What I said about Brendan Rodgers

Below is copied and pasted directly a section of the LFC.com message boards in which I used to take part as Neverman. The thread itself received both cheers and jeers but I still find it fun.

In response to point by point answer to each question asked of Brendan Rodgers after another disappointing match.

Ugly Duckling: i thnk Rodgers is in over his head

NEVERMAN: I’m leaning towards this too. We keep on hearing what a good man-manager he is from the players so I don’t think it’s a lack of communication. We also hear what a great tactician he is. That I simply don’t agree with. It’s a blurb newscasters say about BR when they don’t really know much about the club.

besty1: 1. We have no direction and no signs of improvement. 2. The opening games we flattered to deceive and got points with luck, not good play. 3. The defensive play is poor and we have players who would not get into other top clubs first teams let alone previous LFC teams. Lord knows who the scouts/Rodgers are going to dig up next.4. It used to be that you could go to the match with an air of optimism… 5 . Still we have to keep the faith and YNWA.

NEVERMAN: 1. This is what has made me change my mind about BR over time. He came into the club with the order to minimize expectations. That is totally understandable for the first year or even two. The simple truth is that we are not getting better. We have hot streaks where we play really well, true. But we have a lot more streaks where we’re playing poorly whether we lose, tie, or win.

2. agreed

3. The strategy the owners are using, “money-ball”, isn’t working. It’s based on a buy-low sell high concept where you look for value for money. Since BR took over we’ve “collected” two full teams worth of players and then some. That means we’re buying quantity over quality. I do however think we’ve done some excellent business. Sturridge, Coutinho, Benteke, Ings, Clyne, Can and Sakho are all very good players. 

Besides it being completely against the history and ethos of a huge formerly successful club to become a feeder club, it’s also proving more costly than initially expected. The problem is, for every young player successfully managed through this system, there are three or four we’re selling at a loss. Those losses, I’m convinced, would at least equal the additional cost of buying more established players who we know will go right into the first team (again, Clyne is the perfect example – excellent buy).

All that said, on paper, I feel we have a very good team when healthy. 

FW: Benteke, Sturridge MF: Ibe, Henderson, Milner, Coutinho DF: Moreno*, Sakho, Skrtel, Clyne GK: Mignolet

Bench: Ings, Firminho, Lallana, Can/Lucas, Gomez, Lovren, Bogdan

? LB is a problem. Moreno is good going forward but needs to get much better defensively and Gomez is excellent defensively but offers nothing going forward.

4. This thread is the perfect example of optimism turned to absolute helplessness. Again, it’s the minimization of expectations. We treat every other club as if they should be a danger. We should be treating them with respect, but not open fear of failure. We are a reactive (not proactive) team and are not imposing our will upon lesser opponents.

5. Yes, absolutely, but we must never confuse frustration and criticism with a lack of support. It’s natural for me (and all fans) to want better. I have faith in the club in general. Like I said, I think we have a pretty damn good squad. That said, we’re missing a few essential compnents. First, we need more difference makers: Sturridge and Coutinho types. Second, we need some real leadership who we, as well as the players, can respect in management and on the field. Finally, we need a change of strategy in the transfer market. I believe the owners have made it abundantly clear they will spend money on players and have made a fantastic decision to stay at Anfield and upgrades are in the works. I also understand that since falling out of the Champions League makes it very difficult to lure the best players to Northern England. The problem is, the longer the quality on the field is lacking, the more this problem compounds itself, the more we lose top players. It’s a terrible downward spiral that is, in my opinion, at a crisis point.

DAKOP: No fire in the squad... that is a management problem ask anyone who manages a business....you lead and when you are enthusiastic and determined to succeed and convey that to your team in a positive way (not a dictatorship) then you get your team hungry to show you what they got and even you are sometimes left surprised when they exceed your or their own expectations.

Over the years LFC has always been able to hold their own even when things got really bad.....but from the loss to &%^%$% M united on 22nd March 2015 to date this is no longer the case...

We dropped 18 points at the end of last season as we only got 8 from 27 in last 9 games....

NEVERMAN: You’re absolutely right. See my answer to #1 above.

I feel we’ve lost a lot of identity, incrementally, over time. I used the analogy of a ship and equated turning it in the right direction is the first step. In the first couple years with BR we looked to be taking more positive steps. A lot of that had to do with Suarez who simply cannot be replaced. But since then it has been mostly bad, very bad.

Quickly, I believe Jurgen Klopp would fit LFC perfectly. He’s a great person and coach. He’s also learned to build up a great team at Dortmund without much money. Additionally, he might talk some of the players from Dortmund into a move – Schmelzer would solve our left back problem - Reus, Gundogan, Hummels, and Bender would all be very welcome.

I think after the horrible start last year, and the second chance he got then, and the third he got by keeping his job over the summer. BR is lucky as hell to have the owners support. I honestly wish him well and if he can turn this thing around I’d sing his praises. We all want LFC to be winners. ←period, end of.

All said, BR deserves the credit due. He took Swansea and made them into an average PL team. Problem is, now he’s done the same with LFC.

Chris (aka Neverman)