Would you keep Rodgers at the end of the season?

[DooooodekNo5]

Some right aids in this thread, JermainePennant and Stu Monty take a bow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And get your hands amputated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Actually, not you Pennant, at least you have some redeeming features.

[Major Tom]

Means fuck all unless we go on and win it. Fans are sick of false dawns and the nearly tag. We've stopped winning when it matters.

 

We stopped doing that 20 years ago or more.

 

Rodgers should suffer the sins of others. Nor should we keep him for the sake of it, mind.

[DooooodekNo5]

Brendan is a very good manager and if he's given time, he'll do a very good job with us. I actually think on the whole he has done a very good job with us - the second half of his first season we were excellent, last season we came from nowhere and should have won the league and this season we started disgracefully, but until the last two games, we were in with a shout of top 2 and an FA Cup win. We still have a chance of a trophy and we may yet get top 4 even if that's unlikely.

 

This season was always going to be the acid test for him - a young talented team going through a hangover from throwing away a title, who also had to deal with losing the third best player in the world. The problem of having alot of mostly young signings to bring into the squad did not help with the added problem that we might be Liverpool, but to the moden world class player from Germany, Argentina or Spain, our light doesn't shine as bright as Chelsea, City, United or Arsenal - Alexis Sanchez an example of this.

 

The big test for him now is to get Sterling and Henderson to sign their deals - Sterling might be pretty much gone but Brendan needs to use his man management skills to at least get him to sign a new improved deal even if there is a clause that he leaves next season if we fail to make the Champions League. He's still a long way from being world class, but he has the talent to be so and furthermore he is the kind of player that title chasing teams have, which is the level we need to aim for. Fuck this top 4 lark, lets aim higher. Henderson is what he is - a very decent player. He wouldn't come close to starting in the great Liverpool sides, but he's not the type we should be selling. Like Sterling, he's not going to be out of place in a title winning team - even if I'd consider him more bench quality in a title chasing team. The message should be clear - Liverpool sell only when they want to. With Suarez, we could hide behind him being a Latin and wanting to go to a Latin country, with Sterling and Henderson, we would look like a selling club. That's how big players would suddenly view us, if they don't already.

 

We still have a very exciting team and I expect them to become better in the next 12 months. A few more exciting signings like Vietto coupled with a few good pros like Milner and we can grow as a team - I actually would love to see us get a few grizzled pros who mightn't be what they were as players, but would give great advice and guidance to our young team and see us over the line at places like Palace, West Brom and Stoke. The likes of Ibe coming through really excites me, plus a few more like Rossiter, Williams, Sinclair and O'Hanlon possibly being around the squad. Next season, we shouldn't settle for anything less than coming within 5-10 points of winning the title - maybe I'm old school but any Liverpool team should believe they can win it and I'd like that to be the message. That's how I will judge Brendan, but for me he has done enough to deserve that extra season to get that that chance. If next season, he gets schooled by Van Gaal like he did a few weeks ago, then I would worry. For now, lets give him a chance.

 

The competition really isn't as good as made out. Chelsea have Mourinho and some great players, but they wouldn't scare me like the Chelsea of circa 2005/6 might. City have a major rebuilding job, even if they throw loads of cash at it, their new players will need time to settle in. Arsenal are not going to greatly improve in my opinion, while United could be really dangerous if they spend their money wisely - I'm unsure if they will to be honest.

 

 

Sorry mate, I can't be fucked to read that with paragraphs, why do you use those?

 

In future if you want more people to read your efforts then a big wall of text is the way to do it.

[Paco]

Kolo Toure is considering Liverpool’s offer of a one-year contract extension as the veteran Ivorian defender ponders whether to finish his career as a squad player with the Reds or go elsewhere in search of regular first-team football.

[stringvest]

I hope Kolo stays for another year.  

[magicrat]

I hope Kolo stays for another year.  

He's certainly not the first in the queue for the firing squad 

[Iceman]

Fuck him, he's shite. We need to get some proper defenders in. We can't have players like Lovren and Toure or Johnson who we know are shite and we watch them play and pray they don't do something really fucking shite with their block feet and 50 pence heads. We praise them when they're not shite out of relief that they weren't shite. Fuck it. These fucks are on thousands a week. Let's get some other fucks who are better and pay them more. 

[Ne Moe Imya]

Same as RobbieOR, I'd keep him come what may.  

 

I think he's a very talented manager who can bring us tangible success.  He has exceeded my expectations.

 

I'd get rid of the committee and give him full control of transfers.  

 

Are you for real?

 

None of us are privy to the back-and-forth that goes on behind the scenes between Rodgers and the various members of the committee, but from what we do know (admittedly from reading the tea leaves) it seems pretty clear that most of our worst signings are the ones Rodgers wanted.

 

Anyone who would look at Sakho and Lovren and say "Yeah, let's give more authority to the person that pushed for us to sign Lovren" is completely off his rocker.

[billypilgrimnz]

Are you for real?

