Does Rodgers deserve another season.

[thompsonsnose]

Insane.

Why so? Apologist.

[Major Tom]

Why so? Apologist.

Not your post, Thommo. We did have a chance this season, I agree. And we didn't take it.

 

It's the lack of any sort of context that permeates some of Ritchie's posts. Not all as he often makes good points. But he's so desperate to denigrate anything Rosgers has done, some of the posts are insane.

[thompsonsnose]

Not your post, Thommo. We did have a chance this season, I agree. And we didn't take it.

 

It's the lack of any sort of context that permeates some of Ritchie's posts. Not all as he often makes good points. But he's so desperate to denigrate anything Rosgers has done, some of the posts are insane.

Righto. I tend to agree with what was written though.

[Major Tom]

Righto. I tend to agree with what was written though.

 

Of course.

 

I think billy was right yesterday when he said people had a stance on Rodgers and all evidence was filtered in order to confirm that stance.

[skend04]

Of course.

 

I think billy was right yesterday when he said people had a stance on Rodgers and all evidence was filtered in order to confirm that stance.

Surely the only evidence that matters is £215m spent in 3 seasons, 47 goals scored in season 3 and beaten by relegation candidates in the FA Cup semi? The second place, no matter how good it was at the time is Rodgers's outlier as there's nothing else on his CV except a sacking, one season at Watford and a playoff win with Swansea. If that's acceptable for the 9th or 10th richest club in the world then let's just turn off this thread now because all these arguments for and against are redundant as there's no ambition to do better.

[Major Tom]

Surely the only evidence that matters is £215m spent in 3 seasons, 47 goals scored in season 3 and beaten by relegation candidates in the FA Cup semi?

 

There is no context there at all. That's all I've been pushing in the debate about Rodgers' future.

 

If folk want him sacked, no problems. I just think they can make coherent arguments for it. Or maybe they actually can't; maybe I'm expecting too much of them. I don't even want the bloke gone but I could make a better argument for it that the ones a lot are proffering.

 

I was firmly backing Rodgers until recently for a number of reasons. But some of the circumstances have changed and I'm wavering a little. So, we'll see.

[Brownie]

Surely the only evidence that matters is £215m spent in 3 seasons, 47 goals scored in season 3 and beaten by relegation candidates in the FA Cup semi? The second place, no matter how good it was at the time is Rodgers's outlier as there's nothing else on his CV except a sacking, one season at Watford and a playoff win with Swansea. If that's acceptable for the 9th or 10th richest club in the world then let's just turn off this thread now because all these arguments for and against are redundant as there's no ambition to do better.

What I struggle to comprehend is that you would presumably have a polar opposite opinion of him had someone not slipped.

 

That doesn't happen, we win the league and he's the messiah.

 

Why can't there be a bit of middle ground?

[Russ Atmosphere]

I would think a lot of people are more concerned with where we've ended up from a position of strength last year, and the chances of replicating it again without one of the best strike partnerships in the history of the league. Especially since you can't count lack of funding as a factor.

[Major Tom]

I would think a lot of people are more concerned with where we've ended up from a position of strength last year, and the chances of replicating it again without one of the best strike partnerships in the history of the league. Especially since you can't count lack of funding as a factor.

 

But you can surely count losing 50 goals as a factor. I think missing Sturridge for most of the season has probably cost us a top 4 place. Fine lines.

[Russ Atmosphere]

But you can surely count losing 50 goals as a factor. I think missing Sturridge for most of the season has probably cost us a top 4 place. Fine lines.

Reasonably you wouldn't expect to replace all those goals but for the money spent we shouldn't be sat here with our top goalscorer on 7 and our goal difference +10 either.

[Denny Crane]

I'm getting more concerned about the meme swallowed whole that no questions can be addressed at any failings as 5th is par.

 

We scored 1 goal in 3 games against Villa, Hull and WBA with two defeats but but we are Par so shut the fuck up.

 

We spent 212 million and people know we spent poorly but shut the fuck up as we are where we should be.

 

I assume the owners will be altering ticket prices to the 5th highest ( we are 3rd highest and the highest outside London) to reflect this new found realism.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/premier-league/11556668/Premier-League-season-ticket-prices-cut-or-frozen-for-2015-16.html

 

I assume they will offer free European match tickets or very discounted as we have no intention of trying.

 

Astonished that some decent reds are swallowing the propaganda and not looking at the situation critically.

 

No-one is naive enough to know money is not a factor.

 

But to imply the club and manager is achieving par is a true misrepresentation of the situation and only leads to the hedge-fund owners smiling away at the dumb natives being managed by their own fans.

