Early thoughts on Rodgers

[Kevin D]

Bloody internet forums eh?

I miss those days when they were full of people working inside the club, leaking the truth about what was really going on and people actually knew how to resolve a club's woes. Living it daily took its toll though -what with having to juggle real life in any spare time that was available.

 

Now it just seems to be people with opinions. Shame that.

 

The point I was making is that you're in no position to tell people with far more knowledge of the situation what was and wasn't the best decision for this club.

 

The arseyness that came with that point was because of your ubiquity. I find it bizarre and a little irritating that you seem to offer an opinion on virtually everything to do with a team you're not a supporter of.

[dirk grout]

The point I was making is that you're in no position to tell people with far more knowledge of the situation what was and wasn't the best decision for this club.

 

The arseyness that came with that point was because of your ubiquity. I find it bizarre and a little irritating that you seem to offer an opinion on virtually everything to do with a team you're not a supporter of.

 

The only thing he hasn't offered an opinion on is the Liverpool v Man City U21 match. Not one post in there, which is frankly weird. I don't think he is a city fan at all and is full of shit. He was posting on here after the city match claiming to be 'just back from the game' about 40 mins after the final whistle (he apparently went to mcdonalds on the way home too). Either way hes a total weirdo. Why is he not on a city forum after the game?

[redmachine23]

The only thing he hasn't offered an opinion on is the Liverpool v Man City U21 match. Not one post in there, which is frankly weird. I don't think he is a city fan at all and is full of shit. He was posting on here after the city match claiming to be 'just back from the game' about 40 mins after the final whistle (he apparently went to mcdonalds on the way home too). Either way hes a total weirdo. Why is he not on a city forum after the game?

 

Agreed. I look forward to us regaining our place as Champions of England again one day so I can then spend the following season on a Man city forum talking about them. Weird.

[silverlining]

Massive oddball and a bullshitter

[stringvest]

Agreed. I look forward to us regaining our place as Champions of England again one day so I can then spend the following season on a Man city forum talking about them. Weird.

 

When your team is League Champions, it lends every opinion you have on anything huge authority.

 

That's the problem for us. We're emasculated. In fact, these days plenty of us are born without any reproductive organs at all.

[Ne Moe Imya]

I think we're two top level attackers, a high-tempo box-to-box midfielder, a left back and a keeper away from havin a really decent side. Five players, who don't need to be expensive, isn't a lot.

 

Hunterlaar and Walcott would be a terrific, cost effective start. We shouldn't fall into the 'one player' trap, though. It's a squad game, and we've been falling into the 'one player' trap for years. Even when our squad was much better.

 

It's quite difficult for me to be that honest about our side, but I suspect you're right.

 

For example, when you say we need a high-tempo box-to-box midfielder, I immediately think "who would we bring in that would be better than Gerrard/Shelvey/Allen/Lucas/Sahin and win a place in that midfield?"

 

But that's probably just the trap that every fan runs into of overrating the players on their own team. Obviously we don't have the best midfield in the league, because we're consistently finishing way off the pace we would need to beat City/United to the title, and you can't put that all down to our striking options. So if we don't have the best midfield in the league, then we need to improve until we do, simple as that.

 

Still hard to imagine who could come in and be better than three of those players and get into our starting lineup, but that's just the way it is. That is, basically, the challenge of getting a team from 5th to 1st - you have to find players who are better than very good players.

 

I think that Rodgers and co. are clearly targeting 2 or 3 years from now as when they want to get the team into position to challenge for the league. If that means sacrificing results here and there this year so that we can develop our younger generation or in order to buy a younger player who will peak then, then it seems to be what they'll do. In 3 years we could still have the following players at or near their peaks at the club, all of whom are capable of starting for a league-winning side even at their current level:

 

Reina - 33

Johnson - 31

Skrtel - 30

Agger - 30

Lucas - 28

Allen - 25

Suarez - 28

 

and it's safe to say that a few of the others should develop to that level by then as well (Sterling and Suso for sure, probably a couple from Shelvey, Coates, Robinson and Wisdom). Of course, we won't have all of those players still by then, but assuming we replace them with players of a similar standard this at least gives us something to start with.

 

That leaves a need for about four more players at that incredibly high level as starters, and we need to keep bringing in squad players who are young enough to play for us in 2 or 3 years (buy more Borinis rather than Dempseys, in other words).

 

I would love to see Huntelaar because I think he would be a real force for us over the next year or two, but I doubt we'll see him as I think the planning is presently being done over a longer scale and I don't think he'd be one to still be contributing in 2015-16. I suspect we'll be bringing in a 20-23 year old striker instead in the January window, just to get us through to the summer, and then looking for a bigger name at that point.

[fowler9]

was pleased to hear what sounded like a rather large rendition of only one Brendan Rodgers tonight on the telly

 

 

few clean sheets on the trot now being another positive, just need to start scoring more for on the days where one flys in off one of our defenders arse or something

[xerxes]

A fine result against a manager of world renown- well done Rodgers.

[LFC Jay]

Starting to play how Rodgers wants us to play, I've said it all along it takes time. Good result, decent performance and plenty of positives! With Wisdom and Kelly we have potentially 2 of the best rbs in England, I said last year Kelly is better than Johnson now but I think Wisdom could be even better, scary thing is right back is neither of their natural position!

[Jose Jones]

I think we're about back to where we were at the start of last season.

Defence has improved and now we're playing pretty well without the cutting edge needed.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

I think we're about back to where we were at the start of last season.

Defence has improved and now we're playing pretty well without the cutting edge needed.

 

Yeah, that's probably fair. After Kenny got us playing well for six months, I was quite buoyant. Before the summer of doom, we really had a great opportunity to push on. What we need to do now is make sure the next couple of windows aren't like that summer.

 

If we can get a pair or very good attacking players this winter, we might well be in with a chance of fourth. If that happens, it's game on again. Football is all about opportunities and whether or not you take them. We need to start taking them again.

[Jose Jones]

Yeah, that's probably fair. After Kenny got us playing well for six months, I was quite buoyant. Before the summer of doom, we really had a great opportunity to push on. What we need to do now is make sure the next couple of windows aren't like that summer.

 

If we can get a pair or very good attacking players this winter, we might well be in with a chance of fourth. If that happens, it's game on again. Football is all about opportunities and whether or not you take them. We need to start taking them again.

 

Agreed. We haven't got results against the big teams yet which we managed under Kenny, but we've played ok against both Mancs so hopefully that is coming.

I think we really need a left-footed genius and a goal scoring striker. Sterling, Borini, Suso and Assaidi can then be squaddies.

Even if we just get one of those right in January we'll be looking pretty sound.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

I know it's ridiculous, but I'd love us to pull out a massive winter window. Three attackers of quality would really set us up for next season. Mertens, Walcott and somebody like Hunterlaar. Two with time running out on their contract. If we're going to have the strength in depth, rather than just on the surface, we need more strikers than we can use in one game.

 

Considering we have one attacking player with more than a handful of starts in the first 11, asking for four players for three positions isn't too wild.

[Jose Jones]

I know it's ridiculous, but I'd love us to pull out a massive winter window. Three attackers of quality would really set us up for next season. Mertens, Walcott and somebody like Hunterlaar. Two with time running out on their contract. If we're going to have the strength in depth, rather than just on the surface, we need more strikers than we can use in one game.

 

Considering we have one attacking player with more than a handful of starts in the first 11, asking for four players for three positions isn't too wild.

 

I'm not sure about Walcott really - sure he's better than Assaidi, Borini and probably Sterling at the moment, although I think Sterling will be better in a couple of years.

Hang on - I think I've talked myself into Walcott. I reckon we need someone with a bit more presence though, and definitely a left footer.

 

Considering reports that Rodgers was expecting two deadline day attacker deals, is it too hopeful to think that we might have two players in January? Hopefully better than Sturridge and Dempsey too.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

I'm not sure about Walcott really - sure he's better than Assaidi, Borini and probably Sterling at the moment, although I think Sterling will be better in a couple of years.

 

He's really kicked on this last couple of years. I think he'd be perfect in a front three (rather than wide in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2). His finishing and final product have really improved. We'd be lucky to get him.

 

Hang on - I think I've talked myself into Walcott. I reckon we need someone with a bit more presence though, and definitely a left footer.

 

Not important for me. We're not looking for crossing, so left/right isn't that important for that wide left position, in my opinion. More important for our left-back to be able to whip it in with his left.

[Geraghty]

Thought he done well today,his changes at half time were very good.Not a bad point

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Masterminded a victory against the Blueshite. Well done. No?

 

Actually, I think he needed to get his players more disciplines after the second goal. We should have controlled the play and passed the ball. All game we only had 314 passes. Considering that we had over double that in some games, we weren't playing our natural game for the most part. We didn't play to our strengths after the second goal. That's what really cost us.

[Ginny]

Massive oddball and a bullshitter

 

Takes one to know one.

[G Richards]

The usual passing game didn't happen today. I thought we missed Lucas, but the fact that it was a derby and nobody could settle didn't do us any favours. With that said, I thought Rodgers responded really well from a tactical perspective when he switched to three at the back. Adding Coates helped us in the air for Everton's long ball game and it gave us another man in the middle as we were getting overrun in there until then.

 

Rodgers has a long way to go to be talked about like some of the managers we've had, but so far so good for me. He is going about his business the right way and I'm looking forward to seeing how this team grows.

[Iceman]

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[piscinin]

Edited October 31, 2012 by piscinin

[Major Tom]

No Reading game, piscinin?

 

2 wins out of 9 doesn't look great in a spreadsheet, does it.

[piscinin]

No Reading game, piscinin?

 

2 wins out of 9 doesn't look great in a spreadsheet, does it.

 

Didn't play Reading last year, obviously, and I didn't want to compare against a relegated team.

 

It's not the wins that worry me. It's that for a team that is supposedly transitioning to a possession based game, it's not happening. We're getting more possession against teams that don't want possession, but against everyone else we're going backwards (compared to the same game last year).

 

I keep reading on here about how people are seeing it happen, but I'm not.

 

Given a large part of his defensive strategy is based on possession, it's worrying. Either the players aren't buying into it, he can't teach it, or his line-ups are undermining the objective.

 

A corner needs turning.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

It's going to take more than 9 games. Hope this helps.

[piscinin]

It's going to take more than 9 games. Hope this helps.

 

Pointless, non-contribution, as expected.