What's your opinion of Brendan Rodgers?

[Anubis]

Quality Street man I think.

 

 

 

"Stop! You had me at Big Purple One..."

[xerxes]

Stop taking cheap shots about his personal life. It has no relevance to what is happening on the pitch.

With his *on the pitch" experience so limited, he had little choice other than to befriend the media and create an image to compensate for a track record. He has done this very well.

 

I suspect that had he not worked the media so diligently, some aspects of his personal life would be getting much more exposure.

[Dr. J]

It was a crucial area to address last season because we were shipping goals at an alarming rate. Gerrard was not an effective DM. He was more of a deep-lying playmaker. He offered little to nothing in shielding the defence. A point that was made time after time.

 

That's right. Rodgers is now managing to save his job, which may or may not depend on getting CL football for next season. In any case, the best hope we have for a decent signing is a class DM as our rivals will be after attacking players, too. Getting a a good dm means binning Gerrard and/or Lucas, and maybe even Henderson as his main function seems to be doing their running for them.

 

Rodgers' best hope, and ours, is hardening the defence and grinding out enough wins to make a difference in the table.

[G Richards]

I voted he stays until at least the end of the season. I'll go back and read the other comments in the thread after giving my view:

 

My opinion of Brendan Rodgers is divided into two sections:

 

1. The Football Man

2. The Man

 

The Football Man

He should rightly consider himself lucky to have landed a job like Liverpool. Given the body of work he had under his belt at the time of his appointment, it was something of a gamble on the part of the owners. On the other hand, it might also have been considered something of an inspired choice. I think the truth is somewhere in between. Last season gave us a lot of evidence to show us what an inspired choice he was. This season has given us a lot of evidence to show us that his appointment has been a bit of a gamble. Like I say the truth is somewhere in between. 

 

At his best, Brendan's Liverpool side plays breathtaking attacking football. We need to see more of that, but we at least know he has it in his locker to set up the attacking side. Pace, movement, goals. It's the sort of thing that could win big prizes. Most managers can't get near to what Brendan has shown us, in an attacking sense. And yet...

 

He cannot set up a defence. Ironically, this is a much simpler thing to do than unleash an attacking side. Most managers can position the players well, get them playing as a defensive unit, and keep it fairly tight at the back, relative to their realistic ambitions. We have generally been a defensive shambles since Brendan has been the manager. This must improve.

 

The other key thing is signing players. This has been something of a mixed bag. There's too much to unravel as to who is responsible for what, given the structure at the club. The owners need a clearer structure. That's on them.

 

As for the signings themselves, I'd say Brendan signs a lot of young players. Too many. I think the side has progressed to the stage where we need to stop doing that. We have lots of good young players already here, and coming up from the academy, and out on loan. There's no need to keep signing more and more just like them! And there's no need to sign average players who we hope can 'do a job'. Instead, sign one or two of the very best players we can attract. As near to 'sure things' as possible. Players to go straight into the side and improve us. The squad is there (mostly) but the team is not. Brendan needs to show us that his signings can improve the team, not just the depth of the squad. 

 

The Man

When he arrived I thought we had a real old school type on our hands - working class, down to earth, good values. We've had great managers with these attributes throughout our history - Shanks, Paisley, Dalglish being the three most prominent. 

 

I'm not close enough to the situation to know fully, and like everyone else I'm only going on what I can glean as I follow the club as a fan, but I'll give my opinion.  

 

I didn't like how he left his wife. I'd prefer our manager to have more robust family values. What it looked like is the classic case of the man who does well, makes a few bob, and then bins his missus for a younger and more attractive model. I don't like that.

 

Now, if I have all that wrong, and the truth has been that Brendan's wife all along was a horrible person, and he kept trying to keep the family together, but in the end he'd had enough, then that's one thing. But I do think that scenario is unlikely. 

 

All the players will be tempted by the pitfalls of money and easy relationships. It would be nice if we had a manager who was clearly above all that. Brendan's personal life undermines the pastoral quality he can bring to his role as manager, and that's a shame. 

