Where are we all now with Brendan?

[ritchie]

 

His two main transfer targets last season were Lovren and Lallana which he's gone balls out for! Dempsey also springs to mind as another, you have to wonder if he had full control over transfers what a Rodgers team would look like?

 

Vorm, Neil Taylor, Lovren, Ashley Williams, Ben Davies, Britton, Allen, Lallana, Dempsey, Ince, Benteke, 

[kemskem]

Does anyone seriously think we'd be worse off with Klopp as manager?

Or Ancelotti. Has more experience of inheriting other managers' players and has experience of this league. Either of them would be great, if they were possible, and have the track records to suggest they know what they're doing in top level football.

[ritchie]

Plenty of good coaches never manage or have much worse records, I don't really see your point. Even if you rate Ayesteran and Meulensteen as a level apart I reckon they'd be polishing turds rather than cups here.

 

We've got the squad and budget to have a proper go at the Europa League. Not with our staff.

[Jhinge Machha]

should have gone after the stoke nightmare.

 

instead, he somehow convinced the owners that the backroom staff, which he initially brought on, were the issue and ended up with even more control in terms of transfer ( the outgoing loans)

[Russ Atmosphere]

We've got the squad and budget to have a proper go at the Europa League. Not with our staff.

I think you're unnecessarily harsh about the levels of the new coaching staff. Perhaps they lack experience of actually coaching a side through Premier league and European campaigns, but in fairness they chose more difficult careers and don't come without respect in the game.

 

I'd rather in the first place we had hired a manager with more experience. Experience of spending big sums of money wisely, and of winning. A single half-decent season in the top flight and we have pounced. There you go, have the Liverpool job. I don't really think the same owners are going to hire the best regarded, best paid coaches in world football somehow, or that Rodgers wanted their threat hanging over him.

[kalasoma]

I think you're unnecessarily harsh about the levels of the new coaching staff. Perhaps they lack experience of actually coaching a side through Premier league and European campaigns, but in fairness they chose more difficult careers and don't come without respect in the game.

 

I'd rather in the first place we had hired a manager with more experience. Experience of spending big sums of money wisely, and of winning. A single half-decent season in the top flight and we have pounced. There you go, have the Liverpool job. I don't really think the same owners are going to hire the best regarded, best paid coaches in world football somehow, or that Rodgers wanted their threat hanging over him.

 

What was the point of getting rid of inexperienced coaching staff and replacing them with new staff who lack experience but have 'respect in the game'? It just doesn't seem like a sensible solution. I agree with the second point, though.

[Russ Atmosphere]

What was the point of getting rid of inexperienced coaching staff and replacing them with new staff who lack experience but have 'respect in the game'? It just doesn't seem like a sensible solution. I agree with the second point, though.

I don't know, it seems like Rodgers picked people who he wanted, like most other managers of large clubs. I think if we're honest, people would probably have found fault in whoever he picked.

 

I really don't see the point in us hiring Meulensteen to tick the box of European experience, then Rodgers, as he has on previous campaigns, disregard the competition with weakened team selections. Lady Gaga as a coach could tell us how we do better in Europe.

[Russ Atmosphere]

Vorm, Neil Taylor, Lovren, Ashley Williams, Ben Davies, Britton, Allen, Lallana, Dempsey, Ince, Benteke,

That is so true. I'd generously give him Bertrand at left back though.

[Pureblood]

Where are we all

Where are we all now?

Where are we all

Ay-aye-aye-aye-aye-aye-aye-aye

Where are we all now?

Where are we all now?

[Paco]

Where are we all

Where are we all now?

Where are we all

Ay-aye-aye-aye-aye-aye-aye-aye

Where are we all now?

Where are we all now?

sweet child

[Anubis]

17 fucking legends on here.

 

[Dave D]

If you were given unlimited funds to transform the team, who, if any, would you keep?

 

Me-

 

Coutinho

Milner

Clyne

Gomez.

 

The rest could go. Bit early to judge Benteke and Firminio maybe.

 

The rest, all a bit average.

[Russ Atmosphere]

If you were given unlimited funds to transform the team, who, if any, would you keep?

 

Me-

 

Coutinho

Milner

Clyne

Gomez.

 

The rest could go. Bit early to judge Benteke and Firminio maybe.