 

 

[stringvest]

I'm getting more concerned about the meme swallowed whole that no questions can be addressed at any failings as 5th is par.

 

We scored 1 goal in 3 games against Villa, Hull and WBA with two defeats but but we are Par so shut the fuck up.

 

We spent 212 million and people know we spent poorly but shut the fuck up as we are where we should be.

 

I assume the owners will be altering ticket prices to the 5th highest ( we are 3rd highest and the highest outside London) to reflect this new found realism.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/premier-league/11556668/Premier-League-season-ticket-prices-cut-or-frozen-for-2015-16.html

 

I assume they will offer free European match tickets or very discounted as we have no intention of trying.

 

Astonished that some decent reds are swallowing the propaganda and not looking at the situation critically.

 

No-one is naive enough to know money is not a factor.

 

But to imply the club and manager is achieving par is a true misrepresentation of the situation and only leads to the hedge-fund owners smiling away at the dumb natives being managed by their own fans.

 

I wouldn't get too concerned Code.  Because not everyone thinks in the same way.  For example, you regularly spout shite on here, and most people are savvy enough not to buy it.  The same happens at the other end of the spectrum.  Most people are not buying the 'money is everything' nonsense.  Most people have a more considered view.  

[Major Tom]

Reasonably you wouldn't expect to replace all those goals but for the money spent we shouldn't be sat here with our top goalscorer on 7 and our goal difference +10 either.

 

I genuinely don't know, Russ. We lost the best player on the planet and we desperately needed to bulk out our squad. £115m in those circumstances is not enough in my view.

 

Yes, the signings haven't been good enough and, no, we haven't scored enough goals but I believe there are valid reasons for that. Reasons that could've been traversed by a different manager? Who knows.

[Major Tom]

Most people are not buying the 'money is everything' nonsense.  

 

It isn't and people are naive if they think that. But it's the biggest single determining factor in your final league position.

[stringvest]

What I struggle to comprehend is that you would presumably have a polar opposite opinion of him had someone not slipped.

 

That doesn't happen, we win the league and he's the messiah.

 

Why can't there be a bit of middle ground?

 

There is, quite a bit.  But football, as life, has moments like that - or tiny margins - which determine success or failure.  If we had won the league last year, Rodgers would rightly be held up as a hero.  But the vast majority of people would have still been seriously pissed off with the mess we have somehow managed to make of this season.  

 

The difference is, no-one would have been brave or stupid enough to call for his head.  The ultimate disappointment of last season - we were really flat at the end - became the petri dish for the frustrations and anger we've seen this season.  

 

Rodgers and his team ensured - through a number of bad decisions on and off the field - that conditions were perfect for the blossoming of those frustrations to the point where we are now - his job on a knife edge, the back room staff apparently being purged, and the owners getting it in the neck.

[zigackly]

No-one here can say we wouldn't have lost to Chelsea if Gerrard hadn't slipped, that's a total mischaracterisation of the game. We were never going to score against them in a month and should have stuck it out for the point which was all we needed. 

 

Regardless, it was unacceptable to blow the good work of last season and totally fuck this one up. That second place was a platform to push on from. It's fairly obvious we have a team of bottlers by now, but it was the manager's job to make sure there was the right amount of experience and morale in "the group".

 

Yes we have badly missed Suarez and Sturridge, but that doesn't excuse the abject underperformance of the rest of the team.

 

Of course people are angry about that. Even so I'd have given Rodgers some credit if we had bothered to show some fight in the last few games.

[Brownie]

There is, quite a bit. But football, as life, has moments like that - or tiny margins - which determine success or failure. If we had won the league last year, Rodgers would rightly be held up as a hero. But the vast majority of people would have still been seriously pissed off with the mess we have somehow managed to make of this season.

 

The difference is, no-one would have been brave or stupid enough to call for his head. The ultimate disappointment of last season - we were really flat at the end - became the petri dish for the frustrations and anger we've seen this season.

 

Rodgers and his team ensured - through a number of bad decisions on and off the field - that conditions were perfect for the blossoming of those frustrations to the point where we are now - his job on a knife edge, the back room staff apparently being purged, and the owners getting it in the neck.

I get all of that Stringy. I'm just talking about this complete extreme of view based on the bounce of a ball. It's like it's all or nothing, which you may agree with but I don't.

 

No-one was talking about Reading, Watford etc this time last season.

[The Golden Eel]

Even so I'd have given Rodgers some credit if we had bothered to show some fight in the last few games.

 

Yep, Villa was beyond a disgrace.

[Russ Atmosphere]

I genuinely don't know, Russ. We lost the best player on the planet and we desperately needed to bulk out our squad. £115m in those circumstances is not enough in my view.

 

Yes, the signings haven't been good enough and, no, we haven't scored enough goals but I believe there are valid reasons for that. Reasons that could've been traversed by a different manager? Who knows.

Well OK, I utterly disagree about the money not being enough. I and seemingly many others think it was wasted, even accounting for FSG's daft parameters. The 'marquee', hit the ground running, attacking midfielder we bought for £25m has 4 league goals and the replacement striker has 1 league goal. I don't know where to begin.

[ritchie]

What I struggle to comprehend is that you would presumably have a polar opposite opinion of him had someone not slipped.

 

That doesn't happen, we win the league and he's the messiah.

 

Why can't there be a bit of middle ground?

 

I'd think far differently of Rodgers if we'd won the league but it's not as simple as one slip. We were poor in the first half and very nervy as we had been against Norwich and in the second half against Man City where we got away with it. The way we set up meant a slip on the halfway line - in first half injury time in a game we  only needed to draw - gave Ba a free run on goal. Then in the second half we couldn't even inspire ourselves to a worthwhile chance and performed terribly, so what was said at half time? Winners find a way to win. Losers find a way to lose, every big game this season more or less we've blown it over 4 competitions.

If we'd played out the most boring 0-0 draw with Chelsea, which was on offer, then we'd probably be sitting here as champions but we couldn't adapt the tactics to make sure we kept it tight.

 

The only good thing under Rodgers in three years is one excellent league season which ended up in heartbreak because we threw the title away. We've gone completely backwards this season, we're a clueless team lacking identity and leadership, we bottle every big game and we've wasted all the transfer money. Next season will be tough whoever is in charge but I can't trust Rodgers to be the man to get us back on track when his three summer transfer windows have been such a calamity.

[Brownie]

No-one here can say we wouldn't have lost to Chelsea if Gerrard hadn't slipped, that's a total mischaracterisation of the game. We were never going to score againstbthem in a month and should have stuck it out for the point which was all we needed.

 

Regardless, it was unacceptable to blow the good work of last season and totally fuck this one up. That second place was a platform to push on from. It's fairly obvious we have a team of bottlers by now, but it was the manager's job to make sure there was the right amount of experience and morale in "the group".

 

Yes we have badly missed Suarez and Sturridge, but that doesn't excuse the abject underperformance of the rest of the team.

 

Of course people are angry about that. Even so I'd have given Rodgers some credit if we had bothered to show some fight in the last few games.

No-one knows ;-)

[Jairzinho]

Well OK, I utterly disagree about the money not being enough. I and seemingly many others think it was wasted, even accounting for FSG's daft parameters. The 'marquee', hit the ground running, attacking midfielder we bought for £25m has 4 league goals and the replacement striker has 1 league goal. I don't know where to begin.

 

It isn't enough if you spent it all on shite. I reckon about a billion would have just about secured the four or five new first team players we needed, baring in mind our propensity to pay at least twice what a player is worth, and our general hit rate.

 

Obviously we didn't need to "bulk our squad" either. We've got 35 fucking players. Some of the players out on loan are better than those currently in our squad. 

[Major Tom]

No-one here can say we wouldn't have lost to Chelsea if Gerrard hadn't slipped, that's a total mischaracterisation of the game. We were never going to score against them in a month and should have stuck it out for the point which was all we needed.

 

I agree but it's an easy observation to make in hindsight. We panicked on that day and didn't do the thing we had previously been doing for fun; creating chances.

 

If we had changed our game plan and stuck 10 men behind the ball - or become defensive in any way - and still lost - the charge against Rodgers would have been why didn't we just stick to what we had been doing?!!!

 

That's not saying I thought we shouldn't have been more pragmatic that day, we should have been. But I'm not sure if that's just me deciding that in retrospect.

[stringvest]

I get all of that Stringy. I'm just talking about this complete extreme of view based on the bounce of a ball. It's like it's all or nothing, which you may agree with but I don't.

 

No-one was talking about Reading, Watford etc this time last season.

 

but it isn't based on one bounce of the ball, that was my point.  

[Major Tom]

Well OK, I utterly disagree about the money not being enough. I and seemingly many others think it was wasted, even accounting for FSG's daft parameters. The 'marquee', hit the ground running, attacking midfielder we bought for £25m has 4 league goals and the replacement striker has 1 league goal. I don't know where to begin.

 

Yep, I definitely agree the money hasn't been spent well enough. But that happens a lot in transfers and our position has exacerbated and highlighted the shortcomings of our transfer dealings last summer. Where it hasn't at clubs like City or Utd.