez, Henderson, Sterling etc

[Lecter]

All bought to the club by the manager (and with the exception of Toure for reasonable money)

Arguably the success stories Brendan has had (i.e. the biggest improvements) have been with players who were already at the club - Suarez, Henderson, Sterling etc

I'd say Coutinho is a success and Sturridge (when fit)

I'd also say Sakho and Can could end up in the success bracket

[kev776]

BREN-DEN - ROG-ERS....BREN-DEN - ROG-ERS......what are the rest of the words to his song?

[Rowan]

I'd say Coutinho is a success and Sturridge (when fit)

I'd also say Sakho and Can could end up in the success bracket

I'd add Lallana to the potential success bag. Just been trashed by injury this year. There must be another. Surely that can't be it?

[Mark79]

Lallana's not a bad player, just don't think it was the best use of £25m.
He's not anywhere near that type of value.

[ntto]

I'd say Coutinho is a success and Sturridge (when fit)

I'd also say Sakho and Can could end up in the success bracket

Oh no doubt. Was more pointing out that the idea we're only buying young players with potential is rubbish. Sakho - PSG club captain and international player

Plus this idea of a clear out highlights that a lot of players we're going to clear out are players bought by Brendan

for me it always comes down to whether we were beaten by a better team - looking down through the Villa team I'd say only Benteke would get into our starting 11 on Sunday - and when Sturridge is fit I don't even think he would get into our best 11

But we started on Sunday with no recognised centre forward - but we had 3 on the bench. And all 3 were bought to the club by Rodgers