Stoke City 6 Liverpool 1 (May 24 2015)

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Dave Usher

So that’s that then, the misery is over for a few months at least. Except it isn’t really, is it? In fact, things are probably about to get even worse. Another summer of misery and disappointment in the transfer market, a saga involving one of our best players and maybe even a search for a new manager. Even worse, they might just leave him in place.

I don’t even want to say too much about the game itself as I think I need to concentrate more on the wider picture after this. That being said, the team selection was a joke and merely demonstrated once again that Brendan has been in panic mode for weeks now, chopping and changing and just hoping to hit on something that sticks. Regardless of that, for the players to serve up what they have in the last two games - Gerrard’s final two games for the club - is disgusting. Right now I wouldn’t care if I didn’t see any of them in the shirt again. Of course that’s a heat of the moment reaction and once I’ve calmed down in a month or two I expect I’ll feel differently about a few of them. Right now though I’m just disgusted with everyone who played any part in this dog turd of a season.

Leaving Sterling out was an obvious decision, but why even have him on the bench? We used three subs and he wasn’t one of them so that suggests there was never any chance of him being involved. So why have him there at all? Was it to “put him in his place” and make him run the gauntlet of the away fans every time he warmed up, or did Rodgers just fudge the issue and bottle out of completely dropping him? I have no idea, but it sure didn’t seem like the smartest move.

Seeing that photo of Sterling being abused by all the fans as he walked past just made me feel sad. I don’t blame the fans for doing it, it was probably justified and definitely understandable, and yet I can’t deny that I almost, almost, felt sorry for him. I know I shouldn’t, but I’m far too soft I guess. He’s brought this whole thing on himself as the way he’s gone about trying to get his move has been terrible, but still, it wasn’t nice seeing that was it? It would have been better all round if he’d just been told to stay at home, but then this club seems to just keep lurching from one cock up to the next recently. Do we get anything right anymore?

This result was shocking but it has been on the cards as this team mentally checked out weeks ago. This could just as easily have happened at Arsenal, while few could have argued had Palace put six past us last week either. The similarities to the game at the Emirates were there for all to see. Stoke did what Arsenal did to us. They pressed us high up the pitch and came at us 100mph, and when they scored their first we collapsed like a house of cards. Three goals in six minutes at Arsenal I think it was, and it was three in eight this time. Then we let in two more in a four minute spell before the break just for good measure. 5-0 down at half time? Against Stoke? There’s no fight in this group anymore, no pride either. 

This was officially the worst result there has been in my lifetime and I’m almost 42 now. It’s inexcusable and while most of the blame will obviously be dropped at the manager’s door, this was on the players more than anyone. Don’t let them off the hook. The team selection was baffling but does that really excuse us letting in five goals in one half to Stoke? They had ‘nothing to play for’ either remember, so how come their players wanted it so much more than ours? 

Part of it is on the manager to motivate them and put them in the best position to perform (which he again failed to do) but they should also have their own professional pride too. This time last year I couldn’t have been more proud of the team. Now I couldn’t be more ashamed of them. They’re all off to Dubai now for a few days holiday. I’d quite happily see most of them stay there and never come back. Cowards.

For Gerrard to have to go out like this is criminal, but at least he ended with a goal. If I was him I would just be feeling a massive sense of relief. This ship is sinking but at least the captain won’t be going down with it. He thoroughly deserves to be on that lifeboat headed to California, I only wish I was on it with him as I don’t see this thing getting better any time soon.

I was all for giving Brendan another year, which was not specifically a vote of confidence in him, more one of no-confidence in the buffoons who we’d be relying on to replace him. I couldn’t face the idea of another rebuild, plus more spin from a new manager about how it takes time to implement his ideas and how we’ll be ready to challenge in two or three years and blah blah blah. No, I’ve had my fill of that, so I’d have preferred to take my chances with Rodgers and hope that he got lucky and found the striker or two he needs to make his way of playing work. Now though, after this… after THIS… it would be downright negligent if they left him in charge.