 

The rest, all a bit average.

 

Coutinho.

[Gym Beglin]

Rodgers is an imbecile, let's get that out of the way.

 

But, just as with Suarez and Sturridge saving his 51 goals conceded side, he could receive a similar minor miracle IF Benteke, Firmino, and a returning Sturridge all stay fit and all click.

 

On paper, an attack with Benteke and Firmino should yield a lot of goals, regardless of the side around them. Throw Sturridge into the mix and it COULD scare the shit out of teams. This in turn allows the midfield to play slightly more expansive and push up the field, so Can, Milner and Henderson are picking up scraps and hitting an occasional edge-of-the-area goal from the blindside.

 

But we're talking about individuals linking up, being fit, being in-form. We're not talking about some coaching genius from Rodgers, it's great players taking the club by the scruff of the neck and wanting to win.

 

For me, the weak link so far has been Firmino, and even Coutinho. Playing as attackers with Benteke, they need to be pressing more and being more of a threat on goal, and getting closer to Benteke.

 

But it's not a reprieve for Rodgers, he's still shown no nous in terms of accelerating that partnership, by reverting back to a 442 in the meantime, or by stopping conceding goals by picking the best defenders and midfielders to shore things up. As a manager you have to have the 'skill' to see when a team, or an idea, is not likely to work in a game, and to change it to something that will work.

 

I'm not sure what this infatuation with Moreno as a LW is about, where it's comes from. All I can assume is that Moreno is doing some great things in training in those positions. That said, we all remember a certain Brad Smith being used the same way against Chelsea, very early in Rodgers' tenure. Just a pace merchant who was tasked to run into space behind a defence. I've absolutely no idea what Moreno, or Smith, thought they could do once they got into the final third, but it's pretty important for that penetration to have an end product. If Coutinho/Firmino drop well away from Benteke during a game then the likelihood is that only Benteke will be near the area by the time the gypsy speedster Moreno gets to the end of his pacy break. Unless he pulls out an extraordinary pass to cut-out two CB's, then Benteke isn't getting that ball. The other option is to laz one in off the bar himself from the angle, but that's not happening, ever.

 

So Rodgers, with his Moreno subs, has thought of half of a solution to win a game, but not the execution.

 

There's a lot of possibilities with this current team, tactically, but Rodgers seems unable, or unwilling, to try them. A 442 with Gomez/Moreno on one side and Clyne/Henderson on the other is a very interesting concept. Oodles of pace and stamina to get up and down the line, lots of interchanging, it would really stretch the pitch out all game. And to have Benteke/Ings up front, or Benteke/Origi, or Benteke/Firmino, or Ings/Firmino as a partnership would cause a defence all sorts of problems both in behind them, and in terms of balls into the box.

 

But for me the whole thing comes down to the CB's, and what they do off the ball and on the ball. Our CM can't push too far up to support attacks if they're constantly being sucked back to protect a deep-lying, lazy bastard, CB line. Personally, I blame Skrtel as much as I blame Lovren. Skrtel has stolen a living as a CB at a top club, he would get destroyed if he played a high line and had to deal with 1-on-1's. Whereas Sakho and Gomez would be a great CB pairing in that respect, and would enable us to play a high-line with confidence, and both can play a pass and win aerial duals. For this reason, I was fucking appalled (but not surprised) to see Illori moved on, as he would have also fitted-in with a high-line with his remarkable pace. I As it is, he'll be played deep at an appalling Sunderland side, and will be exposed as he can't use that pace. Retarded logic.

 

The thing is, I'm not asking us to try anything outlandish, I think a fairly standard League One manager would try some of these things out.

[Gym Beglin]

If you were given unlimited funds to transform the team, who, if any, would you keep?

 

Me-

 

Coutinho

Milner

Clyne

Gomez.

 

The rest could go. Bit early to judge Benteke and Firminio maybe.

 

The rest, all a bit average.

Mignolet

Gomez

Clyne

Sakho

Moreno

Henderson

Milner

Can

Coutinho

Firmino

Benteke

Ings

Origi

Markovic

Ibe

 

 

To be clear, I'd very much consider selling Sturridge, Allen, Lovren, Enrique, Lallana, Lucas, Skrtel.

Sturridge's injuries have been catastrophic, as have Allen's. No point, at all, in keeping players around who are that prone to absence.

 

But, on the whole, we have a really good set of players to base a squad around. The development of the youngsters though is critical to our future success. The likes of Rossiter, Brannagan, Chirivella, Canos, Williams, Jones, Ward, Ojo, Sinclair, Dunn, Kent, Wilson, Phillips, Alexander-Arnold , these players could be £10m players, which is a fairly standard player by modern-day prices, but it all adds up. Why can't we develop our own Leon Britton's, or Delph's, or Terry's? They aren't worldies, they're just solid top-level pro's.

[Paco]

Even city showed last year that 442 is asking for trouble against 5 man midfields. Not just in the champions league either. They were in shocking form as pelkegrino persisted with playing dzeko. Which made the signing of bony even more baffling. They finished the season with one up front and hit some good form which has continued into this season.

 

Dont get me wrong, I want to ser that diamond back with sturridge and benteke banging in goals together but I think a formation will have to evolve if and when those 2 hit it off. Took a while to find the best formation for suarez sturridge sterling and coutinho.

 

moreno just looks like a good counter attacker these days.

[Dave D]

Mignolet

Gomez

Clyne

Sakho

Moreno

Henderson

Milner

Can

Coutinho

Firmino

Benteke

Ings

Origi

Markovic

Ibe

 

 

To be clear, I'd very much consider selling Sturridge, Allen, Lovren, Enrique, Lallana, Lucas, Skrtel.

Sturridge's injuries have been catastrophic, as have Allen's. No point, at all, in keeping players around who are that prone to absence.

 

But, on the whole, we have a really good set of players to base a squad around. The development of the youngsters though is critical to our future success. The likes of Rossiter, Brannagan, Chirivella, Canos, Williams, Jones, Ward, Ojo, Sinclair, Dunn, Kent, Wilson, Phillips, Alexander-Arnold , these players could be £10m players, which is a fairly standard player by modern-day prices, but it all adds up. Why can't we develop our own Leon Britton's, or Delph's, or Terry's? They aren't worldies, they're just solid top-level pro's.

 

 

Difficult to make a case for Mignolet? 

[Rotpeter]

If you were given unlimited funds to transform the team, who, if any, would you keep?

 

Me-

 

Coutinho

Milner

Clyne

Gomez.

 

The rest could go. Bit early to judge Benteke and Firminio maybe.

 

The rest, all a bit average.

If you were to base your decision on performances managers other than Rodgers have got out of the players I bet your list would be different.

 

The thing that stands out about your list is that coutinho aside, they're all new players, players rodgers hasn't had time to work his "magic" on!

[TheHowieLama]

If you had unlimited funds why would you keep anyone? Coutinho is not one of the top 10 players in the world

[ZonkoVille77]

unlimited funds is a stupid point. We hadn't unlimited funds in 2005.

You need a combination of things to go right in order to be successful. look at Sevilla.

A good manager is a start. Buying players that aren't afraid of Play Doh is another.

[Russ Atmosphere]

If you had unlimited funds why would you keep anyone? Coutinho is not one of the top 10 players in the world

You'd not have substitutes?

[TheHowieLama]

No. I'd just buy a new team for each game.

[Russ Atmosphere]

They'd stay at bigger clubs. Look at Ed 'unlimited funds' Woodward's success.

[SammyAftershave]

No. I'd just buy a new team for each game.

Tinkerman?

[Ranxerox]

Get rid now. Cut our losses and do whatever is necessary to bring in a proven world class manager. 

 

He's just not very good at his job, aside from the period when Suarez was the best player in England he's achieved nothing with us, and even with Suarez he didn't win anything. 

 

 He's never won anything significant in his career and never will, winners are rare and Rodgers is not one of them. He's shown that a massive outlay in transfer fees is no guarantee of success. Despite all of the propaganda about being hamstrung by the committee that he sits on, he's also reportedly got his choice of many targets who have all been failures either due to no talent, his system, or his coaching. 

 

The run in to the title challenge was his chance to make a name for himself and step up to the next level. He bottled it pure and simple and and events since have exposed his many weaknesses. 

 

 He is a classic PL mid table manager, there will be plenty of horses on the managerial merry-go-round for him to hop on in the near future, time to give him a ticket for the ride.