 

I also have one or two question marks on character. Whatever happened to the old leadership adage, 'The buck stops here!' While we've been going through a bad patch it seems there has been a lot of media briefing on the side and jostling for position and so on. It's as though it is really important to Brendan to not have too much blame attached to him. He would actually go up in my book if he were to say, "I signed these players. What we've been doing so far has not been good enough. I'm going to see to it that we all work harder than ever to get to where we need to be. I'm calling on the fans to support us while we work to get it right."

 

Say it like it is! We all know anyway, we've got eyes! We can support a man who is going through a hard time. We can back him, especially after what we saw last season... but don't try to pull the wool over our eyes and say this has been better than it has been. And don't play the political game either, as the owners will definitely sack you. 

 

Conclusion

I saw enough last season to give Brendan until the end of this season and then reassess. The hardest part of the game is scoring goals, and he can set up a team with pace and movement and goals. We should think long and hard before we let that go. 

 

On the other hand, the defence is a mess, there are question marks over player recruitment, and the politics is a distraction that, if stoked up, will not end well for Brendan. 

 

Let's see what happens the rest of the season. 

[JermainePennant]

What do you expect them to say, hardly going to come out and say he doesnt know what he is doing.

They were not asked is he good tactically they all talked about this when describing him.

 

I remember the end of former managers reigns here and big players were not coming out making supportive statements, the players said what they want and are not forced into any comments.

[JermainePennant]

 

 

I'm not close enough to the situation to know fully, and like everyone else I'm only going on what I can glean as I follow the club as a fan, but I'll give my opinion.  

 

I didn't like how he left his wife. I'd prefer our manager to have more robust family values. What it looked like is the classic case of the man who does well, makes a few bob, and then bins his missus for a younger and more attractive model. I don't like that.

 

Now, if I have all that wrong, and the truth has been that Brendan's wife all along was a horrible person, and he kept trying to keep the family together, but in the end he'd had enough, then that's one thing. But I do think that scenario is unlikely. 

 

All the players will be tempted by the pitfalls of money and easy relationships. It would be nice if we had a manager who was clearly above all that. Brendan's personal life undermines the pastoral quality he can bring to his role as manager, and that's a shame. 

 

I also have one or two question marks on character. Whatever happened to the old leadership adage, 'The buck stops here!' While we've been going through a bad patch it seems there has been a lot of media briefing on the side and jostling for position and so on. It's as though it is really important to Brendan to not have too much blame attached to him. He would actually go up in my book if he were to say, "I signed these players. What we've been doing so far has not been good enough. I'm going to see to it that we all work harder than ever to get to where we need to be. I'm calling on the fans to support us while we work to get it right."

 

 

 

 

Rodgers would have been in the money long before he became lfc manager so while I have no interest in speculating on his personal life I would say your guess at the situation is wrong.

 

As for the paragraph in bold he has done exactly what you say he needs to, I dont know about media briefings but publicly he has took full responsibility for everything.

[xerxes]

I voted he stays until at least the end of the season...etc

A very good summary in full.

 

Professionally he has done better than his wildest hallucinations to date, can he keep on riding the tiger? Time will tell.

 

I am uneasy about the off the record briefings whose impact are starting to surface, Brendan maybe blaming the transfer committee for his transfer fiascos, Ayre ,seemingly firmly putting the responsibility, rightly, at Brendan’s door.

 

On his personal life, who can judge? But if you go on transatlantic television extolling the virtues of family trust you can’t really complain when you get ribbed for knobbing an office promotions girl.

 

The trial of his son for sexual assault, which failed to convict, did not reflect well on the family either:

“She pleaded with Rodgers (junior) to delete the photographs but he told her 'Sorry, we are going to a barbecue'.

 

But he will be judged on the PWLDP columns. Half way through the season we are 10 points off the relegation zone, and twenty points off the top, in ninth place, with Swansea, West Ham and Southampton above us, having spent £120m. Hodgson and KK paid the price for little less.

[Guest davelfc]

 

Conclusion

I saw enough last season to give Brendan until the end of this season and then reassess. The hardest part of the game is scoring goals, and he can set up a team with pace and movement and goals. We should think long and hard before we let that go. 

 

On the other hand, the defence is a mess, there are question marks over player recruitment, and the politics is a distraction that, if stoked up, will not end well for Brendan. 

 

Let's see what happens the rest of the season. 

 

I'm afraid without this we'll always be relying on a Suarez type player and thy don't come along very often. We need an experienced manager that has an eye for a player otherwise we will continue to spunk money on 'edge of the seat, exciting players' that are anything but that.

 

We got the Swansea manager and once we sold our best player we became Swansea, that's as good as it's going to get as far as I can see. Every week it's just prolonging the inevitable. The players we have are better than the performances we see, they're just not managed very well.

 

Everyone can see it, few want to accept it. 

[Dr. J]

 

 

Half way through the season we are 10 points off the relegation zone, and twenty points off the top, in ninth place, with Swansea, West Ham and Southampton above us, having spent £120m.

 

 

 

 

Indeed. My joy at beating Burnley was tempered a bit by these facts.

[KopOut]

A very good summary in full.

 

Professionally he has done better than his wildest hallucinations to date, can he keep on riding the tiger? Time will tell.

 

I am uneasy about the off the record briefings whose impact are starting to surface, Brendan maybe blaming the transfer committee for his transfer fiascos, Ayre ,seemingly firmly putting the responsibility, rightly, at Brendan’s door.

 

On his personal life, who can judge? But if you go on transatlantic television extolling the virtues of family trust you can’t really complain when you get ribbed for knobbing an office promotions girl.

 

The trial of his son for sexual assault, which failed to convict, did not reflect well on the family either:

“She pleaded with Rodgers (junior) to delete the photographs but he told her 'Sorry, we are going to a barbecue'.

 

But he will be judged on the PWLDP columns. Half way through the season we are 10 points off the relegation zone, and twenty points off the top, in ninth place, with Swansea, West Ham and Southampton above us, having spent £120m. Hodgson and KK paid the price for little less.

West Ham doing better AND with valued contributions from Carroll and Downing.

 

Maybe the King wasn't as shite as some have said.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone which pisses over android motherfuckers. Merry Xmas.

[ritchie]

Hard to disagree with most of that . I would say I quite like him personally as do most people from what I can gather however would prefer to have a cunt that wins things

 

Happy New Year

 

I don't think Rodgers is very likeable at all. He's a salesman and bluff merchant who loves the sound of his own voice, which usually comes back to bite him on the arse with quotes regularly coming back to haunt him. He's also got a bit of a cunt side to him himself the way he treats players and will throw anyone under the bus, or his snide briefings to certain journos. Surrounds himself with yes men coaches who are less experienced than him because he's too arrogant to have anyone challenge him. I'd rather a cunt that wins things rather than have a cunt that doesn't.

 

Blagged a bunch of soft cunt yanks with his dodgy dossiers and power point presentations that he was the Irish Guardiola, blags the job and wings it from day one. We all enjoyed last season (until we wasted a one off chance) but this season and 12/13 is more where Rodgers is as a manager. 

[Tony Moanero]

He was likeable when we were winning lots of games last season!

 

All managers brief their media allies.

[ratcatcher]

He was likeable when we were winning lots of games last season!

 

All managers brief their media allies.

 

Yep. And all previous managers were judged by their net spend. Now gross spend is the new net.

 

All part and parcel of the general revisioning I guess.

[ratcatcher]

I don't think Rodgers is very likeable at all. He's a salesman and bluff merchant who loves the sound of his own voice, which usually comes back to bite him on the arse with quotes regularly coming back to haunt him. He's also got a bit of a cunt side to him himself the way he treats players and will throw anyone under the bus, or his snide briefings to certain journos. Surrounds himself with yes men coaches who are less experienced than him because he's too arrogant to have anyone challenge him. I'd rather a cunt that wins things rather than have a cunt that doesn't.

 

Blagged a bunch of soft cunt yanks with his dodgy dossiers and power point presentations that he was the Irish Guardiola, blags the job and wings it from day one. We all enjoyed last season (until we wasted a one off chance) but this season and 12/13 is more where Rodgers is as a manager. 

 

This is just laughable. Have a fucking word with yourself. You are getting embarassing with this shite.

 

What did you say about benitez's handling of Keane? Wasnt he 'thrown under a bus'? Where did marcotti get all his info from?

[Phoenix]

They were not asked is he good tactically they all talked about this when describing him.

 

I remember the end of former managers reigns here and big players were not coming out making supportive statements, the players said what they want and are not forced into any comments.

 

Just wait until he gets pushed.

[Mr T]

I don't think Rodgers is very likeable at all. He's a salesman and bluff merchant who loves the sound of his own voice, which usually comes back to bite him on the arse with quotes regularly coming back to haunt him. He's also got a bit of a cunt side to him himself the way he treats players and will throw anyone under the bus, or his snide briefings to certain journos. Surrounds himself with yes men coaches who are less experienced than him because he's too arrogant to have anyone challenge him. I'd rather a cunt that wins things rather than have a cunt that doesn't.

 

Blagged a bunch of soft cunt yanks with his dodgy dossiers and power point presentations that he was the Irish Guardiola, blags the job and wings it from day one. We all enjoyed last season (until we wasted a one off chance) but this season and 12/13 is more where Rodgers is as a manager.

I second this post. My thoughts exactly.

[Neil G]

Yep. And all previous managers were judged by their net spend. Now gross spend is the new net.

 

All part and parcel of the general revisioning I guess.

Kenny certainly wasn't. "£100m wasted" became a meme on here in his final months.

 

It's legitimate to reference gross spend under Rodgers, because every single player he's signed with that £200m plus is still on our books. Of that total we've spent £120m on players who he doesn't seem to rate, or who've been sent out on loan after barely getting a sniff of the first team, or who play in positions where we were already well stocked, or who simply aren't good enough. That's a shocking record, easily the equal of Kenny's misspending which he got so much criticism for and which eventually got him sacked.

 

If just half of that £120m had been spent properly, on players that Rodgers actually rated and who were good enough to go straight into the first team in positions that needed addressing, we'd be challenging for the title again now instead of languishing in mid-table. I don't know how much of it is Rodgers's fault, but it doesn't reflect well on him or the committee. If he's not being allowed to sign his first choice targets, he should be, so that there's absolutely no doubt about who's responsible.

[King Emlyn]

I don't think Rodgers is very likeable at all. He's a salesman and bluff merchant who loves the sound of his own voice, which usually comes back to bite him on the arse with quotes regularly coming back to haunt him. He's also got a bit of a cunt side to him himself the way he treats players and will throw anyone under the bus, or his snide briefings to certain journos. Surrounds himself with yes men coaches who are less experienced than him because he's too arrogant to have anyone challenge him. I'd rather a cunt that wins things rather than have a cunt that doesn't.

 

Blagged a bunch of soft cunt yanks with his dodgy dossiers and power point presentations that he was the Irish Guardiola, blags the job and wings it from day one. We all enjoyed last season (until we wasted a one off chance) but this season and 12/13 is more where Rodgers is as a manager.

 

Aye, sure enjoyed that blag football he was serving up last season though the massive phoney

[Guest davelfc]

Aye, sure enjoyed that blag football he was serving up last season though the massive phoney

 

If only everything was going so well, only it isn't and he's clueless. Time and time again all I read is people questioning what the fuck he's doing, there doesn't seem to be much reasoning behind it.

 

He got his pat on the back for last season with a world class player terrifying defences and scoring for fun while creating acres of space for others. He identified the targets he needed to strengthen the squad to be able to deal with the extra games and he was handed the cash to do so. Once again he (or this mythical committee) fucked up.

 

It seems his answer at the moment is to keep fucking about until it works and then if it starts to work, fuck about a bit more with it. The clear sign of someone that has not got a clue what they're doing.

 

He should be sacked purely on who the fuck he's signed and the cash he's wasted. I wouldn't give him the change from my pocket, fuck knows what shit player he's worked with that he's got for us next. Another 'edge of the seat' waster that we will send out on loan or he'll have a massive strop with and leave out of the squad.

 

That second place (thanks Suarez) has bought Rodgers just about enough rope to hang us all with. 

[King Emlyn]

If only everything was going so well, only it isn't and he's clueless. Time and time again all I read is people questioning what the fuck he's doing, there doesn't seem to be much reasoning behind it.