I know FSG aren’t interested in winning. Some friends were onto that right from the start but it took me a little while to see it for myself as I tend to see the good in people. I’m not overly cynical although it feels like I’m getting that way now. I’m under no illusions now though. They begin every season hoping for 4th place and if by some miracle, like last year, we exceed that, happy days. They’d never admit to it, but 4th is the primary target. John Henry fantasises about being Arsenal, not Chelsea or either of the Manchester clubs. Why wouldn’t he though? He’s not a fan, he’s a businessman. FSG are businessmen. They didn’t buy us to rescue us from the clutches of the evil Gillett and Hicks, they saw a chance to buy us for a knock down price, build up the value and make a killing. Financial results triumph over sporting results every time, it’s actually incredibly naive to think otherwise. They’re in it to make profits and if success arrives along the way that’s a bonus. 

Some of us felt that they wanted to do both, but it’s clear now that’s not the case. They can’t even be arsed coming over for games anymore, although to be fair I’m finding it hard to motivate myself to watch this shit too and I only live up the road. Smart move too making sure we all had to pay for our season tickets BEFORE this game. Did they know something we didn’t?

They’re under the spotlight now like never before though. To continue with the pretence that they have aspirations of being successful on the field, they’re surely going to have to remove Rodgers now because his position just became completely untenable. To not act after what we’ve witnessed these past few weeks, let alone over the course of most of the season, would be to simply accept the mediocrity that has been served up.

I’ve been one of Brendan’s biggest supporters but I just don’t see how you can bring him back after this. He’s completely lost (I’d feel bad for the guy except he’s going to be paid millions when he eventually does get sacked). How can you just carry on as normal and hope things get better? Isn’t the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different outcome? How can you let him and that committee loose with the Sterling money? No, it’s gone past the point of no return now. He should be removed from his post but I’m far from convinced he will be.

I take no pleasure in saying he should go, I still have fondness for Brendan despite the unpalatable arrogance he’s shown at times. For instance, his “150%” comment last week really irritated me. After the season we’ve had, defiance and bravado is not what I want to see. A bit of humility and an acceptance of blame with a vow to do better if he is fortunate enough to be allowed to stay would have been more appropriate. Maybe the players saw it that way too, as it sure as hell looked like they went out there to shove his “150% safe” right up his arse. 

It’s ironic too that the goals have suddenly started pouring in against us once more. The last time that was happening there were understandable calls for a defensive coach to be brought in to help him. After the switch to three at the back and a run of clean sheets, he couldn’t just stay humble and say “we’ve done well and hopefully that will continue” could he. No, he had to score points against his critics by boasting how “it must be down to that new defensive coach”. He really doesn’t help himself does he? File that one away with the infamous Spurs and Southampton comments that have also bitten him in the arse.

In the end, we conceded only two less than we did last year, despite 1) spending £20m on a player who was supposed to plug that gap and 2) playing with an extra centre back for half the season. He might want to fire that “new defensive coach” of his as he’s clearly incapable of fixing the defence. I mean come on, any time we abandon the three centre back system we get the doors blown off. And fashionable as it is to mock him, Lovren clearly isn’t the reason for that as he never even got on the field for this one. Bet he’s made up about that, as you know he’d have been made the fall guy if he’d been involved.

Yet Brendan is only guilty of the same failings as everyone else at the club. Far too pleased with themselves when something goes right, and far too quick to point the finger elsewhere when it goes wrong. Humility is as conspicuous by it’s absence as accountability is at LFC these days. Rodgers blames others for signing Balotelli and those ‘others’ blame Rodgers for not using him properly. In truth they are all to blame. Balotelli should never, EVER, have been signed, but nobody can argue with a straight face that Rodgers has even attempted to adjust his set up to accommodate the Italian and get the best out of him. They’re all guilty, but the biggest portion of blame for me goes to those who put the whole ridiculous set up in place and appointed a group of talentless bozos to carry out their “strategy”.

The club is run by and infested with frauds and phoneys who have absolutely no idea how to make Liverpool successful again, but who cling to any little “success” as proof they’re on the right track. Remember all the noises coming out around the turn of the year when some of the new players were enjoying a good little run of form? “Look, we told you we knew what we are doing. Look at Emre Can, he’s boss isn’t he? And Markovic, that lad you were all saying was crap and a waste of money, look how ace he is now, you know nothing plebs. And there’s Moreno, the new Jordi Alba, look at him.” Obviously I’m paraphrasing but if you look back at the press at that time, that was the general jist of it and it was coming from inside the club from those attempting to justify their existence.

