The car's not starting? Let's replace the wing mirrors (ESPN article)

[tlw content]

by Dave Usher for ESPN

Brendan Rodgers may have kept his job -- for now at least -- but the staff room at Liverpool's Melwood Training Ground will still be without a couple of familiar faces next season. First-team coach Mike Marsh and assistant manager Colin Pascoe have both been relieved of their duties, leaving Rodgers in what looks to be an almost untenable looking position. While the decision has been reported as being "mutually agreed" by Rodgers, chairman Tom Werner and the club's principle owner John W. Henry, it's difficult to believe Rodgers could have been happy about it.

After all, it was the Northern Irishman who promoted Marsh from the Academy to his first-team coaching staff three summers ago after he impressed with his work on the club's preseason tour of the United States, while Pascoe is one of his closest friends as well as long-time assistant. It's therefore almost impossible to imagine Rodgers pushing for their dismissals. Indeed, some feel that it's surprising he didn't resign in protest, especially after the axing of his loyal number two Pascoe.

These latest developments would certainly appear to be ownership-driven and Rodgers was presumably given a choice by Fenway Sports Group to either accept it and keep his job, or leave with his friends.

As soon as it was announced that, despite presiding over the most disappointing of seasons, Rodgers would stay, it was inevitable that there would be cosmetic changes lower down the food chain. The powers that be at Anfield knew that they couldn't just carry on with everything as it was and expect the club's increasingly disgruntled supporters to buy into it. They had to be seen to be doing something, and Marsh and Pascoe made convenient "fall guys" for the failings of others higher up.

Just for the sake of argument, though, let's say they were completely terrible at what they did. Exactly how much impact would that have made on Liverpool's season anyway?

Pascoe and Marsh had nothing to do with the absolute abomination of a transfer window last summer that looks to have set Liverpool back. They didn't pick the team or decide on the tactics throughout the season and they didn't make the substitutions. The Reds did not freeze against Aston Villa at Wembley because of how Marsh put the cones out in training that week and they did not concede six at Stoke because the players were dazzled by the glare off Pascoe's bare legs.

 

Read the rest of the article here.

[King Emlyn]

His position is untenable surely? I just don't get the thinking at all, bizarre situation. I actually think he'll walk in a couple of weeks after its sunk in properly.

[Guest davelfc]

His position is untenable surely? I just don't get the thinking at all, bizarre situation. I actually think he'll walk in a couple of weeks after its sunk in properly.

 

What? And miss out on a multi million pound pay off, not a chance in hell. 

[VERBAL DIARRHEA]

We're currently driving a Y reg Vauxhall Corsa with alloys, go faster stripes and one of those exhausts that make it sound like a F1 car.

We need a nice quirky BMW or a classy Ferrari.

[King Emlyn]

What? And miss out on a multi million pound pay off, not a chance in hell.

 

Aye there is that.

[Guest davelfc]

We're currently driving a Y reg Vauxhall Corsa with alloys, go faster stripes and one of those exhausts that make it sound like a F1 car.

We need a nice quirky BMW or a classy Ferrari.

 

More like this

 

[Ne Moe Imya]

It would be completely out of character for Brendan to resign in protest due to the sacking of Colin Pascoe.  I would be shocked if he did it.  

 

What kind of man, exactly, do people think they're talking about?  This is the kind of person who, as a 40-something man still invites his players to Tinie Tempah concerts and then backs out of the arrangement.  The kind of man who consistently mocks anyone who doubts him when we put a few wins together and then blames everyone around him when we're struggling.

 

Bill Shankly he is not.  He's not going to forfeit the millions he'll earn as a payoff when he's inevitably sacked to stand behind Colin Pascoe out of principle.

[Guest davelfc]

Personally I don't think this is an attempt to get Rodgers to walk. I don't see how that would work, he just keeps turning up and getting his cash while the club goes down the pan. I can't accept fully grown men, successful businessmen thinking this was a good idea.

 

I'm leaning towards them actually believing that with better assistants who have more experience Rodgers will benefit. It at least gives FSG someone to report back (if they assign the assistant) and who knows, an assistant with decent European experience could see us go from diabolical in Europe to a little more competent. 

 

It's obvious that Rodgers just wasn't learning, hasn't really learned much in the three years. Having Suarez was probably more of a hinderance to his learning than a help in that everything he tried seemed to work, it also didn't help with fans expectations. With a strong assistant he at least has a sounding board that might just not nod his head all of the time. 

 

This may not be doomed to disaster, it depends who they appoint and how they spin it. Obviously the media (who like to sex stories up) will try to have a field day with this. The best way to shut them up, as well as the fans, is as always to win games. 

 

A lot of people (including me) have gone on and on about Rodgers lack of experience, well if they appoint a decent assistant that he has to work with then he might just learn a thing or two. I'm pretty sure that huge ego he had is somewhat deflated at the moment and he's probably not too happy about the loss of at least Pascoe. This isn't a buddies club though, he has a serious job to do and it's about time he started earning that wage and not making excuses. 

[gkmacca]

Good piece. I don't want to think that FSG are so cynical as to plan to waste the first part of the season driving the manager into resigning, but so far I can't find enough logic in their actions to convince myself of their good intentions.

 

First of all, Rodgers is a coach. He's a coach with an all-encompassing vision. So his assistant coaches have always had the air of cone carriers about them. Of course, you can have an assistant manager who is more of a tactical sounding board rather than an active coach (and personally I think that's what Rodgers needs), but if FSG are now aiming to bring in one or two more bona fide coaches, how on earth do they expect Rodgers to fit them in?  If they share Rodgers' vision completely, you're back to people saying 'yes. boss'. If they don't, then you'll have two or more coaches with contrasting methods and visions. Imagine WBA telling Pulis, 'We're bringing in Glen Hoddle to work with the midfield. You can carry on as you were with the defence and strikers, while Glen will be working on the middle bit of a Christmas tree formation with the others...'  For better or worse, when you've got a coach who has his own style, then you don't really mix it up with another coach's input. Wenger wouldn't tolerate it (look at Steve Bould's mournful expression on the bench next to him), nor would Steve Clarke, nor would any coach with that kind of root and branch philosophy. So unless FSG find someone who is incredibly tactful and subtle with his tactical advice, there's surely only one conclusion to this sad story and that's Rodgers and his fabled dossier of tactical wisdom being driven out the door. And if that IS the real intention, then why not do it now, honestly and quickly, and move the club on?

[Babb'sBurstNad]

One possibility, which I haven't heard mooted much, is that Rodgers has found a vein of humility and, upon self reflection, come to accept that his defensive coaching leaves a lot to be desired, and that sometimes he needs to be protected from his own ideas. Two things neither Marsh nor Pascoe could likely help him with.

 

It's probably not that, but I'm at that stage of the summer where I try to find the positives.

[Jairzinho]

Slow motion sacking.

[redninja]

Slow motion sacking.

Yep.. make his position untenable..

 

Politics..

 

 

[Ranxerox]

Article sums it all up for me, I see it ending in tears.

[Gym Beglin]

While I hope Rodgers does get the right support, I think it'll be uncomfortable.

 

If we get them in, and I'm hearing that Hyypia and Zenden might be unveiled, the problem is that a great start to the season will result in calls that the improvement is down to those two, and not Rodgers. And if we get off to a bad start, then the clamour to appoint Hyypia, or bring in Klopp will be deafening.

 

It's win-win for us, as fans, and the club, as I think we get better regardless of the present situation.

 

Rodgers could still turn this around, that's how fickle we are as fans, if he puts together 5 wins in a row in August/Sep then optimism will return.

 

One thing's for sure, we cannot fuck around in pre-season.

 

How often have you seen us in pre-season in recent years and been stunned at how far from prepared for the new season we look by the last pre-season game?

 

It fucked me off seeing fringe players picked for games, just because they're fringe players. Fuck that, if you're training well and better than your rival for that position then you start games. WHat we don't need is to waste pre-season games by playing a XI that will never, EVER play with each other again.

 

Look at last season, 16 July we faced Brondby and we played Kelly, Agger, Smith, Ibe, Suso, Borini, Illori, Rossiter, Coutinho, Lucas, Jones, Peterson.

What's the fucking point? Why would we waste one of our pre-season games by fielding a mixed side like that? Why do we want to see if Illori and Agger can play together, or Kelly and Agger? Why do we need to see if Peterson can link up with Coutinho and Borini? At what point is that ever a reality for our first team?

 

We patently weren't ready as we dropped points in 4 of our opening 6 league games.

 

Unfuckingsurprisingly, Kristian Peterson, Tiago Illori, Jordan Rossiter, Jordan Ibe, Martin Kelly, Daniel Agger, Fabio Borini, Brad Smith, and Suso featured in fuck-all of those games. You could even make a case for Suso playing in the first team as he was impressive in pre-season, and Peterson even scored, so what was the fucking point in playing players 'to see what they are like' and then seeing they're alright, and then completely freezing them out of the first team come the first game of the season because you'd already made your mind up who was IN and who was out?

 

'Fitness'?

Fuck that, there's a bunch of hills to run up inbetween games. And you don't get 'match-fit' by playing pre-season games at a piss poor intensity, especially when your game plan going into the season is to play a high-intensity pressing game.

 

Managers should treat the first game of pre-season as the start of the league season. How else do you expect to get ready otherwise?

[Jairzinho]

Isn't Peterson the kid that scored a few goals in pre season then we promptly sold/released him?

[gkmacca]

'Fitness'?

Fuck that, there's a bunch of hills to run up inbetween games. And you don't get 'match-fit' by playing pre-season games at a piss poor intensity, especially when your game plan going into the season is to play a high-intensity pressing game.

 

 

Fitness is certainly one of the problems Rodgers needs to address.  His players don't seem fit enough to play his pressing game until about November. If you can't play a whole season with your preferred style, then either get the players able to do it or change the style.

[Bjornebye]

How can anyone knock Rodgers for not packing up and leaving? He was given a chance to manage one of the biggest clubs in the world. of course he took it. He then helped steer us to our closest title shot since we last won it playing a style of football that was tearing teams apart. And not just shit teams. Everton, Arsenal, City, Man U....

 

he then lost his best player and Sturridge was injured most of the season. yeah his tinkering fucked us eventually but we went on a run of games for a few months at the turn of the year after he switched to 3 at the back. In his mind things transpired against him this season that were out of his control, he will have every faith in his ability to get things back on track next year. And who can blame him for thinking that? The problem is, not many others do believe he will and that's why ultimately the club needs to make the decision to cut ties and bring in someone proven.

 

 I like Rodgers. Up until the semi final I was on his side of the fence. That game and the drab final run-in saw me switch. its not being fickle its just reality. Its gone tits up for him and from the outside looking in, its an awful situation. The players haven't been playing for him and if they can't even lift themselves for a semi-final or the final home and away games for a legend of the club then all hope is gone. If we kick off the season with him in charge i'll back him but unfortunately it's backing him before the inevitable happens. No amount of new coaching staff will make a blind bit of difference. lets face it, the best bit about our bench last season was Pascoe's legs on show.

[alles ist gut]

Isn't Peterson the kid that scored a few goals in pre season then we promptly sold him?

Correct. That other poster was just checking to see who reads his stuff.

[VladimirIlyich]

How can anyone knock Rodgers for not packing up and leaving? He was given a chance to manage one of the biggest clubs in the world. of course he took it. He then helped steer us to our closest title shot since we last won it playing a style of football that was tearing teams apart. And not just shit teams. Everton, Arsenal, City, Man U....

 

he then lost his best player and Sturridge was injured most of the season. yeah his tinkering fucked us eventually but we went on a run of games for a few months at the turn of the year after he switched to 3 at the back. In his mind things transpired against him this season that were out of his control, he will have every faith in his ability to get things back on track next year. And who can blame him for thinking that? The problem is, not many others do believe he will and that's why ultimately the club needs to make the decision to cut ties and bring in someone proven.

 

I like Rodgers. Up until the semi final I was on his side of the fence. That game and the drab final run-in saw me switch. its not being fickle its just reality. Its gone tits up for him and from the outside looking in, its an awful situation. The players haven't been playing for him and if they can't even lift themselves for a semi-final or the final home and away games for a legend of the club then all hope is gone. If we kick off the season with him in charge i'll back him but unfortunately it's backing him before the inevitable happens. No amount of new coaching staff will make a blind bit of difference. lets face it, the best bit about our bench last season was Pascoe's legs on show.

I knew a Navy man would find a bright spot.

Hello Sailor.

[Rotpeter]

I can't believe anyone at FSG thinks they're in a position to assess whether Pascoe and Marsh are doing a good job or not.  They'll have gone to brendan and said the model is young players improve, they're not, you're not even picking them, what you gonna do?

 

And he's proposed a solution.

 

Et tu, Brendan?

[stringvest]

Precisely

[bonesman]

I dont think they took that public show of a lack of faith in the project at Stevies do too well at all.

Its hard to spin something as public as that..

[Moo]

One possibility, which I haven't heard mooted much, is that Rodgers has found a vein of humility and, upon self reflection, come to accept that his defensive coaching leaves a lot to be desired, and that sometimes he needs to be protected from his own ideas. Two things neither Marsh nor Pascoe could likely help him with.

 

It's probably not that, but I'm at that stage of the summer where I try to find the positives.

Sorry to say but I don't think it is that. If this was all Rodgers own doing he'd have found an alternative position (Marsh's?) for Pascoe who would have "mutually agreed" if he didn't want it, not sacked.

[Moo]

I can't believe anyone at FSG thinks they're in a position to assess whether Pascoe and Marsh are doing a good job or not. They'll have gone to brendan and said the model is young players improve, they're not, you're not even picking them, what you gonna do?

 

And he's proposed a solution.

 

Et tu, Brendan?

Can't see it. I think FSG would have taken advice from elsewhere, perhaps even from Gerrard via Ayre.

[SasaS]

Well, at least we have now become the most attractive proposition for aspiring assistant managers  in the world. There is almost no downside.