 

None of us are privy to the back-and-forth that goes on behind the scenes between Rodgers and the various members of the committee, but from what we do know (admittedly from reading the tea leaves) it seems pretty clear that most of our worst signings are the ones Rodgers wanted.

 

Anyone who would look at Sakho and Lovren and say "Yeah, let's give more authority to the person that pushed for us to sign Lovren" is completely off his rocker.

 

These signings are almost definitely Rodgers': Allen, Borini, Lovren, Lallana, Lambert

 

Plus he definitely wanted Dempsey, and it has been reported he wanted Williams, Vorm, Bertrand, Davies, Bony....

 

Rodgers and full control? Um.........

[JohnnyH]

Means fuck all unless we go on and win it. Fans are sick of false dawns and the nearly tag. We've stopped winning when it matters.

Much easier to that though if you've actually got to the semi-final.

[JohnnyH]

These signings are almost definitely Rodgers': Allen, Borini, Lovren, Lallana, Lambert

 

Plus he definitely wanted Dempsey, and it has been reported he wanted Williams, Vorm, Bertrand, Davies, Bony....

 

Rodgers and full control? Um.........

Um, Williams, Vorm (for the 1st half of the season), Bertrand and Bony in our first team would see us comfortably top 4 right now. They'd all have improved us. William and Bony especially.

[billypilgrimnz]

Um, Williams, Vorm (for the 1st half of the season), Bertrand and Bony in our first team would see us comfortably top 4 right now. They'd all have improved us. William and Bony especially.

 

Sure. Just like Dempsey for Henderson would have, I assume. 

 

The fact is, Rodgers likes himself Premier league players from mid-range clubs. That is his wheelhouse. It's an overpriced, mediocre wheelhouse.

[JohnnyH]

Sure. Just like Dempsey for Henderson would have, I assume. 

 

The fact is, Rodgers likes himself Premier league players from mid-range clubs. That is his wheelhouse. It's an overpriced, mediocre wheelhouse.

Well I obviously didn't include Dempsey because that looks like a poor decision from Rodgers, but guess what, Managers make mistakes, and at the time, no one would have been sad to see Henderson to leave the club. But if you're looking for a manager that won't make mistakes in the transfer market, then you're in for a lifetime of upset.

 

Some of the others you seem to think he was mad to want would, however, have improved our 1st team and I think had us comfortably in the top 4. In fact, when you include Sachez who Rodgers desperately wanted, and to a lesser extent Salah who is now looking excellent again once given playing time; I think your post actually proves the point that Rodgers should have much more say in who he gets.

 

It also doesn't matter a shite where you sign them from as long as they are better than what you have. Most of the best players I'm the world started out at a "mid-range" club.

[Section_31]

Being kept hanging by Kolo fucking Toure, surely the nadir right there.

[skend04]

Well I obviously didn't include Dempsey because that looks like a poor decision from Rodgers, but guess what, Managers make mistakes, and at the time, no one would have been sad to see Henderson to leave the club. But if you're looking for a manager that won't make mistakes in the transfer market, then you're in for a lifetime of upset.

 

Some of the others you seem to think he was mad to want would, however, have improved our 1st team and I think had us comfortably in the top 4. In fact, when you include Sachez who Rodgers desperately wanted, and to a lesser extent Salah who is now looking excellent again once given playing time; I think your post actually proves the point that Rodgers should have much more say in who he gets.

 

It also doesn't matter a shite where you sign them from as long as they are better than what you have. Most of the best players I'm the world started out at a "mid-range" club.

22 signings. Only 2 close to being successes. If you think that mid-table players would have got us comfortably into the top 4 then you really need to go out and grab some fresh air and have a look how we are performing with copious amounts of signings from mid-table teams.

 

Anyone, ANYONE, can pick out a name like Sanchez and we were only in for him after Arsene had effectively sealed the signing. Your post is nonsensical.

[JohnnyH]

22 signings. Only 2 close to being successes. If you think that mid-table players would have got us comfortably into the top 4 then you really need to go out and grab some fresh air and have a look how we are performing with copious amounts of signings from mid-table teams.

Anyone, ANYONE, can pick out a name like Sanchez and we were only in for him after Arsene had effectively sealed the signing. Your post is nonsensical.

You might want to re-read my posts and then try and answer again. It'll give you more of a chance of commenting on something I actually said.

[TheHowieLama]

22 signings. Only 2 close to being successes. 

 

Sakho is one of the best buys any club has made over the last few windows.

[TheHowieLama]

 

The fact is, Rodgers likes himself Premier league players from mid-range clubs. That is his wheelhouse. It's an overpriced, mediocre wheelhouse.

 

No its not. The fact is he started with players he personally knew - as all young managers do.

[J-V]

I hope Kolo stays for another year.  

 

I hope he doesn't.  Huge wage for someone who spends most of his time like Lambert getting splinters on his arse.  When he gets on the pitch he's normally shown up.  Should have been fucked off in the Summer.

[Jairzinho]

I'd keep Toure if we're going to bin Lovren. Not convinced we will though.

[Dr Nowt]

Blood Red Liverpool FC opinion: something needs to change at Anfield this summer - and it's not the manager

 

    05:00, 11 April 2015

    By James Pearce

 

James Pearce says FSG need to look again at their transfer policy and wage structure

  

This rollercoaster season could yet end in glory for Liverpool.

 

The midweek win over Blackburn Rovers relieved the pressure after the torrent of negativity following the back to back league defeats to Manchester United and Arsenal.

 

Beat Newcastle on Monday night and the race for the top four will be revived. Go on to lift the FA Cup at Wembley and Brendan Rodgers will have something to cling to as tangible proof of progress being made.

 

But whatever happens over the next seven weeks, something needs to change at Anfield this summer. And it’s not the manager.

 

Owners Fenway Sports Group need to reassess their transfer policy and wage structure.

 

“We have only one driving ambition at Liverpool and that is the quest to win the Premier League playing the kind of football our supporters want to see,” wrote John W Henry in an open letter back in September 2012.

 

Henry was attempting to placate fans over the club’s failure to sign a replacement for Andy Carroll. who had been sent on loan to West Ham.

 

“The transfer policy was not about cutting costs,” he wrote. “It was – and will be in the future – about getting maximum value for what is spent so that we can build quality and depth.

 

“We will build and grow from within, buy prudently and cleverly and never again waste resources on inflated transfer fees and unrealistic wages. We have no fear of spending and competing with the very best but we will not overpay for players. Most of all, we want to win. Our ambitions do not lie in cementing a mid-table place with expensive, short-term quick fixes that will only contribute for a couple of years.”

 

They were the words of a man who had got his fingers burned with the money squandered by Damien Comolli on the likes of Carroll and Stewart Downing. Since Rodgers’ appointment the focus has been very much on investing in youth.

 

The model is about buying potential and relying on Rodgers’ coaching acumen to take them to the next level. When Manchester United broke the bank to land Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao last summer, Liverpool simply weren’t in the market for them. They don’t buy the finished article.

 

It’s too simplistic when critics accuse FSG of lacking ambition. They have transformed the Reds’ finances over the past four and a half years and don’t take any money out of the club. They ploughed £116million into the squad alone last summer.

 

But they need to think again about where that cash is being channelled. You can’t keep building for tomorrow. You need to start thinking about today or you run the risk of your top players casting admiring glances elsewhere.

 

This is a squad in need of more leaders and that situation will be magnified by the loss of Steven Gerrard. This summer Liverpool need established quality rather than unproven quantity. They don’t want rookies who will need 12 months to get their feet under the table.

 

Similarly, FSG need to take a serious look at player contract negotiations. It can’t be right that two such established names as Jordan Henderson and Martin Skrtel are close to entering the final year of their deals. It creates unwelcome distractions.

 

Having slashed back the wage bill by off-loading high-earning flops like Alberto Aquilani, Joe Cole and Carroll, it’s understandable that they want to keep costs down.

 

But with a £5.1billion TV deal signed and sealed, top players are bound to demand a bigger slice of the pie. If Liverpool don’t cough up, someone else will.

 

“We want to win,” Henry said. For that to happen a change of approach is required.

[Dr. J]

 

 

Beat Newcastle on Monday night and the race for the top four will be revived.

 

I stopped reading there, as it nothing the mancs or Arsenal do matters. Pearce is a shill for Rodgers.

[Dr Nowt]

I stopped reading there, as it nothing the mancs or Arsenal do matters. Pearce is a shill for Rodgers.

 

Of course he is.

[magicrat]

Fuck him, he's shite. We need to get some proper defenders in. We can't have players like Lovren and Toure or Johnson who we know are shite and we watch them play and pray they don't do something really fucking shite with their block feet and 50 pence heads. We praise them when they're not shite out of relief that they weren't shite. Fuck it. These fucks are on thousands a week. Let's get some other fucks who are better and pay them more. 

What we need and what we get are poles apart. We end up getting rid and paying through the nose for more expensive replacements are no better Toure is useful cover and I would give him another year if he was relatively cheap. Johnson can go

[G Richards]

I would let Toure go. He's a good character but what he can do on the pitch these days is not good enough. The Arsenal game was very poor. He gave the ball away repeatedly and seemed in a state of panic. If you are going to keep a spot open for a veteran central defender, you accept that their pace might not be what it once was, but in return you also expect them to add some nous - positioning, composure, holding the back line together. Toure doesn't do that any more and at his age it is reasonable to expect performance level to dip further. No point keeping him at this stage.

 

So, what should we do?

 

Lovren should be kept. He had a bad start here but I'm sure he is a better player than that. Just lately there have been a few more signs that he is finding his feet here. If we got rid now it would be the classic case of buy high/sell low. I think he is better than he has shown so far and for me he gets the benefit of the doubt. He has some way to go to be a regular starter, mind.

 

What of Toure's spot? I would bring Ilori back. We have to find a way to give minutes to promising youngsters. I can't see that he would be more of a liability than Toure at this point in time, and there could be a sizable potential upside if he finds his feet here.