A few months later and that has suddenly dried up as not one of those signings has been an unqualified success, and now it’s all about the blame game. Privately Rodgers is blaming other members of the committee while in turn they are pointing the finger at him. There’s no accountability at all but if anyone carries the can it will be the manager. It almost always is. Senior committee figures say it’s Rodgers’ fault the signings haven’t worked out, whereas Rodgers argues that many of the signings (i.e. the ones that weren’t his!) are either just not very good or not suited to his way of working.

The truth, as ever, lies somewhere in between. Can has been triumphed as the epitome of what the club is trying to do. Promising young player, snapped up for a relatively modest fee who will develop into a top talent with a high resale value should he eventually move on. The success of his season has been greatly overstated though, probably because the other new recruits have been such massive failures. As with almost all the others, he only really shone during that two or three month good spell we had.

As fans we look at it and say “can we ever win the league with this manager?”. As owners they’re asking a different question though - “can he get us in the top four?”. Until Stoke they were probably thinking the answer to that was still yes, after all we were in 5th place and not too far behind despite not having any strikers worthy of the name all season. Add a goalscorer or two this summer and - theoretically at least - there’s no reason we couldn’t be back in the top four. How can they think that now though? One game doesn’t define anything, but when that one game is as horrific as this and comes in the middle of a run like the one we’ve had, I’d say it defines everything.

Since losing to United this group has simply given up. Let’s not forget that going into that game we had a ton of momentum with us and there was a feeling not too dissimilar to a year ago (obviously without the swashbuckling football and deluge of goals). We were charging up the table and had won more points than anyone since the turn of the year, then we lost to United and that was that. Game over. Complete capitulation and there is far more to that than simply not having reliable goalscorers.

Battered at Arsenal a week later, humiliated by Villa - ASTON BLOODY VILLA! - at Wembley and then we took one point from West Brom and Hull when we had a great chance to close the gap. After that United loss we took eight points from a possible 24. The worst thing is that United dropped loads of points themselves but still we got nowhere near them despite having an easy run in. 

The players quit and the manager was powerless to do anything about it. In fact, he was surely part of the reason they seemed so disinterested and confused. In that time we’ve had more system changes than we have won points. As bad as those scouts are (and I can’t stress this enough, they are useless) how can you be expected to buy players when you have no idea what formation you are buying players to fit into? Three years in and he doesn’t have a settled formation. That’s borderline incompetence and arguably enough reason on it’s own to make a change, regardless of any of the other valid concerns.

So yeah, Brendan should be relieved of his duties, I think most of us have come to that realisation now. I’m probably one of the stragglers on that front as it definitely took me longer to get there than most. The sad thing is that I’m still convinced he’s better at his job than any of those above or around him are at theirs. If they were better at what they do then he’d probably flourish, whereas if he was better at his job he’d merely be covering up for their lack of competence.

Ian Ayre rightly takes a lot of flak, but in some ways he’s a bit of a red herring. He’s seen as the face of the club, the man in charge, but he’s not. He’s a highly paid puppet in many ways and from everything I’ve been told and read in the press of late, it’s this Mike Gordon character who runs the show. I couldn’t even pick him out of a line up, but he’s the man running the club these days. Henry and Werner are never here, they leave it to Gordon to run things and he’s also on that damn committee too, sticking his oar into football decisions.

Which begs the question, how is Mike Gordon in any way shape or form more qualified to run the football club than the likes or you or I? The answer is he isn’t. It’s a scandal really, no wonder they’ve done their best to keep him out of the public eye and allow Ayre to be the focus of the fans disdain. Remember when FSG embarked on that worldwide search for a top CEO before eventually just promoting Ayre instead? It’d be funny if it was happening to someone else rather than us.

Arguably the two most important people behind the scenes are Gordon and Michael Edwards, yet most fans have no idea who either of them are or what they do. I probably follow these things more closely than most as I do this for a living, but even I have absolutely no idea what either of them look like. 

A google search on Gordon revealed this from a little over a year ago:

"He is, by far, FSG America’s most knowledgeable person with regard to soccer and is involved on the football side daily in constant communication with the members of our football committee and our manager," Henry wrote. "He took a lead role just about the same time as we brought in Brendan Rodgers [who became manager of Liverpool in June 2012]. All of us give him a lot of credit for Liverpool’s improvement over the past 18 months."