 

He got his pat on the back for last season with a world class player terrifying defences and scoring for fun while creating acres of space for others. He identified the targets he needed to strengthen the squad to be able to deal with the extra games and he was handed the cash to do so. Once again he (or this mythical committee) fucked up.

 

It seems his answer at the moment is to keep fucking about until it works and then if it starts to work, fuck about a bit more with it. The clear sign of someone that has not got a clue what they're doing.

 

He should be sacked purely on who the fuck he's signed and the cash he's wasted. I wouldn't give him the change from my pocket, fuck knows what shit player he's worked with that he's got for us next. Another 'edge of the seat' waster that we will send out on loan or he'll have a massive strop with and leave out of the squad.

 

That second place (thanks Suarez) has bought Rodgers just about enough rope to hang us all with.

 

Who do you want then davelfc?

[ZonkoVille77]

I don't give a bollox what he gets up to in his private life as long as he gets us performing on the pitch. So far this season that's been absent. If it doesn't improve then good luck to him. Simple as that.

[Guest davelfc]

Who do you want then davelfc?

 

I'd like someone that has experience for a start, someone that if we ever reach the CL again actually has a fucking clue how to approach it tactically. Someone that knows how to organise a defence, someone that has an eye for a player and doesn't just work through their phone list. 

 

I'm pretty fucked off paying Champagne money for Pomagne football. What was it, £177 for three CL home games. You're never convincing me that an experienced manager with the cash he's had couldn't have bought better and got us out of that group with far more impressive performances than we saw.

 

The man is full of excuses and I'm fed up with them. Maybe if I was sat on my arse at home I'd be able to bear it but freezing cold paying all that money it fucks me off. 

[ratcatcher]

Kenny certainly wasn't. "£100m wasted" became a meme on here in his final months.

 

It's legitimate to reference gross spend under Rodgers, because every single player he's signed with that £200m plus is still on our books. Of that total we've spent £120m on players who he doesn't seem to rate, or who've been sent out on loan after barely getting a sniff of the first team, or who play in positions where we were already well stocked, or who simply aren't good enough. That's a shocking record, easily the equal of Kenny's misspending which he got so much criticism for and which eventually got him sacked.

 

If just half of that £120m had been spent properly, on players that Rodgers actually rated and who were good enough to go straight into the first team in positions that needed addressing, we'd be challenging for the title again now instead of languishing in mid-table. I don't know how much of it is Rodgers's fault, but it doesn't reflect well on him or the committee. If he's not being allowed to sign his first choice targets, he should be, so that there's absolutely no doubt about who's responsible.

 

I dont recollect the King being judged on gross spend. But I'll take your word for it.

 

Its not legit to judge rodgers on gross when it wasnt used for benitez, Ged or evans. Its just another revisionism to hang the man out to dry. And as yet, I havent seen anyone say who's included in this gross spend 'waste.' Does it include sakho who some seem to rate? Does it include lallana, markovic, can and moreno who've been here less than half a season? That's nearly £60m right there. Are all of them included in the gross waste or just some of them?

 

You say its a shocking record. The season isnt over yet and even when it is, is one season enough to judge these players? Maybe you think it is. I dont.

 

You make cliams such as 'if half that money had been spent properly....' What the fuck does that mean in the real world? That the manager went out and deliberately blew £120m?

 

Some of you people think this is football manager. Its not. Sure, some players dont measure up or take time to settle.

 

Lots of people were dribbling in their cornflakes when salah fucked off to chelsea instead. What's happening to him now? Oh, he's being shown the door by them. Dont give it the old 'they can afford to make mistakes,' the fact is people here fell out of their trees over it yet he hasnt made it at the club he choose.

[Ranxerox]

Yep. And all previous managers were judged by their net spend. Now gross spend is the new net.

 

All part and parcel of the general revisioning I guess.

 

He'll be judged on results, like all managers.

[ratcatcher]

He'll be judged on results, like all managers.

 

Indeed he will be by the owners but you know as well as I do, that he isnt being judged on results on this forum. Teeth, partner, gross spend, clueless? Yep, all sound results based. Not.