 

Meaning?

 

"He runs Liverpool," one industry source said. "He's the point person [among FSG owners] for the people in Liverpool. If it wasn't for him, it wouldn't function."

Newsflash, it isn’t functioning! As for giving him “a lot of credit for Liverpool’s improvement”, that’s exactly the kind of self congratulatory guff that I’m talking about. What the hell impact did he have on ANY of that improvement. Last year was about two strikers tearing it up and everyone else being dragged along with it. Actually that’s unfair, it was about Rodgers too, he put those two strikers in the best situation to go out there and tear it up. I take nothing away from the job he did last year, which was even more remarkable considering the complete pigs arse Gordon and the rest of his buddies on the committee made of the summer transfer window (Aspas, Alberto, Ilori, Moses etc).

So many people at the club were lining up to take credit for last year, then Suarez leaves and the whole thing fell apart and they were all exposed for what they are. Last year may not have just been about Suarez and Sturridge, but take them away and look what was left. And I’ll ask again, where in the blue the hell is Dr Steve Peters? Couldn’t keep him out of the papers when things were going well, haven’t heard his name mentioned once this year! Does he even still work for us?

There are too many faceless people at the club making a right mess of their jobs and hiding behind Rodgers. He has to go, I accept that, but it bothers me greatly that if he is sacked he’ll be leaving before some of the freeloading fraudsters who’ve been stealing a living in the background while he has been left floundering in the public eye.

I’m not even sure they will sack him though. It will cost money to pay him off and it will cost even more to replace him with the kind of top quality proven manager we need to be successful. Are they prepared to do that when they could just save the money and hope he challenges for 4th next year?  Even if he doesn’t it will still work out cheaper to keep him and miss out on the CL than take the risk of paying him off and splashing out on a top name to replace him, and still possibly miss out on the top four.

What they do this summer will go a long way towards showing just how serious they are about winning. There’s no point in sacking Brendan and then launching “an exhaustive interview process” before hiring Garry Monk or Eddie Howe or some other ‘flavour of the month’, ‘just happy to be here’ sap who will work under whatever restrictions they insist on imposing on him. If they’re not prepared to think bigger than that they may as well just stick with Rodgers. 

The danger with that is he’s lost the fans and it appears the players have tuned him out too. So what happens if he stays, spends all the summer budget and then we get off to a bad start and they have to sack him anyway? That looks a more likely scenario than him turning it round at this point. Who will they get then, mid-season? Next year would be a complete write off.

This is still a big job and it’s irritating how many of us now just simply assume no-one will want it. Top managers should be lining up around the block to take the job because Liverpool is still one of the biggest names in world football. Don’t downplay that as it’s valid. We’re not Everton (yet), we’re still a big draw and we’re one of the wealthiest clubs on the planet. There’s no reason we shouldn’t be competitive but it’s like we’ve been brainwashed into thinking we can’t be. 

Players may well turn their noses up at us in our current state but that’s completely different to managers. Top players are motivated by money, by immediate success and will generally have their pick of big clubs when they choose to move. For managers it’s not the same. We can match whatever salary other clubs will pay so that’s not an issue. The immediate success thing doesn’t usually factor into it either because it’s the job of the manager to bring that success. That’s the challenge. And most significant of all, they don’t have their pick of clubs because it depends entirely on which jobs are available. United, Chelsea, Arsenal or even Spurs won’t be looking for a new manager this summer. City may well be, but the competition certainly isn’t as intense as it is for players.

There is only one major reason why would we not be an attractive place for a manager such as Jurgen Klopp, and that’s the owners and their “strategy”. The restrictions they’ve placed on Rodgers simply won’t be tolerated by any of the top managers out there. And THAT, not Brendan Rodgers, is our biggest problem. Brendan’s race looks to be run now, but regardless of that they clearly need to change. Do they see it that way? We’ll find out soon enough.

Team: Mignolet; Can (Toure), Skrtel, Sakho, Moreno (Ibe); Lucas, Henderson, Allen (Lambert), Gerrard; Lallana, Coutinho: